Whether it's Sanjaya's infamous "faux hawk" or Amanda Overmyer's frightfully cheesy "skunk" streak, the look of "American Idol" contestants can be as buzz-worthy as their vocals are ear-splitting.

Consider Utah's David Archuleta. The front-running teen's style is as humble and sweet as the Boy Wonder's "aw-shucks" attitude - restrained and simple but, well, a bit bland.

Every year about this time, "American Idol's" own makeover consultants swoop in and begin redesigning the contestants' looks.

So we asked ourselves: How can we help David's couture match his soulful voice?

The Salt Lake Tribune recruited a team of fashion renovation experts to do a mini-makeover on David's look to give him the edge - without being edgy.

The Consultants

Amber Michelle Evans: New Faces director for the McCarty Talent Agency, the largest modeling agency in Utah.

Julia Hollingsworth: Performance coach and artist development for Salt Lake County-based Rising Artists Studios.

Keith Bryce: Fashion designer and owner of Filthy Gorgeous, a Park City-based clothing line and artist network.

James Banford: Salon stylist and operations director for Landis Aveda hair salon in Salt Lake City and Bountiful.

Hair:

Banford said David has so far opted for the standard "bedhead" look, almost a shag.

"He's still in that Ambercrombie look," he said. "He's still has that young, 17, high-school look. But if they want to push it to the next level, he needs to have a little edgier cut."

Banford recommends a cut that's shorter on the sides and the back with a little length on top, similar to the hairstyle worn by actor Elijah Wood.

"He would appeal to more than just the high-school crowd, maybe that twentysomething crowd," he said. "I would rather see a little more texture - different lengths - to give a little lift to the hair."

Fashion:

Bryce said David's problem is that he wears clothes that are too big and have too little color contrast. that people dressing him are washing him out and dressing him in clothes much too big for him.

"The way it's fitting him, it's making him look even smaller than he is," he said. "He should wear tighter pants, more tailored jackets, more intense graphics on his shirts. He's not a 'rock star,' that's not his style. He would want the audience to keep relating to him. You just want to take whatever he does and turn up the volume a little bit."

Bryce recommended a wine-colored shirt with believes the colors he's wearing are not standing out.

"He could probably use a little more wine-colored shirt," he said. "Maybe even using "some sort of tan jacket or somethng so you have the lighter color and darker color."

Performance:

If Hollingsworth - who works with artists' onstage style, image and emotional connection - had David as a client, there isn't much she would change, she said.

"Don't fix that which isn't broken," she said. "He has a great emotional connection, one of the things that's most hard to teach. He moves very easily on the stage. He covers the whole gamut. If I taught him, he's doing everything I teach."

Evans said his body language "sends a message."

"He has to be aware of everything he does," she added. "You have to create an attitude or sense of persona depending on the song you're singing."

Hollingsworth and Evans believe David's humble, approachable demeanor remainshas been and will be an asset. He's as comfortable onstage as performers like Sting, Eric Clapton and Luther Vandross, Hollingsworth said.

"He should keep that. He's grounded, and that's what we're all seeing," Evans said. "Hopefully, he'll never lose that."

David is as comfortable onstage as performers like Sting, Eric Clapton and Luther Vandross, she said.

"The thing that puts him head and shoulders above everyone else is that he is very natural, he's just himself. He doesn't put anything else out there that's not from his heart."