CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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Hairstyles for Summer 2014, we ask the Experts !

It looks like Summer is here and with that we start to think about certain things, mainly to do with our appearance, I need to lose a few pounds, where’s that gym membership ? And of course, I need a haircut. As always, we like to look after our readers and so we sort the advice from some of the leading hair care experts in the entire Goddamn world. We sort counsel with Mr Kevin Luchmun, TONI&GUY British Mens Hairdresser of the Year 2013/2014, Jordan Thomas, top stylist at London’s leading hair Salon, Soho’s FISH and of course the Award-winning, Jamie Stevens, who has styled the likes of Olly Murs, Christian Slatter and Kylie Minogue, to name but a few. Ohhh who just happens to be defending his title as British Hairdresser of the Year for the third time !

As Jamie puts it, “Whilst women’s hair trends tend to chop and change from one season to the next, men’s hair trends usually evolve at a more subtle pace with a natural progression from the previous season’s look to the current, which is great as it makes trends accessible for all.”

His first key trend for the season is called The Man’s Bang. Whilst last season was all about hair swept back off the face, this season sees it brought forward into a fringe with a 90’s inspired feel, seen on celebrities such as Jake Bugg and on the catwalk at Christopher Kane, Burberry, Topman and Phillip Lim. Great for disguising a receding hairline or a bad face day, the fringe is versatile as it can work on a more extreme level, keeping it short on the back and sides or it can be worn with more length on the sides for a contemporary Beatles inspired cut. Wear with texture as opposed to keeping it too neat, from natural curls to choppy texture created with cutting and styling techniques on straighter hair. Blast dry hair forward and use a matte clay to achieve a messy, unstructured look, such as Matrix Design Pulse Beach Clay. image

Next up, we back the, Slick Back, The biggest look last year was undoubtedly the slick side parted look. Still proving popular into 2014, evolve this look with a defined undercut and wear grown-out length straight back for a classic 20’s inspired look as seen on the likes of actor Michael Pitt. If you’re more clean-cut than disheveled, this is a great look for you. Keep the look sleek and straight on finer hair to wearing it with more texture and height through the top on medium to thicker hair. For those of you avoiding the severe undercut opt for some length on the back and sides to add a softer finish, a bit like Leonardo Di Caprio in the Wolf of Wall Street. For more of a wet look slick finish opt for a gel such as Matrix Design Pulse Defining Edge to help achieve a distinctive slick lookk, using a bristle brush to finish. For a softer version opt for a wax to manipulate the hair into place – a little. Kevin agrees with Jamie and believes, “This SS14 it is all about a return to vintage. Whether it be deep side parted looks reminiscent of the 1920s, as seen at E.Tautz at London Collections: Men, or 1990s grunge style with wet-look locks, a la Baartmans & Siegel SS14 show, hair with a history is key! Products play an important role in creating these styles with gels taking centre stage for wet-look hold whilst pastes are great for moulding tousled textures with a Great Gatsby finish! Try label.m’s Extra Strong Gel for that Kurt Cobain grunge feel whilst label.m’s Power Paste is perfect for the tailored 1920s look.”

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Last up we have one for the more adventurous of your readers out there. The Man Bun is set to be THE style of Summer 2014, says  Jordan Thomas.  Jordan gives his top tips on how to achieve the effortlessly  cool style of Jared Leto: 

• Make sure hair is completely clean with Sportfish Hair, Face and Body Wash • Work a pea-sized amount of AquaFish Fishgum through the ends of hair to give texture and choppiness

• Pull hair back into a low bun and secure with a hair band

• Sort out those flyaways by smoothing hair with an extra blob of AquaFish Fishgum  SportFish Hair, Face and Body Wash.

Jamie’s backs Jordan on this look saying, What started out as a practical way to keep grown-out longer hair off the face has developed into a hipster hair trend, with stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal, David Beckham and Harry Styles rocking the style to Joaquin Phoenix, Alex Ebert and Jared Leto making it into an acceptable red carpet look. If you’ve been working the longer hair look the Man Bun or ‘Mun’ as its been coined is a great way to bring you into S/S’14. Whether it’s worn higher or lower on the crown, slicked back wet or dry, keep the ends hanging loose to avoid it looking too much like a classic women’s ballerina bun, whilst facial hair keeps it looking the right side of masculine. Sprinkle a texturising powder when styling to avoid the hair looking too clean or styled, such as Matrix Design Pulse Mega Dust and go with a little light gel wax to manipulate the hair back and hold it in place.image

