As the sun rose over Milton Quarry, video crews began setting up their mounds of equipment.

This surreal Alaska-meets-Arizona desert landscape will be the backdrop for local singer Paul Burke's debut video, I Feel Alive.

Shooting among the limestone dunes, creviced hills and scalloped rock cliffs will take from sunup to sundown.

But between film takes, Burke, a man of music and style, models winters's hottest trends.

Hide and sleek

Slick leather is the ultimate skin that's in. It is also more affordable than its exotic snake and crocodile cousins. Smooth-to-the-touch leather worn with fine cashmere and wool knits creates interesting textural combinations.

The twin set

This season, a radical new development for men is the "twin set." Popularized for women by Pringle of Scotland as far back as the 1920s and 1930s, today twin sets look totally new and modern for men. And they are a casually elegant option to wear in place of a sport jacket.

Individualism

Trends look best tailored to individual tastes. Singer Paul Burke creates his own sexy signature look for his soon-to-be released I Feel Alive video.

"I have a futuristic, Matrix-y-martial arts sort of look in my video," he says of his black West Coast leather jacket, black shirt and Polo black denim jeans.

The twentysomething singer is a part-time model -- blessed with chiselled good looks and a buff bod -- the results of rigorous "wing chun kung fu" martial arts training. You'll see some of his smooth moves in his video.

Like his look, Burke's sound is also unique. He calls it "a pop-rock, R&B fusion" and laughs at how a lot of black singers today are copying what's going on in the U.S., trying to be Bobby Brown or Puff Daddy pretenders.

"But that isn't us. We don't use American slang. We're not American and we didn't grow up in 'The Hood,' " says the local T.O. Krescent Records artist, who co-writes all the band's songs with drummer Patrick Stephenson.

"We couldn't pretend that we're something we're not, so we write what we feel and we keep it real."

For more info on Paul Burke, visit his Web site at www.geocities.com/paulburke2001.

Colours and prints

Avant-garde designers Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell for Hoax Couture believe man cannot dress in black alone. They suggest rich oxblood leathers, deep saturated shades such as cobalt blue and black mixed with brights in patterns or prints.

Pleather

Black, wet-look pleather (read fake leather) is great for rock stars, entertainers or club-goers. This slick shiny, urban, fabric is an affordable alternative to real patent leather. Or any leather for that matter.

Dirty denim

Denim gets down and dirty looking.

Techno stretch fabrics

The bridge between business attire and casual-Friday wear comes from hi-tech stretch fabrics and sleek styling.