As the angst-ridden A.J. Quartermaine on GH, Sean Kanan knows how to look good while feeling bad. Off-screen, the Cleveland, Ohio, native favors a style that is "functional and comfortable, but still has a bit of an edge and originality." An unabashed fashion fan and power shopper, Kanan says, "I'm a clothes horse. I'd rather buy the good stuff and try to piece it together."

DRESSED TO THRILL
Kanan says A.J. dresses like a high-powered exec in stylish suits by Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. "The men in daytime look a little hunk-ified. A lot of what we wear on daytime is about people's conception of glitz." Off the set, Kanan wears the sleek, well-tailored clothes of Donna Karan and Vestimenta. One up-to-the-minute look the sartorially splendid actor favors: wearing the same color suit, shirt and tie. Kanan also loves shirts by Eton of Sweden, and has even done some modeling for the company. He believes fashion should be fun. "Years ago men thought the only way they could express their individuality was to wear funky ties and socks," he says. "Now so many men realize they have a lot of other choices and are wearing funkier kinds of things like banded shirts with suits. You should experiment." His best fashion advice: "I think you have to find out what designers look good on your body to look your best."

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE
In Kanan's extremely well-organized closet, clothing is arranged by item. Suits, shirts and shoes are all kept together. "I'm neat," Kanan says with a laugh. "But not compulsively so. Well, maybe just a little." His favorite wardrobe pieces are a three-quarter-length black leather jacket ("it will never go out of style"), a long blue cashmere overcoat and a blazer left-over from his college days in Boston.

Not content to stick with just one look, Kanan sometimes prefers a more classic appearance, layering a tweed sport coat over a vest and pairing them with corduroy trousers and Ralph Lauren suede shoes. "Clothes are indicative of mood," he says. "They're a costume. I wouldn't wear the same thing walking down Melrose in L.A. as I would going to some New York City art gallery. That's the fun of it."

The fashion-savvy actor buys impulsively and loves to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and Maxfield's, where he's been known to pick up something by Matsuda. The one thing he buys in bunches are shoes - he often snaps up three or four pairs at a time. At home, Kanan has a whole litter of Hush Puppies, in powder blue, navy, black and brown, that he likes to wear with well-worn jeans.

SAVING FACE
Kanan works hard to maintain those leading-man good looks. He exercises four times a week and has been studying martial arts since he was 12. One of Kanan's best features is his great skin, which he keeps flawless and fit by using the popular Kiehl's skincare line and making regular visits to Raya Taver, a Los Angeles "skin gym" that keeps his pores buffed and polished. "I need it with all the makeup we wear on the show," he says. Never one to be caught having a bad hair day, Kanan has been having his mane tamed at Vidal Sassoon for the last eight years.