Get The 1970s Look With Vinyl-Inspired Hair

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The decade style supposedly forgot is enjoying a belated reassessment. First, there was the glut of 1970s-referencing designs on LCM’s runways. Now, there’s the HBO series Vinyl – a Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger-produced look at the septum-eroding excesses of the music industry’s most decadent decade, which is making us reassess the received logic on oversized collars and even bigger hair.

So even if you’re not quite ready to jump on the flares trend, you can at least get your head in the game, whatever your style, facial anatomy and attitude.

Hippie And Page Boy

As seen on this year’s runways, letting your hair do its own thing is the laid-back approach to long tresses. Of course, reality differs – the right cut and care ensures your unfussed mane is more John Travolta than Wurzel Gummidge. So no, you can’t just grow it out and ditch the scissors. “Ask your barber to keep the length and layer it to the right shape,” says Darius Kravitz, from The Legends Barbershop.

It’s a style best suited to thick, straight or wavy hair – too fine errs feminine, too curly and you could end up with a Kevin Keegan perm. The cut suits oval faces best – longer hair makes everything look longer – and demands little upkeep. “Just wash twice a week with lukewarm water and enhance the sheen, if necessary, with extra-gloss products.” Far out.

(Related: Why you should grow out your hair this year)

 

How To Get The Men's Vinyl Hairstyle - Long 1970s Hair

The Shag And Rooster

Make long hair look less accidental by adding more layers than an Aztec temple. The cut of choice for Rod Stewart and David Cassidy, you need thick, straight hair to ensure the structure’s defined enough. Grow it out until it hits your collar, then ask for long, spiky hair on top, as well as layers through the back and sides to give that distinctive feathering. “You want to create layers that are naturally longer as you go down,” says Kravitz.

The deeper the distinction between layers, the shaggier the cut becomes. Keep it in check with a matte finish wax and hairspray to stop your feathering getting ruffled. But it’s not a style reserved for glam rockers: “This cut will still create the same effect of volume regardless of the length,” says Kravitz. “It can be worn sleek or spiked up, creating a ‘rooster’ look.” Looking fly.

How To Get The Men's Vinyl Hairstyle - Long Layered Hair

The Mullet

It hasn’t aged well, but a modern take on this most derided style can be more flattering than you’d think. A mullet is a hairstyle of two separate parts: short layers on top and at the sides, and long hair at the back. But it’s all about the blend; lean more towards Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie’s hot orange locks, less every country and western singer since the death of disco.

Once you’ve convinced your barber you’re not joking, ask for medium-short hair left spiky on top, with a clean, short cut around your ears, says Kravitz. Then ensure the blend into the longer neckline is clean; a disjointed mullet looks like you’re trying to hide something.

It’s a cut that suits round faces, since the long-short contrast creates the angles you’re naturally lacking. Keep gel on hand to spike the summit and a cream to slick down the back.

How To Get The Men's Vinyl Hairstyle - The Mullet

The Not-A-Pornstar Moustache

The handlebar moustache has been unfairly appropriated by unprofessional pizza delivery men, but it’s due a revival. Thanks to Movember the ‘tache has now emerged from purgatory, so feel no qualms about extending things below your lip line. But we’re not talking hipster fluff: “The 1970s moustache was thick and full,” says Kravitz.

To get the coverage you need to grow the centre hair out, while trimming the tips: comb from your septum towards the corners of your mouth, then shape with nail scissors, to give your lip-warmer that much-needed volume.

If your cheekbones are more Jonah Hill than Johnny Depp, the overblown sideburn can create definition: taper out from your ear along your cheek and above your jawline, then trim to a sharp edge. Just make sure you don’t shirk the upkeep; an untamed muttonchop shifts your style from 1970s rock star to 1870s butcher.

(Related: This year’s biggest men’s facial hair trends)

 

How To Get The Men's Vinyl Hairstyle - The 1970s Handlebar Moustache

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