It All Starts With the Beard

The rapidly evolving facial-hair canon.

By Nick Burns

The Mutton Man

Model: Terry Richardson

Nothing says “I’m a wilderness buff with artistic tendencies” quite like muttonchops, especially when accompanied by a fast-plummeting mustache (not a goatee, mind you; the chin stays bare). Works best on extroverts with narrow faces.

The Chin Curtain

Model: Abe Lincoln

Not to be confused with the chin strap, the pencil-thin strip favored by David Ortiz types. This is more of a backwoods look, with up to an inch-and-a-half-long “curtain” descending from the jawline. Flattering for less-prominent chins.

The Garden Gnome

Model: Brad Pitt

When Pitt really lets himself go, this is what he ends up with: a scraggly upside-down pyramid. Best for men with straight or wavy whiskers and square or angular (not round) faces. Consider rubbing Clubman wax into your mustache to hold the pointy shape.

The Hollywoodian

Models: George Clooney, Jon Hamm

A mountain-man classic, often appropriated by stars looking for a quickie image shift. The thicker the coverage, the more authentic the man. Trim occasionally and clean up the neck, lest one end up with…the Van Winkle.

The Van Winkle

Model: Joaquin Phoenix, circa Letterman meltdown

The full monty as far as facial hair goes; takes months, if not years, to harvest. To counter its sex-repelling qualities, condition it a few times a week and run a comb through it now and then.

Nick Burns is the co-author of The Bearded Gentleman: The Style Guide to Shaving Face (May 2010, Arsenal Pulp Press).

Read more: The Urban-Woodsman Primer – The Rapidly Evolving Facial-Hair Canon — New York Magazine

Published Jan 31, 2010 in New York

Illustrations by Justin Bryan Nelson

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 12:26 am. It is filed under Front, Press and tagged with Beards, Fashion, New York, Style, Urban Woodsman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.