Hit & Run: The rise of bromance

Gordon Ramsay is a real man, right? Or at least that's what he'd have us believe, with the real man's torso that he insists on flashing in The F Word credits; the real man's job that involves keeping a cool(ish) head while all around him are sharp objects and boiling fat; and the real man's four-letter words. So what was he doing kissing blokes at the opening of his restaurant, The York and Alban in Camden, on Saturday night? The object of Ramsay's affection was his father-in-law and (business) partner, Chris Hutcheson, but surely such behaviour brings his macho persona crashing down around him like a collapsing soufflé?

Not according to the new rules of manhood, which suggest that you're not a real man unless you're party to a "bromance". These days, no meeting mano a mano is complete without a lingering hug, a manly pat on the bottom, even a kiss – on the lips! After winning Newcomer of the Year at the WhatsOnStage theatre awards in February, Daniel Radcliffe found himself in a clinch with Gavin & Stacey's James Corden. Before an audience of their peers, the two young men appeared to enjoy a lengthy snog.

The rise of the "bromance" ought to be cause for celebration. This trend has spread from the Continent, where it has always been acceptable for male friends to engage in a bit of slap and tickle. Silvio Berlusconi never had any problem planting his lips on the pasty cheeks of Blair or Bush.

Now, it has become the norm in the Anglo-Saxon world, where public displays of affection have been embraced from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. John Travolta caused a stir when he planted a smacker on Kirk Douglas at the Santa Barbara film festival last year, and three years earlier Douglas's son Michael was seen smooching Danny DeVito at the Golden Globes. Awards shows evidently bring out a man's bromantic side: Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Irons got cosy at the SAG awards, and Sam Rockwell threw face at George Clooney during the Berlin Film Festival in 2003. Clooney, need I mention, stars in the ultimate series of bromantic comedies or "brom-coms", Ocean's 11, 12 and 13.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama and Ben Affleck have been seen hugging onstage – with their eyes closed. Yet, as Obama well knows, an ill-advised bearhug can come back to bite you. John McCain and George W Bush's 2004 embrace is central to the Democrat's campaign literature.

Back in the UK, even the stiffest of upper lips trembles at the thought of another man's embrace. Here is Prince William, first of a new generation of potentially progressive royals, air-kissing his frigid father. It's a charming image of familial bliss. Long live the bromance. Tim Walker

Faldo raves on

Is there a unisex fashion accessory that bespeaks the mid-Nineties more than wraparound shades? It was during that decade that sunglasses built for the ski slopes came down the mountain and were sold to ravers by whoa-dude brands like Oakley and Arnette; by 1998 the sun had set on the wraparounds' credentials. But this week, Nick Faldo has barely been seen on the Kentucky greens without his super-dark Adidas wraparounds. Wait, is that the pulse-quickening sound of Oakenfold's Goa Mix coming from the clubhouse? Susie Rushton

Posh: a latter-day Mona Lisa?

When is a smile not a smile? When it is gracing the lips of Victoria Beckham. "We've just had some great news from our fragrance business," she cooed to 'The Sun' yesterday. "It's now worth £109m at retail... I'm so content I've even been smiling these days." Grrrrr. Her success aside, on the basis of photos, her new expression is not so much a smile as a smile-pout-hybrid worthy of the Mona Lisa. Rob Sharp

Shrinking shoppers – the next big thing?

Sales might be dwindling because of the credit crunch but are shoppers shrinking, too? High-street retailer Reiss has announced that its clothes will soon be available in size zero – or a British size four. The move is based on demand in its Asian stores, where customers are naturally more petite. "We're selling the size in Asia, so we thought we'd try it here, too," said a spokesperson.

Gap has long offered clothes in a UK four (an American zero), and our own Topshop has stocked a size six as standard for at least 10 years. The fact is, there is a market for them, albeit not as big a one (no pun intended) as there is for average sizes.

Twelve years ago, the median UK dress size was a 12, and the largest size in most shops was a 16. Now, most high-street stores go up to a size 18, some to a size 22 or 24. But until now they never shifted downward, and there has been a troupe of women who have not been able to find clothes to fit them.

Many of the smaller-sized clothes on the high street are T-shirts, vests and jeans. Reiss, however, offers a sophisticated mix of daywear and evening wear, so it has broadened the possibilities for the smaller shopper (again, no pun intended).

Reiss is adamant that it is not tapping in to the cult of extreme thinness, as popularised by Nicole Richie at her most skeletal, nor is "Size Zero" a look that the shop wishes to promote as part of its image. "We do not advocate eating disorders; our clothes look better on curvy women. We use curvy women in our ad campaigns and we design our clothes with real women in mind."

Whether there is a demand in the UK for dresses with a 23-inch waist, where the average "real woman" is a size 14 remains to be seen. Harriet Walker