FILM star Russell Crowe is the man of the moment. He lunged into our lives in Gladiator with his bull-neck, stubbly beard and leather skirt - and left women swooning.

Crowe is a testosterone-fuelled, man's man. When he turned up in Britain recently to promote his latest movie, Proof Of Life, his hair was long and floppy, his shirt was open-necked and he sported an untidy beard.

On Crowe, of course, this look is not scruffy, it is irresistibly sexy.

Thanks to him, a rugged appearance is now fashionable and grown-up women, who always suspected that the fresh-faced Leonardo DiCaprio was too much of a boy to be desirable, finally have a proper heart-throb.

There are other slightly-grizzled stars who can also carry off that ''I just fell out of bed, threw on whatever clothes were lying around and I'm still gorgeous'' look.

Hollywood hunk George Clooney, with his tousled hair and can't-be-bothered-to-shave stubble is one of them.

Another is Bruce Willis, star of tough movies like Die Hard, who has a rough-hewn charm. Willis is usually semi-bearded and favours the slobby, open-necked shirt look.

But all these men have the allure of fame on their side. Can an ordinary bloke carry off this look, without being labelled an unsightly slob?

According to Tony Lewis, fashion editor of men's magazine Esquire, the answer is maybe but it's not as easy as it looks.

Lewis says: ''It is trendy to look rugged but I think it's something that has to be done just right. If you are not hugely attractive and you are not really conscious of your grooming, you can end up looking a real mess.''

But Lewis argues that Russell Crowe is an ''average guy'' - compared with actors like Brad Pitt who have near perfect, pretty-boy looks - so it is possible for normal men to copy his style.

The secret of success, he says, is to create the ''unkempt'' look with care. Pulling on a pair of crumpled jogging trousers, when you have a hangover will not make you look like a film star.

Lewis advises: ''You've got to make sure the length of your hair is right for you, as opposed to just growing.

''I think Russell Crowe looks a lot better when his hair is slightly shorter and he's got a beard because it makes him look rugged, as opposed to messy. It is a narrow line.

''With clothes, again, you have to be quite focused because this style works really well if you get it right but if you don't it can be a disaster.''

The trick, he says, is to keep your look clean. ''Wear maybe a nice blazer with a roll-neck or denim with a fresh shirt.''

And as a final proviso, Lewis believes ordinary men will need a fairly fit and toned body to pull off the rugged look.

He warns: ''If you are the sort of person who is out of shape, you won't look like you are rough and rugged, you'll just look like a slob.''

Fashion consultant Carol Spenser, author of Style Directions For Men, also believes that being attractively unkempt takes skill.

She says: ''Looking really casual but not looking scruffy is difficult and it's something that British men aren't very good at.

''I think it comes down to the fact that most men in this country tend to have two sets of clothes.

''They have their best clothes which they go to work in, consisting of suits and shirts and ties, and then they have scruffy stuff to lounge around in, like tracksuit bottoms and football shirts and battered old trainers.''

Spenser says the key to achieving that Russell Crowe style is to acquire a ''middle wardrobe''. And the aspiring piece-of-rough must also ensure his hair and beard are groomed to a perfect state of imperfection.

* Proof Of Life is showing in cinemas no