After months of exhausting hard work, I’m thrilled to announce the definitive men’s guide to beard styles and facial hair types is finally finished!
From the classic clean shaven look to the traditional full beard and everything else in between, you’ll find an outrageous number of options to explore below.
Of course, you’ll also pick up some cool historical knowledge about each look while digging in too.
Not to mention, a better idea of what style will suit you and your face shape best.
With that said, let’s get started with the chart below.
A La Souvarov
The original look: A rather unusual combination of sideburns connecting with the mustache. Sideburns run downwards below the mouth (½ inch) before curving back upwards to the meet the mustache. The original classic features a petite, sharply trimmed mustache paired with sharp corners around the mouth. Needless to say, it’s ideal for males who have less than desirable facial hair growth. The second variation of this style features the more popular look that includes a fatter mustache.
Aside from being named after Alexander Suvorov, a famous Russian General, many gentlemen find this beard style to be quite similar to the Franz Josef; though, significantly more curvy.
Anchor
The original look: If the name wasn’t obvious enough, this beard style resembles a ship’s anchor. In the simplest terms it’s a pointed beard that traces the jawline with an added mustache.
It starts with facial hair extending along the jawline and is finished with a styled point at the bottom. The classic style bears no sideburns, and places a strong emphasis on defining the jawline and chin. It’s a good reason why this beard style comes highly recommend for gentlemen with oblong and square faces.
To complete the look, facial hair mentioned above is paired with either a pyramid-shaped or pencil-thin mustache. In a sense, you can think of it as being a combination of the popular handlebar mustache, chinstrap and goatee.
Balbo
The original look: A two-three section beard style with a goatee and mustache that are not connected. While a soul patch under your lower lip is optional, the look still requires shaved whiskers on both sides. The end result should bear some semblance to an upside down letter “T”. Consider it a combination of the goatee, handlebar mustache and chinstrap if you like. (Or a disconnected mustache paired with a wide chin beard works too)
However, aside from the deletion of the soul patch another variation includes omitting the mustache. And while not truly another variation, it’s nice to know that trimming mishaps can lead to a Van Dyke beard style.
If you’re wondering where this facial hair style stems from I’ll tell you. It originates back to Italo Balbo, a popular Italian Air Marshall from the 1930s. Closely associated with fascists, he served as a henchman for Mussolini during World War II. Interestingly enough, during the 30’s and 40’s the term “Balbo” itself was actually a way to define a giant formation of aircraft.
For face types, the Balbo is best suited for gentlemen with round or square faces considering how well it accentuates the chin.
Boxed Knocker Goatee
The original look: A variation on the classic Door Knocker, aka the Circle Beard. Instead of keeping things tight and round, the Boxed Knocker Goatee features the opposite. You’ll find the style has more of a squared look to it with the addition of slightly wider width towards the bottom of the chin. In a simple sense, you can think of it like transforming a Circle Beard into a “Boxy” beard.
In terms of face types, the Boxed Knocker Goatee adds considerable length to males with round faces.
Brett
The original look: A unique combination that includes the Soul Patch and Chin Strap. In a way it’s quite similar to the chin curtain, however, instead of having facial hair that connects up to the sideburns, this beard style stops at the earlobe. It’s a good reason why the look is often referred to as earlobe to earlobe.
With facial hair covering the chin and moving alongside your jawline, the Brett works wonders for gentlemen with round faces. Though, in comparison to square jaws, it’s not as effective in terms of definition. For males with long-faces you’ll want to generally avoid this beard style.
On the plus side, this beard has another hidden benefit for slow growers. If you’re struggling with super patchy hair around the cheeks, while still being able to grow lots of chin hair, the Brett might just be your best bet.
Chevron
The original look: A wide and thick mustache that encompasses the area between the upper lip and nose. The Chevron peaks out to the edges of the upper lip, however, it does not go beyond it. While a relatively humble style, it does feature a signature downward angle.
The Chevron has been worn by everyone from Ron Jeremy to even the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. Of course, others including Tom Selleck, Freddie Mercury, Sam Elliot and Richard Petty have sported the look as well when it reached its zenith back in the 70s and 80s.
A good reason for its popularity aside from handsome good looks, stems from the fact that just about any man can grow a Chevron. Not to mention, maintenance is surprisingly minimal. Though, for some men this facial hair styles requires a bit of force with the trimmer to heighten the slope.
Chin Curtain
The original look: The classic features facial hair that drapes the jawline and covers the chin completely. While this beard style does extend down from the sideburns, the look comes unaccompanied by a mustache. At first glance it may look strikingly similar to the chinstrap beard however, that style does not have facial hair that fully covers the chin. Another key difference to understand is that the chinstrap beard generally extends far below the jawline, where a chin curtain beard does not.
