Spring Grooming Vol. 3: Three Stylishly Retro Haircuts To Rock When It's Warm
It was inevitable.
As with a rising sun that’ll set again, what was once cool always, always comes back.
And right now, ‘90s men’s hairstyles are having a hell of a moment.
Not that the bug didn’t condition swaths of us into re-appreciating longer hair; we had zero access to barbers for who knows how long. No one here’s denying that thing provided at least some impetus for guys rocking curtains again. But hey, beneficial accidents and all that. Curtains look good on the right guy.
Or, maybe ‘90s cuts are back thanks to a perfect pairing of both aforesaid factors — ill fate and the cyclical nature of, well, everything.
Or, maybe Caesar cuts and middle parts have been back long enough to earn their place at the table of timelessness, the same one occupied by your side-parts and slick-backs.
Either way, if it means men are finally looking past fades and changing things up, then good. Who said diversification’s reserved for money?
Jimmy Giroux’s a friend, barber and Co-Owner at Collective Haus in Sudbury, and he’s all about the ‘90s revival. “We’ve been trying to gently push our clients towards some of these haircuts for a while now so we’re stoked to see some of them becoming more popular in North America.”
So are we, Jimmy.
That’s why we’re concluding our Spring Grooming series with a presentation of three different, yet short retro haircuts to rock when it’s warm.
Let’s get it.
I. The Middle Part (Or “The Curtain Cut”)
Everyone — from an adolescent Leo DiCaprio to probably even you — wore curtains in the ‘90s.
Shit, if there were a cut that defined that decade it’s the short, but subtly layered middle part, slicked back with a little (or no) product then left to gravity for the rest of the day.
Some even turned up the punk on the middle part and added an undercut, but the dearth of these today confirm an old, but invaluable adage: Not all that’s retro is cool enough to come back.
II. The Modern Mullet
What, did you think you were safe from the fringes of what’s mainstream? Hey, no one around here’s going to bite their thumb at a well-executed mullet. We wouldn’t scoff at a Mohawk if it suited its wearer, so why do the same here?
“2021 was the year of mullet and 2022 is looking like, for the most part, a continuation of that,” confirms Zach Ledgerwood, good friend and Founder at The Gray Whale in Ottawa. “But, today’s more tailored mullet is less like the one you saw on your old beer-tee clad neighbour and more like the ones we’ve seen running around pro soccer fields in the past. Think controlled length around the bottom of the hair line [in the nape] offsetting tighter and shorter layers above.”
No, it’s not easy pulling one of these off, but it can be done… in one of two ways:
1. Subtlety Over Noise
Think Thom Yorke from Radiohead circa 2004, or even Kanye West circa the 808s & Heartbreak era. Both men kept length on the sides instead of fading them, thus ensuring the back — or the business end of a mullet — wouldn’t steal the show.
2. All-Out
If you’ve got the balls, go with cropped sides, and the shorter the dirtier (read: better). Our friend and barber at Collective Haus in Sudbury, Jimmy Giroux, loves it when clients ask for mullets. It’s little surprise, too, since Giroux’s damn good at executing them.
Perfect For: The maverick
How To Style One
Mullets need no actual styling — the cut itself covers most of that job.
But a little grooming spray’s still good for volume control; you don’t want that thing to puff out. Two or three sprays from about half a forearm’s length and you’re set.
III. The New Caesar Cut
You remember the Caesar cut: tapered sides and just enough length on top to push forward into a “I care, but not that much,” proto-fringe. And forget about blood-drunk emperors — much kinder guys like George Clooney and season one Ross from Friends were the real bastions of this haircut’s reign. And unlike its eponymous ruler of old Rome, this haircut can’t die. Why? Few men’s haircuts can balance simplicity with elegance like the Caesar.
To barbers clued-up on industry trends, the French Crop is, for all intents and purposes, the modern Caesar cut. But to those who cut hair, the “Crop” isn’t exactly new. Across the pond, scores of young Britons have sported the crop for at least the past decade. Here, however, Crops have yet to reach the same heights. But like all cool things European, they’ll get big here sooner or later.
“Like the crop you posted, a lot of my clients are looking for something different but are often not willing to fully commit yet,” says Giroux. “Not so long ago a lot of people thought crops looked goofy, but they’re finally realizing how fun and versatile they can be.”
Perfect For: The pragmatist
How To Style One
Just rub a little matte clay between your palms ‘till it vanishes then run your hands through your cut in a forward fashion. And don’t overdo it; the fewer the passes, the more effortless the result.