When we think of fashion our thoughts tend to turn almost on a whim towards the clothes and shoes we wear upon our person; without hesitation we consider the cut of our cloth, the colours that best suit our complexion and the latest trends and those we will, and won’t, buy in to. But what about our hair and the styles we wear atop our head?
Our hair and the ways in which we style it are paramount to our individual personas, if anything they say as much (if not more) about who we are, as the clothes we choose to wear.
It doesn’t matter whether they are good, bad or ugly, hairstyles define eras; from the crooners of the 1960’s, the mop-tops of the 70’s, 80’s mullets and perms to 90’s grunge and the long haired, messy look favoured by those under the influence of the music scene, we may reminisce over old pictures and wonder why on earth we did it but we can pretty much guess the era of our lives simply by taking a quick look at the hair-do we sported.
Step forward into the present day and men’s hairstyles have become more prominent than ever before. The birth of the metro-sexual in the early Naughties and the rise of men taking a far more conscious approach towards their presentation has seen hairstyles become even more important to our image.
From quiffs to slick backed barnets, past the shoulder length long to cropped on the sides and combed back on the top, the Naughties hasn’t so much a defined a hair cut era as given us a choice to do whatever we want, whenever we want. Unlike punk or mod eras, we are living in a time where trends come and go almost over night and thus are hairstyles have changed to suit this fast paced fashion.
Men are also far more open to change in the early part of the 21st century. No longer will you adorn one hair style for your entire adult life, instead changing shapes and styles as trends and individual moods dictate.
Designers are often accused of not appealing to the everyday gent when it comes to producing their clothing collections but if anything, the forthcoming Spring / Summer season has seen the catwalks awash with models whose hairstyles cater for all the needs of the modern man.
Here’s a quick look at some of the key styles for 2014.
Long Haired Lover
Let’s face it, men with long hair often get a bad rap but some of the most famous and coolest men to ever walk the earth have had long flowing locks. David Beckham, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Jared Leto haven’t been afraid to let their hair grow long and although it takes patience, it’s definitely worth the wait.
Slicked
Over the past couple of years, the slicked back, wet look has taken the world by storm. Scandinavians, Japanese and the Brits, it doesn’t matter where you are, there are thousands of stylish men sporting this crooner type style. A favourite of the vintage workwear brigade, this classic look may have been moulded in the early part of the 20th century but it has very much been brought to the fore by a new generation of dapper gents.
Clean Cut
Burberry, Paul Smith and Raf Simon all sent ‘men’ sauntering down the catwalks with clean cut mops atop their heads for S/S’14. Blunt, choppy fringes and a messed-up feel were also key to this look with the sides trimmed closed to the scalp helping to give this traditional style a contemporary feel.
Product
Of course no hair style is complete without the accompanying product and the grooming market now caters for men as much as it does for women, well maybe not quite as much but it is a booming industry nonetheless. From wax to gels, putty paste to clay, shampoos and conditioners, make sure you get yourself sorted out. Speak to your hairdresser / barber and they will ensure your style and type of hair gets the best care possible.
Conclusion
Clothes may be the essence of our personal style but never under estimate the ways in which you style your hair. This being the 21st Century gives us men the opportunity to experiment with our hairstyles more than ever before so don’t just do the same thing every day of every year, try something new.
Of course the shape of your face, the thickness of your hair, the fact it may be straight, curly or wavy means there are rules which we must abide by but that is no excuse for simply having a short back and sides.
If you love your clothes and the way you dress, make sure you have a hair style that says the same.