When it comes to the Chin Curtain, there are many variations when it comes to the name. Some men call it the Lincolnic, others refer to the style as the Donegal, Shenandoah, Spade or Lincoln for short. Yet, regardless of what you call there’s one thing every man can agree on. This iconic facial hair style holds special ties to Abraham Lincoln.
Aside from Lincoln, the Chin Curtain also gained popularity during the 1970s with Alvaro Pombo, a renowned Spanish poet, novelist and activist. Of course, in today’s times this beard style still remains the standard for married Amish men. If you’re wondering why, it’s simple, the mustache is shaven off in order to dissociate ties with military service.
For face types, this beard style is best suited for gentlemen with narrow and long faces. Men with wide or round faces should generally steer clear of the Chin Curtain as it makes the face appear significantly wider.
Chin Puff
The original look: Facial hair that extends downwards past the chin and starts at the lower lip area. The Chin Puff features an elongated shape that’s significantly more extravagant than the Soul Patch.
Now, while the Soul Patch effortlessly blends into just about any male face type, the Chin Puff doesn’t hold the same truth. In reality, its best suited for gentlemen with wide or round faces. If you’re wondering why an oblong face wouldn’t be a good fit, it’s because the style draws more attention to overly lengthier looking face.
Chin Strap
The original look: A line of facial hair that extends all the way across the jawline. This beard style starts at the sideburns and runs on the underside of the jawline.
In order to successful pull of the Chin Strap you’ll need to pay special attention to any patchiness or gaps, which can significantly dampen an otherwise stylish look.
Historically speaking, this beard style is best suited for gentlemen with dark hair.
Circle Beard
The original look: A combination of the standard goatee with the addition of a mustache. This beard type features a full unbroken circle around the mouth area; in other words, it has a subtle, round shape.
Many gentlemen often confuse the Circle Beard for the Goatee, however, a Circle Beard is a combination of both the goatee and mustache. While a Goatee is actually just referring to the patch of hair around the chin.
In terms of origin, many claim the Circle Beard dates back to the 18th century in Australia. Regardless of its precise historical roots, one thing is certain: This beard style is appropriate to wear in virtually any decade. While making a soft jawline significantly more masculine, it’s also a sly tactic to cover up breakouts.
On the downside, gentlemen with round faces should steer clear. In a sense, you can think of it like a ball being balanced by a seal’s chin; not a good look.
Clean Shaven
The original look: A bare face, completely shaven of all facial hair.
For aficionados of everything wet shaving, the experience alone makes trading in the beard often worth it. In reality the clean shaven style has it’s perks with fluffy thick lathers, fine badger brushes and the sharp glide of a traditional straight or DE razor. Of course, aside from keeping the traditional wet shaving routine alive, the clean shaven look itself is absolutely timeless.
Dali
The original look: Long points (tips) are formed by bending and curving a narrow mustache steeply upwards. As a rule of thumb, the tips should not extend past the eyebrows, while facial hear past the mouth’s corner should be shaved.
This beard style was first made famous by Salvador Dali, the iconic Spanish surrealist painter.
Ducktail
The original look: A neatly cut beard that features a tapered chin with an extended point at the bottom. Some gentlemen claim the style bears some resemblance to an actual duck tail.
While the upper portion of the beard should be trimmed shorter in length, the chin length will ultimately determines how this style varies from man to man. Just keep in mind that facial hair gaps are don’t play friendly with a style that is classically tight.
For face types, the duck tail is well suited for gentlemen with rectangular faces. Needless to say, it goes a long in helping to soften up all those sharp right angles on a rectangular face.
English
The original look: While similar to the handlebar, the English mustache features a narrow mustache that spreads outward from the center of the upper lip. Long whisker tips are slightly raised with wax to force them to subtly pop away from the lip area. It’s important to understand that this procedure does not mean they end up being curled. To finish the look any facial hair is shaven past the corner of the mouth.
This mustache style has been worn and is famously attributed to Sir Arthur, Conan Doyle, and Vincent Price.
Franz Josef
The original look: In the simplest of words, the Franz Josef is a more extravagant take on the mutton chops. Sideburns extend downwards before being angled back up to make contact with the mustache or lip. The rest of the face including the neck, chin and cheeks are all cleanly shaven to complete the look. The end result should appear as one thick continuous line that covers above the upper lip but leaves everything else below it completely naked.
This mustache and sideburn style is due in part to Franz Josef I, the 18th century Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia.
French Fork
The original look: A full beard style with lengthy facial hair that goes beyond the chin area to form two separate sections split right in the middle.
If you’re wondering where the name comes from, it’s surprisingly simple. On original French forks you’d commonly find two prongs.
