Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2009

Actress Maki Horikita, 21, and Italian TV personality Girolamo Panzetta, 47, are the winners of this year’s Best Leathernist awards. The annual prize is announced each year on Leather Day (Nov 3) and given to those celebrities who look the coolest in leather. Horikita, who will appear in the upcoming Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, said she likes to wear leather with colorful accessories because “it makes me feel feminine.” Panzetta said he was really impressed with the creative way that Japanese clothing and accessory makers use the material. He added he was pleased to be chosen for the award with such a beautiful person as Horikita.