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This season’s top hairstyles for Autumn/Winter 2013

Screen Shot 2013-09-30 at 10.19.02On a purely selfish tip here, but I’m sure I’m not on my own, I’m in need of a good hair cut and also a bit sick to death of my usually short back and sides. So, it got me to thinking I should seek the advice of a professional and out came the Clothes Make the Man little black book, actually the not so little, I’ll have you know, and top of the list came the Award-winning hairdresser, owner of two salons, global ambassador for Matrix Haircare, TV personality and British Hairdresser of the Year 2013 & 2012 nominee, none other then Mr Jamie Stevens. Jamie has fast established a well-deserved reputation as one of the nation’s most successful and talented celebrity hairstylists.

This charismatic and gifted man has seen him work with everyone from Kylie Minogue, Elle Macpherson and Eva Herzigova to Christian Slater, Hugh Grant and Olly Murs. He has also been recognised for his exceptional men’s hair skills, twice winning the British Hairdressing Awards Men’s Hairdresser of the Year Award, as well as being the English Hair & Beauty Awards Men’s Stylist of the Year 2013 and winning the first ever Men’s Stylist of the Year category at the HAIR Awards 2013. OK, OK I’ll shut and let him speak.

Screen Shot 2013-09-30 at 19.49.00Slick & Side Parted – Seen on everyone from Leonardo Di Caprio to Justin Timberlake, defined side partings were a key trend for Spring/Summer and show no signs of going away for Autumn/Winter. This trend kicked off with pop culture influences from shows such as Boardwalk Empire, Downtown Abbey, Pan Am and Mad Men, where the guys wore hair very slick and this classic cut with clean edges, is definitely enjoying a renaissance.

To achieve this, you should ask for a hair cut tapered at the sides and cut into the parting, whilst maintaining enough length on top to comb over to the side. It does require regular maintenance trims to keep it looking sharp, but it looks super stylish and is so easy to style, you just need a comb and product – opt for gels, pomades and glossing products, rather than those with a matte finish.

The finished style can be worn sharper or softer, depending on your face shape and preference. At its sharpest, style from wet with a comb and a good strong hold gel such as Matrix Design Pulse Rock Solid, keeping the hair as flat as possible and making sure product is evenly distributed.

The softer version, think Leonardo’s Gatsby, where volume is present and hair more styled, use a Denman brush and dry the hair backwards towards the crown. Then, using a wax paste like Matrix Design Pulse Shape Scene, apply from front to back for a more textured finish, with flexibility and movement

Screen Shot 2013-09-30 at 19.50.17Longer Hair & Natural Texture – In contrast, longer hairstyles embracing the hair’s natural texture are also a key look for Autumn/Winter. This look is about dishevelled unfussy hair, like your man has just rolled out of bed, think Harry Styles, as well as a return to even longer lengths. After washing your hair, liberally work a sea salt spray into the hair and apply a small amount of a matte clay, such as Matrix Design Pulse Beach Clay into your roots and shape into the desired look. Let it dry naturally or in the colder months, scrunch dry it with your fingers and mould into shape.

Screen Shot 2013-09-30 at 19.51.38Quiffs – We’re seeing a lot of textured quiffs in demand, where the back and sides are cropped short to really heighten the impact of the length on top. This work best on hair with a natural wave, but we’ve also been seeing an increase in requests for perms to achieve this look on hair that doesn’t naturally curl so easily, just make sure your stylist uses big rods as this will make it wavier and will sit back better.

For the cut, ask your stylist for a skin fade as this will give you the best cut to maximise the top length. To style, apply a styling cream into the hair before blow-drying such as Matrix Design Pulse Loosely Defined to give hold and lift. Dry the hair back in the direction you want it to sit and as big as possible. With a clay-like product – Matrix Design Pulse Quick & Dirty, rub it generously into your hands and fingers and starting at the back of your head imagine you’re putting the product on your scalp and start to work it forward, encouraging lift at the front to maximise the quiff. Finish some good hairspray for guys.

Alternatively, you can blow-dry the quiff out into more of a Beckham-inspired look that has been so popular – the key here is the cut as he has been clippered with one grade to really show separation between the lengths.

 

To learn different ways of styling your hair at home, ask your stylist when having your hair cut for specific tips and tricks on how to adapt your look and the key products required to achieve it, so that you change your look up depending on your mood.