Leading UK retailer Debenhams has revealed the most unlikely of fashion superstars.

Spearheading the new clothing line to hit the high streets is the famous British walker Alfred Wainwright.

Wainwright is more commonly known for his walking guides to the Lake District, along with a reputation for foul moods to suit the foul weather. He is renowned as a notoriously bad dresser, which in some part could explain the new wave of counter-chic. Over the past two years, his fame has increased markedly thanks to a host of radio and television programmes about his life.

The public exposure has cascaded down from the cliffs to the high street in that time, with demand for walking boots, rucksacks and all-weather, hiking-style clothing soaring, leading Debenhams Director for Menswear Buying, Paul Baldwin, to call the new trend ‘Wainwright Chic’. Baldwin claims that both women and men across Britain have taken to the rugged outdoors look, and that the hill climbing image usually reserved for the most extreme of weekends has now found a place in everyday wear. In the past, specialist clothes such as Wainwright’s defining look were the preserve of nature enthusiasts and train-spotters only, but Baldwin says they are now just as likely to appear on the streets of Chelsea and Kensignton as Scafell or Grisedale Pike.

The Wainwright look usually involves a woollen jumper, belted coat and aged flapped-ear cap. These are most often complemented by trousers that use braces rather than a belt for support and which are tucked in to thick woollen socks. The choice of footwear is traditionally unstylish but highly functional.

Big hair is back, with Dynasty-style dos regaining popularity.

The eighties throwbacks have already featured on the catwalks of both Louis Vuitton and Karl Lagerfeld of late and gained  more publicity thanks to Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, the trashy New Jersey trendsetter. According to stylists, the pouf is back – in a big way

In Recent months, Leighton Meester, Sarah Jessica Parker and Blake Lively have sported the bouffant. Even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has brandished sleek pouf from her blonde bob.

According to creative director at popular Heading Out, Caterina Di Biase, the pouf is the hot new hair look for the modern glitterati. Di Biase claims that the pouf is easy to create, simple to manage and only takes moments to construct. In her role as hair director at the Melbourne Fashion Festival in Australia last month, all the runway girls are now favouring the flamboyant flow.

However, the modern version is apparently less classical then the traditional Marie Antoinette high hair perfection and more akin to a dishevelled powder puff. The so-called Snooki-style, which is half-up-half-down, was the most popular way of wearing the pouf on the city streets, with even the simplest of teasing making dirty locks look spectacular. The look is perfect for dirty hair, with a simple twist and presto.

The Bold and The Beautiful big hair goes hand-in-hand with the recent resurgence of power dressing amongst the well-heeled socialites.