'Dog the Bounty Hunter'

We once devoted a column to the fashion stylings of Beth Chapman of A&E Network's hit series Dog the Bounty Hunter, which airs Wednesdays. Her low-cut blouses show off what can only be described as fleshy tectonic plates attempting to disprove continental divide -- and we love her for it. But somehow we never got around to breaking down the sartorial development of the man she loves, Duane "Dog" Chapman.

In the history of television, we feel confident that there have only been three men whose sense of style has been so graphically over the top that you could put anyone else in their clothes and absolute confusion would commence -- their look is that iconic. Those three men are Mr. T, Hulk Hogan and our own lovable "Dog." Each of them were given an extra style chromosome at birth that forced them into questionable haircuts and shirts with the sleeves cut off.

But as a reality star -- meaning an actual human being walking the streets like this every day -- Dog earns extra kudos for pure ballsiness. Starting with the blond pompadour that cascades into a mullet in homage to Twisted Sister, his hair, whether decorated with beads and feathers or au naturel, is his trademark. He dodged a bullet by not meeting a Mexican prison barber. If this is a look you're willing to try, we suggest buying Herbal Essences by the case.

Regardless of the tresses, Dog loves to show off the "guns." Sleeves are not only optional; they're discouraged. Whether he tears them off himself or goes straight for the black leather motorcycle vest -- sans shirt -- the look allows for some serious intimidation. But in this line of work, movement is key, so he often sports Under Armour's HeatGear sleeveless T-shirts in black. It keeps him cool when the heat is on.

Of course, if the arms are bare, they need some sort of embellishment, and it's here where Dog separates himself from the pack. American Indian armbands help define muscle tone. Why do you think all the chicks flock to Mohegan Sun? His other penchant for accessories has that biker flair: leather wristbands, huge buckles on thick, black leather belts, and fingerless motorcycle gloves. When he's not working in the field, he likes to keep those shirts unbuttoned to show off his custom dog-tag necklace. While his befits the man, we recommend something a little more subtle.

Which leads us to our favorite Dog trademark -- the sunglasses. Duane's gone all high-tech and stylin' on us with a pair of Oakley O Rokr Pros that, in addition to being the meanest-looking sunglasses on the market, feature built-in Bluetooth technology. That means you can talk on the phone or listen to MP3s through the earbuds on your sunglasses!

We'd steal a pair if we didn't think Dog would eventually catch up to us.

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon