Post by Ace on Mar 23, 2004 15:21:02 GMT -5
Denver Post: Here comes stubble
By Suzanne S. Brown
Denver Post Fashion Editor
Talk about a turnaround. An unshaven face used to be a sign that a man didn't care about his appearance, that he'd pulled an all-nighter or had been away on a fishing trip.
Almost overnight, it seems, the scratchy mug has returned as a hipster signature, worn by actors and musicians, athletes and artists. Men who want to maintain a trendy edge even as fashion gets more buttoned-up again are letting the facial hair fly.
It's decidedly masculine, a bit dangerous and more than a little sexy. (And don't kid yourself; it takes some skill with the shaving tools.)
On Oscar night alone, Hollywood hunks Pierce Brosnan, Djimon Hounsou, Heath Ledger, Ricky Martin and Will Smith sported stubble.
Spring issues of men's style magazines are loaded with guys who are rough around the edges. Ad campaigns by Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, Eddie Bauer and Banana Republic, show models with a few days' growth sprouting on chins.
The last time the scruffy look was this hot was in the 1980s, when "Miami Vice" actor Don Johnson, playing Sonny Crockett, had the girls swooning and the drug dealers cowering. Not shaving was popular among the grunge set in the 1990s, but you didn't find stubble from front to back in magazine ads and editorial spreads. More recently, fashionable facial hair has taken the form of goatees and lower-lip tufts, or "soul patches."
If one flips through recent fashion rags, it's as if every man in America chucked his razor and dared you to brush your cheek across his scratchy mug.
"We were aware of it and noticed it in paparazzi photos and on the red carpet, all the way down to the street," says Aaron Krach, grooming editor of the new men's magazine Cargo. "In the suit story this month, we have real men as models. When they came in, many had a few days of overgrowth in their beards. That confirmed for us that it was even more of a trend than we thought."
Shaving creams are the subject of a "Baby Your Face" spread in Cargo, as is the topic of trimming body hair ("Manscaping 101"). "This is something we know guys are interested in," Krach says.
But why does it seem that all of a sudden everyone from fashion designer Tom Ford - the look's unofficial poster boy - to actor Ethan Hawke is bristling with an almost-beard?
For one thing, it gives men a choice.
"Men in general don't have that many options, in clothes or grooming," Krach says. "You can experiment with stubble and shave it all off in a week if you don't like it. It gives you some individuality."
Changing facial hair is a big - but relatively easy - way for a guy to alter his appearance, says Ariel Foxman, Cargo's editor in chief. "Rather than dyeing your hair or changing your hairstyle, you can wear a 5-o'clock shadow or two-day growth when you want a different edge," he says.
Ben King, 23, a Denver model, says he likes the look because "I'd much rather wear that than have to shave all the time." He says his clients and photographers want it, too. "I just did a shoot with (outdoor outfitter) Cabela's, and they wanted a scruffy look. So did Gart Sports."
Rob Lail, King's agent and owner of Maximum Talent, says such clients as American Crew, the men's hair products company, as well as the clothing and gift company Norm Thompson, have recently re- quested unshaven models.
Designer stubble is also a reaction to the renewed popularity of suits and ties. Men aren't ready to fully conform, observers say.
"There was a swing back to being more neatly dressed and groomed, and then a slight swing to looking comfortable, but not messy," Krach says. "I call it an 'accidentally on purpose' look. You want to look relaxed, but not bedraggled."
Theri DeJoode agrees. "One of the biggest reasons it's so prevalent is because it's a balance. It adds a casual edge to the dressier overall feel of fashion," says the owner of Groom, a men's salon in downtown Milwaukee, and technical director for American Crew, which is based in Denver.
"Greasy and grungy are out; healthy and a little more refined are in, but you still want to stand out," says DeJoode. "Having a full goatee has been worked to death," she says. "And a mustache is so 1970s porn or gay biker - there's so much stigma to it." Stubble, she says, "is a fresh look for guys."
But achieving it isn't as simple as letting the razor blades rust. The look requires shaving the neck and trimming just the right line.
Jeremy Patterson, 27, a stylist at Antoine du Chez in downtown Denver, says he has worn stubble for several years and regularly teaches the technique to clients.
"They like it because you can look both rugged and clean," Patterson says. "It's all about the edge. I show them what clippers to use and what guard to use." On his own face, Patterson uses guards that leave the hair one-eighth or one-sixteenth of an inch long. Another stubble-wearing Antoine du Chez stylist, Chad Perdue, 28, likes the stubble because it means he has to put the razor to his face only once a week.
"I shave on Tuesday," he says. "It's time to shave it off when it starts looking kind of dirty."
Perdue says he has gotten mixed reactions to his appearance from women. "Half the girls love it, half like it clean-shaven. It's a personal taste," he says.
New York publicist Amy Shapiro is in the former camp. "I like the rugged and unruly look," she says.
While stubble tends to be a young man's look, it can be attractive on the gray-haired gent, too. "A lot depends on how the guy wears his hair," Perdue says.
And how he makes his living.
DeJoode says she doesn't expect men to wear stubble if they're in conservative fields like finance or trial law, but "If you're in advertising, fashion or sales, this is absolutely appropriate."
Denver caterer William Fog- ler, whose fondness for Gucci and other designer labels keeps him in the fashion vanguard, says stubble could be a turn-off to clients. "It's not professional enough for day to day."
But Fogler keeps his options open on the weekends. "I'll wear it out," he says, "Or when I'm going to the gym or grocery store."
Suzanne S. Brown is fashion editor of The Denver Post. Call her at 303-820-1697.
==============================
See.... stubble yes... mustache... no!
