Cary Grant has beaten more modern pretenders to the throne to be named the most stylish man ever. The North by Northwest star was named ahead of David Beckham, Johnny Depp and Steve McQueen in a poll of 4,000 British men. In a list of 50 icons, Elvis makes the top ten, coming in at number nine.
Grant, real name Archie Leach, was once told by an interviewer: "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant," only to reply: "So would I."
Other celebrities named in the top ten of the poll carried out by top tie and scarf maker Peckham Rye included Sean Connery, Brad Pitt and Elvis Presley.
But according to Matt Start of Peckham Rye, Grant - who died 22 years ago - is a worthy winner.
"His film North by Northwest shows a stunning scene when he is walking along the side of a train in a light blue suit, white shirt and tie as he puts his sunglasses on," he said. "That look, even though it was first seen back in 1959, spawned so many copycat looks and fashion wise is still an iconic movie scene." He added that David Beckham should be pleased to have finished second while the "exceptionally cool" Depp deserved third.
The top 10 male style icons are:
1. Cary Grant
2. David Beckham
3. Johnny Depp
4. Steve McQueen
5. Sean Connery
6. Brad Pitt
7. James Dean
8. Frank Sinatra
9. Elvis Presley
10. Justin Timberlake