By Kathy Jones
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is a man whose outfit is as rigid as his regime. His ensemble (all one of them) seems like it was ripped from a '60s-era James Bond villain. Fitting perhaps for this nuclear strongman of mystery, a dictator whose country seems to be lost in time, shut off from the world and in thrall to his cult of personality. To the rest of the world, though, Kim Jong seems as much a comic figure as he is a threat. His platform shoes, puffy hair and militaristic suits have been ripe pickings for 'South Park,' 'Saturday Night Live,' 'MAD TV' and countless YouTube video-ettes. But now, in light of his nation's apparent new willingness to compromise, maybe there's a chance Kim Jong would consider diffusing his own image. After all, he's rumored to have a love of Hollywood and an eye for luxury. With this in mind, NEWSWEEK has asked several fashion designers to give Kim Jong Il a makeover to match his nation's ostensible new mood, and we're asking readers to send in their own makeover ideas for North Korea's secretive ruler.
Want your very own Kim? Send the North Korean leader on his way to fashion ferocity by downloading our own Kim-plate