Ace
By Suzanne S. Brown
Denver Post Fashion Editor
Talk about a turnaround. An unshaven face used to be a sign that a man didn't care about his appearance, that he'd pulled an all-nighter or had been away on a fishing trip.
Almost overnight, it seems, the scratchy mug has returned as a hipster signature, worn by actors and musicians, athletes and artists. Men who want to maintain a trendy edge even as fashion gets more buttoned-up again are letting the facial hair fly.
It's decidedly masculine, a bit dangerous and more than a little sexy. (And don't kid yourself; it takes some skill with the shaving tools.)
On Oscar night alone, Hollywood hunks Pierce Brosnan, Djimon Hounsou, Heath Ledger, Ricky Martin and Will Smith sported stubble.
Spring issues of men's style magazines are loaded with guys who are rough around the edges. Ad campaigns by Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, Eddie Bauer and Banana Republic, show models with a few days' growth sprouting on chins.
The last time the scruffy look was this hot was in the 1980s, when "Miami Vice" actor Don Johnson, playing Sonny Crockett, had the girls swooning and the drug dealers cowering. Not shaving was popular among the grunge set in the 1990s, but you didn't find stubble from front to back in magazine ads and editorial spreads. More recently, fashionable facial hair has taken the form of goatees and lower-lip tufts, or "soul patches."
If one flips through recent fashion rags, it's as if every man in America chucked his razor and dared you to brush your cheek across his scratchy mug.
"We were aware of it and noticed it in paparazzi photos and on the red carpet, all the way down to the street," says Aaron Krach, grooming editor of the new men's magazine Cargo. "In the suit story this month, we have real men as models. When they came in, many had a few days of overgrowth in their beards. That confirmed for us that it was even more of a trend than we thought."
Shaving creams are the subject of a "Baby Your Face" spread in Cargo, as is the topic of trimming body hair ("Manscaping 101"). "This is something we know guys are interested in," Krach says.
But why does it seem that all of a sudden everyone from fashion designer Tom Ford - the look's unofficial poster boy - to actor Ethan Hawke is bristling with an almost-beard?
For one thing, it gives men a choice.
"Men in general don't have that many options, in clothes or grooming," Krach says. "You can experiment with stubble and shave it all off in a week if you don't like it. It gives you some individuality."
Changing facial hair is a big - but relatively easy - way for a guy to alter his appearance, says Ariel Foxman, Cargo's editor in chief. "Rather than dyeing your hair or changing your hairstyle, you can wear a 5-o'clock shadow or two-day growth when you want a different edge," he says.
Ben King, 23, a Denver model, says he likes the look because "I'd much rather wear that than have to shave all the time." He says his clients and photographers want it, too. "I just did a shoot with (outdoor outfitter) Cabela's, and they wanted a scruffy look. So did Gart Sports."
Rob Lail, King's agent and owner of Maximum Talent, says such clients as American Crew, the men's hair products company, as well as the clothing and gift company Norm Thompson, have recently re- quested unshaven models.
Designer stubble is also a reaction to the renewed popularity of suits and ties. Men aren't ready to fully conform, observers say.
"There was a swing back to being more neatly dressed and groomed, and then a slight swing to looking comfortable, but not messy," Krach says. "I call it an 'accidentally on purpose' look. You want to look relaxed, but not bedraggled."
Theri DeJoode agrees. "One of the biggest reasons it's so prevalent is because it's a balance. It adds a casual edge to the dressier overall feel of fashion," says the owner of Groom, a men's salon in downtown Milwaukee, and technical director for American Crew, which is based in Denver.
"Greasy and grungy are out; healthy and a little more refined are in, but you still want to stand out," says DeJoode. "Having a full goatee has been worked to death," she says. "And a mustache is so 1970s porn or gay biker - there's so much stigma to it." Stubble, she says, "is a fresh look for guys."
But achieving it isn't as simple as letting the razor blades rust. The look requires shaving the neck and trimming just the right line.
Jeremy Patterson, 27, a stylist at Antoine du Chez in downtown Denver, says he has worn stubble for several years and regularly teaches the technique to clients.
"They like it because you can look both rugged and clean," Patterson says. "It's all about the edge. I show them what clippers to use and what guard to use." On his own face, Patterson uses guards that leave the hair one-eighth or one-sixteenth of an inch long. Another stubble-wearing Antoine du Chez stylist, Chad Perdue, 28, likes the stubble because it means he has to put the razor to his face only once a week.
"I shave on Tuesday," he says. "It's time to shave it off when it starts looking kind of dirty."
Perdue says he has gotten mixed reactions to his appearance from women. "Half the girls love it, half like it clean-shaven. It's a personal taste," he says.
New York publicist Amy Shapiro is in the former camp. "I like the rugged and unruly look," she says.
While stubble tends to be a young man's look, it can be attractive on the gray-haired gent, too. "A lot depends on how the guy wears his hair," Perdue says.
And how he makes his living.
DeJoode says she doesn't expect men to wear stubble if they're in conservative fields like finance or trial law, but "If you're in advertising, fashion or sales, this is absolutely appropriate."
Denver caterer William Fog- ler, whose fondness for Gucci and other designer labels keeps him in the fashion vanguard, says stubble could be a turn-off to clients. "It's not professional enough for day to day."
But Fogler keeps his options open on the weekends. "I'll wear it out," he says, "Or when I'm going to the gym or grocery store."
Suzanne S. Brown is fashion editor of The Denver Post. Call her at 303-820-1697.
==============================
See.... stubble yes... mustache... no!
Ace
) I prefer clean-shaven legs, also, but what a pain! ;D
, Ace. 
.