Hair and Grooming #6 - A Rockabilly Exsufflation

Rockabilly, a fusion of the words rock-and-roll and hillbilly is a genre of music that originates from the South of the US which mixes elements of rock, blues, country, hillbilly boogie and bluegrass music. Part of a resurgence of retro hairstyles for men is also the quiffed variant of the 50s and 60s greaser hair. I have recently been searching for a new hairstyle and in the end I decided to go with a modern, asymmetrical, highly texturized version of the rockabilly quiff.

A vintage clip shows that the quiff is not for the faint of heart and just like its modern counterpart it requires a bit of time to get it just right.

Teddy boy rockabilly quiff hair cut 60s


Other modern variants of a quiff include longer hair in the back and on the sides that it slicked back:

NYC Socialite and Cognoscenti, Chuck Bass also dons a modern quiff

One of my absolute favourite male models, Jon Kortajarena, sporting a quiff in danish-designer Matinique's ad campaign

Lastly, the twins of Slikhaar.dk have featured this hairstyle, this example being the closest to what my hair looks like right now, on their YouTube channel:

The best brushes to achieve the quiff are round ball-tipped brushes and large ball-tipped brushes:

For styling you need a strong-hold mousse, a matte pomade or wax and if needed a strong hairspray:

Purple is the latest fashion

Purple is the color of passion,
Purple is the color of love,
Purple is the color I dream of.
Purple is the color of glad,
Purple is what you look like when you're mad.
Purple is the color of laughs,
Purple might be the subject of gaffes.
Purple is the color of me,
Purple is the best of the world you see. 

Luna Moon

Ever since the times of Ancient Greek when Tyrian Purple was only available to the Elites, the colour purple has been associated with nobility, royalty and sophistication.

In the time of Newton purple was not even on the colour wheel, however things have changed a little since then and a purple is now defined as any non-spectral colour between red and violet.

While there are many shades of purple that are used in art and fashion, only a few shades strike me as especially appealing to the eye: Amaranth Deep Purple, Mulberry, Heliotrope (slightly pinkish shade), Palatinate Purple (colour of Durham University), Tyrian Purple, Han Purple and my very favourite, Royal Purple (colour of the European Aristocracy during the Middle Ages)

Probably the reason why most guys avoid wearing purple is because matching it is not as easy or at least not as evident as with other colours. Consulting a colour wheel, which I always advise when in doubt, reveals that purple's complementary colour is yellow, its neighbors are bluish and reddish purples, its adjacent complementary colours are yellow-greens and orange-yellows while the triad that contains purple also contains orange and green.

In the case of purple, black is an even more suited colour (well technically non-colour)  than usual to match with. 

Amaury Nolasco of Prison Break in a very simple and classic yet stylish outfit, featuring purple matched with black. Source: splendicity.com

My personal favourits are gold and purple together (one should be subdued while the other dominant) and sometimes blue and purple. Remember always to try avoiding strident nuances if your intention is not to look like a circus clown.

As is my custom, I have put together a collage of some of the interesting purple pieces I have found around the internet. Please feel free to comment and add links to any other purple items you find to be to your liking.

Starting from the left we have a superb Ralph Lauren Cable-Knit Sweater, the ever so stylish Chuck Bass of GG, and a shiny purple Horn Dimora followed by a pair of nice purple mocassins from The Sartorialist. The Purple Watch from the top middle can be purchased here, while the Navy Purple Repp Cufflinks here. Following these two is a Hype Coach Purple jacket and a pair of Carolina Amato Driving Gloves.

Trim It Up...Chuck Bass Does

There has always been a certain allure to non-conformism. Untucking your shirt as a kid, staying up late or missing your curfew as a teenager and the possibilities are endless now that we are adults. Stylistically however, to step outside the boundaries of the "norm" and get away with it requires either an unshatterable ego (i.e. Chuck Bass) or icon status (i.e. Anna Wintour, Lady GaGa). Anything else is a clear fashion faux-pas and should not be recreated.

From these experiments of unorthodox fashion, the contrast trim blazer was born, and the great Design Houses were not far behind in adopting it. I personally love the added possibilities with regards to the colour and width of the trim, since I always bemoan how little we men can really do to vary our outfits in comparison to women. I have perused the market and came up with these great blazers for all of you to look at!

Beautiful Navy Linen Sportcoat from Ralph Lauren. Retails at $495

An Outfit that manages to pull itself up to par despite the intense matchy-matchiness going on. Interesting cotton Tennis Crest Jacket from Rugby Ralph Lauren. Retails at $298

Left: Cotton Jersey Club Blazer from Rugby ($119.99) on top and Seersucker Blazer from United Bamboo (Retailed at $565) on the bottom Center: T Wolf Trim Blazer by French Connection ($135): Right: Black Edjules Blazer from Peoples Market ($88) on top, Purple Velvet Sport Coat from Tallia Orange on the left and Velvet Tuxedo Blazer from Black Rivet on the right

Ed.: Just found this great Stone Piped Contrast Trim Trenchcoat ($140) from topman!