Knee-length coats suit city weather

They were saved the embarrassment of looking like Crocodile Dundee but world leaders at the APEC forum looked slightly awkward dressed as Australian farmers.

Wearing big, all-weather oilskin coats, the 21 economic leaders faced the cameras for the traditional "funny shirt" photograph in the host country's national costume on Saturday.

The brown, knee-length modified Driza-bone coats, normally favored by horse-riding stockmen mustering sheep, were at least suited to the rainy Sydney weather on the first day of the APEC meeting.