THE JOURNAL

Tyler, The Creator, New York, 2018. Photograph by Ms Kristina Bumphrey/ Shutterstock
From animal-print hair to bright nail polish, the looks that only the brave should try.
Sometimes, adhering to a grooming trend demands more commitment than getting dressed. You can take off those ironically ugly dad sneakers if you don’t want to wear them anymore, but it’s much harder to, say, wash the leopard-print dye off your head, or grow your leg hair back after shaving it all off. Still, we don’t make the rules. For better or worse, there are some peculiar hair and body trends doing the rounds at the moment in the wild world of male fashion and celebrity. From legs as smooth as boiled eggs to hair that looks as though it’s been stained with a bag of Skittles, here are the grooming trends that we’re daring you to try this year. Don’t tweet us when you do.
THE ACID CROP HAIRCUT

Mr Kanye West, Calabasas, 2019. Photograph by Backgrid
Brave is the man who dyes his hair and tells his friends, but braver is the man who dips his entire head in the Kool-Aid. Mr Kanye West rocked some rainbow-coloured hair earlier this year, as did K-pop star Key from SHINEE. Also, see last season’s Versace show, where models came down the runway with leopard-print hair, and Tyler, the Creator, who, apparently ahead of the trend, did the same at last year’s Grammys. Bleach? Boring. Rainbows, leopards and colourful barnets? In!

GOD SHAVE THE QUEEN

Prada runway, Milan MFW, 2018. Photograph by Mr Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Cyclists and swimmers already remove their leg hair (it’s aerodynamic, you know) and now the fashion set are at it. With short shorts now a thing (thanks Ms Miuccia Prada), hairy thighs are not what the people want to see. Instead, drag queen-smooth legs are the order of the day. May we suggest some calming lotion for that razor burn on your ankles…

LET IT GROW

Mr Jonathan Van Ness, New York, 2019. Photograph by Mr Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
Above the belt, however, the trend for hair has gone in quite the opposite direction. Imagine if Elsa from Disney’s Frozen had the power to sprout hair instead of ice, and you might just be close to envisaging what Mr Jonathan Van Ness currently looks like. The lovably hirsute star of Queer Eye has a moustache for miles, frequently-visible chest hair and enough hair on his head that describing it as “tresses” actually feels accurate. With the 1970s back in style in a big way, body hair can be as free and easy as you want it to be. Can you believe?

PORNO-STACHE

Mr Jason Schwartzman, Los Angeles, 2013. Photograph by Mr Jason LaVeris/Getty Images
The history of this tapered wedge of thick, bristly, testosterone-fed facial hair – better known as the Chevron – is deeply rooted in the 1980s, when it was proudly grown by adult-film stars such as Mr Ron Jeremy. Worn to match a thick carpet of sweaty chest hair, it was a traditional symbol of sex, sleaziness and confidence. But the wearers knew that, of course. More recently, it’s been adopted on the upper lips of British GQ’s fashion director Mr Luke Day, the snake-hipped Mr Ricky Martin and actor Mr Henry Cavill. A flamboyant grooming trend during a time of sombre austerity? We’d like to think so, because we sort of love it.

NAILED IT

Mr Harry Styles, Rome, 2019. Photograph by Roma/Shutterstock
Last month, at Gucci’s 2020 cruise show in Rome, Mr Harry Styles made headlines for showing up wearing pink nail polish. After wearing black and teal varnish to the Met Gala a few weeks prior, it seems Mr Styles is attempting to start a trend. Or, at least, revitalising one (it has been done before by everyone from Mr Marc Jacobs to Snoop Dogg). The difference is that in 2019 it no longer feels wildly unrealistic to think that nail polish could genuinely start to creep into our grooming routines. Just be sure your toes match when you crack them out at the pool this summer.
Walk On The Wild Side

The men featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown
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