Words: India Gladstone
We might be deep in the swing of things in 2017, but one thing’s for sure: men and women are looking to their brothers and sisters of the past for inspiration in all forms. We’ve had La La Land, we’ve had a huge resurgence in vinyl and now, more than ever, men are looking to style icons such as McQueen, Grant and Dean to inspire their next trip to the barber. So, what should you be asking for – and who wore it best?
If Cary Grant wore it, chances are that it was always going to have a resurgence at some point. The deep part is a classic choice, but one that many of our generation rid themselves of in favour of the ‘quiff’ or the incredibly well thought out ‘I didn’t make any effort at all’ bed hair. If you’re a city slicker or just want a bit of decorum in your day-to-day, you should try this. Don’t do it yourself; a parting is natural and the chances are that you’ll need a barber to deepen it and make it more prevalent. Attempt it with your own buzzer and you risk tipping ever so slightly on the side of a footballer with too much wet-look gel in his hair.
The problem with slicking your hair back is that if you don’t do it properly, you risk looking like 1) a geography teacher trying to be cool or 2) creepy. Ryan Gosling in La La Land is perhaps your best point of contact for this lid: he might not be from the 70s but his character in the film was widely inspired by the men of that era. You need a bit of volume, something that you can definitely achieve without spending money in a barber. You also need the right haircut to begin with: it needs to be long enough at the front to be able to push back at the perfect angle and short enough at the back to stop you looking like an 80s hippy. It’s not complicated, but the foundation is the most important thing here.
Steve McQueen is often epitomised as the King of Cool for very many reasons, but the most prominent perhaps being that everything about him was designed not to antagonize, but to prove some kind of rebellion against the establishment. “I live for myself and answer to nobody” is perhaps his most well-known quote and the very words that defined his personal style – including his haircut. McQueen’s lid was very definitely designed with great care and attention, but letting anybody know that would, of course, be a sin. If you’re that ‘cool’ guy, that guy that wants to make an effort but doesn’t want anyone to know that he has, then this is the haircut for you. The key is to go short – but not too short – and to whack a bit of wax through it (making sure to keep it properly styled) before you head out the door. As easy, quick and effortless as it looks – right?
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