(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-10 06:52

They were saved the embarrassment of looking like Crocodile Dundee but world leaders at the APEC forum looked slightly awkward dressed as Australian farmers.

Wearing big, all-weather oilskin coats, the 21 economic leaders faced the cameras for the traditional "funny shirt" photograph in the host country's national costume on Saturday.

The brown, knee-length modified Driza-bone coats, normally favored by horse-riding stockmen mustering sheep, were at least suited to the rainy Sydney weather on the first day of the APEC meeting.

The choice of outfit for the leaders had been kept secret in line with the sartorial tradition. Past APEC forum photos have seen the world's most powerful people dressed in everything from brightly-colored wedding shirts in Mexico to leather bomber jackets in Canada, colorful satin tangzhuang in China and Batik-print shirts in Indonesia.

Media speculation on the possible options at Sydney APEC leaders meeting had run wild in recent weeks.

But John Howard, aided by his wife Janette, chose a less elaborate outfit to represent Australia, which does not have a national costume.

The only touch of bright color on the coats, which also had an APEC emblem, were the lapels which were red, blue, yellow and green to represent Australia's dusty deserts, rugged coastlines, fine sands and vast bush.

"The coat aims to depict Australia's unique culture and environment in a wearable and usable coat," APEC organisers said.

Harper, like Bush, Japanese President Shinzo Abe and six other leaders, chose the most popular color for his coat's lapels, blue.

Six leaders, including those of South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam, picked the yellow option while Howard himself selected red, as did President Hu. Only Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang chose green.

The group photo is usually taken at the end of the two-day forum but was this year brought forward to accommodate Bush's early departure for the release of a crucial White House report to the US Congress on the war in Iraq.

China Daily-Agencies

(China Daily 09/10/2007 page2)