Gallery: Hits and mostly misses of the APEC fashion stakes

From embarrassing photo op to embarrassing photo op, APEC never fails to deliver

15 November, 2009

'A bit more of this material and Hilary and I could whip up some mighty fine curtains.' APEC 1994 -- Bogar, Indonesia

'Hey, Jiang, it's real leather. You look like the Fonz. Actually, we all do. Especially Hashimoto over there.' APEC 1997 -- Vancouver, Canada

New Zealand can be a chilly place. Ever the gracious host, New Zealand PM Jenny Shipley and Sir Tipene O'Regan bagged the only warm weather gear available. APEC 1999 -- Auckland, New Zealand

Russian president Vladimir Putin pulls it off. George W. on the other hand, looks kinda confused by it all. APEC 2001 -- Shanghai, China

Lab technicians or chemists? While the fellas have the pens in the pocket, at least New Zealand's Helen Clark (standing admirably to attention) gets a splash of color. APEC 2002 -- Los Cabos, Mexico

Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi (center) doesn't have to try to look cool. Unlike the other guys here. APEC 2003 -- Bangkok, Thailand

'Hey, Vlad, I bet what's under my blanket is bigger than what's under yours.' APEC 2004 -- Santiago, Chile

'Yay! We just graduated from Hogwarts.' APEC 2005 -- Busan, South Korea

'I've always wanted to be in a musical.' Japanese PM Shinzo Abe looks set to break out into dance and song ... Secretly, though they are all envious of Kiwi PM Helen Clark's headwear. APEC 2006 -- Hanoi, Vietnam

'G'day, Hu! Seen me kangaroo anywhere? Crikey, this dryzabone is pretty toasty.' APEC 2007 -- Sydney, Australia

'Now, if I made this a little bit longer, dyed it blue or red and called it a 'Snuggie,' I could sell it on late night TV and make more money than a thousand Texas oil fields.' APEC 2008 -- Lima, Peru

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Forget whatever diplomatic dialogue, multilateral trade deals or climate change initiatives come out of an APEC summit. The real talking point is always what crazy get-up our world leaders end up posing in.

Just as your dad never looks cool, APEC ensures presidents, premiers and prime ministers rarely look sharp.

We've dug up these monumental historical fashion moments -- the national dress couture hits of APEC from the last twenty years. Click the gallery link above then sit back in awe.

Follow this link for our complete APEC Singapore 2009 Guide

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Gallery: Hits and mostly misses of the APEC fashion stakes

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