Friendly Mutton Chops
The original look: Long sideburns paired with a connecting mustache. Vertical sideburns are defined by the bottom of the jawline an corners of the mouth, while the chin itself is cleanly shaven. For variations this beard type can feature either thick or trimmed and narrow widths.
A common misconception is confusing the Mutton Chops for the Friendly Mutton chops, however, the key difference to understand is one features the addition of a mustache, the other does not.
Full Beard
The original look: The full beard, aka one of the most popular facial hair styles. Call it the king of all beards if you like, in reality, it truly is. Whiskers of the moustache blend into the beard to cover the chins, cheeks and jawline with pure manliness.
While the style might seem simple to clean shaven men, that’s from far the from the truth. The full beard takes a considerable dedication to growth, serious grooming and trimming, and a keen eye for cleanliness while eating and drinking.
Think you know everything about growing this style, you’ll be surprised! Here’s everything I learned after putting down the razor: How to grow a beard.
Fu Manchu
The original look: The Fu Manchu features a straight mustache which begins at the corners of the mouth. Facial hair extends downwards beyond the chin and lips (clean shaven) to form two equal “tendrils”. The lengthy whiskers are to have pointy ends that extend past the bottom of the chin.
While similar to the horseshoe, a key difference lies in the fact that the corners of the mouth (past 2cm) are shaven. It’s a good reason why the Fu Manchu is without question, a more grooming-intensive style to master. Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “You probably don’t know anybody who has a Fu Manchu.”
Aside from the classic, one common variation includes adding an additional tendril from a small patch of facial hair below the chin.
In terms of history, the Fu Manchu was made famous by none other than Dr. Fu Manchu himself. While the literacy Fu Manchu did not sport the style, the fictional character of Sax Rohmer did in the 1923 British serial, The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu. Interestingly enough, Sax Rohmer wrote in his novel of having no idea the facial hair would set off have such an alarming trend after airing.
Since the original, the style has evolved into a more stereotypical portrayal of Chinese villains throughout films and television. However, while it might be suited for the cinema, gentlemen with round and oval face types can proudly sport the style fashionably off camera.
Goatee
The original look: Before jumping into the original look, it’s important to understand two words: Billy Goat. In historical times the original goatee was a tuft of facial hair on the chin; it wasn’t connected to a mustache. Much like you’d see on the chin of an actual goat. It wouldn’t be until the 90s for the goatee to start taking on a new, more universal meaning. As of lately, the style refers to beards with facial hair on the cheeks but not on the chin; hence where the confusion over the Van Dyke vs. Goatee comes from.
While it might be more popular than ever today, this beard type actually dates all the way back to Ancient Rome and Greece. In mythology the god Pan sported a goatee, which eventually led to Satan stealing the look in renaissance and medieval artworks. Fast forward some years later and it reached new heights during the American Civil War. During the time period, even Abraham Lincoln could be found shaving a goatee style for a proper presidency presentation.
Aside from the drastically different versions above, today’s modern variations include different widths and lengths.
Handlebar
The original look: A bushy or slim (petite handlebar) mustache with ends curled upwards into a loop shape. The classic look resembles a style similar to the iconic shape of bicycle handlebars; hence the name.
While it looks like a relatively easy facial hair style to pull off, it actually takes around four months of solid whisker training. That means wetting your mustache on a daily basis, brushing them, and forcing the follicles against their natural growth direction with wax.
In terms of history, the handlebar mustache was most notably made famous in part by the likes of William Howard Taft, Rollie Fingers, and surprisingly, The Pringles Man. Of course, the style itself still dates all the way back to statues of Iron Age Celts. Not to mention, it surged in popularity in Europe from the 18th century up until World War I. During the 19th century the style could be seen on famous Wild West folks such as Wyatt Earp.
Interestingly enough, Rollie Fingers, an old pitcher for the Oakland Athletics baseball team, once grew handlebars in an attempt to win a $300 cash prize for the best facial hair. While Charlie O. Finley, the team’s owner, only held the contest in 1972, Rollie Fingers continued to sport the look for the rest of his playing career.
Elsewhere in history, the handlebar mustache has often been called the “spaghetti mustache” due in part to an Italian male stereotype. In today’s more modern times, the style has made a comeback within the hipster culture.
For face types, the petite handlebar is best suited for gentlemen with smaller faces. While the large version is well, best suited for males with larger faces.
Heavy Stubble
Hipster
The original look: The truth is, the Hipster style while a trend itself, goes against accepted commonality. In reality, it always rivals against the clean shaven man, especially when the popularity of mustaches, beards and facial hair styles are on the decline. More recently the classy handlebar mustache has been viewed as a mockery of conventional fashion when paired to a unkempt attire.
A glance back into time period of 1841 through 1971 and you’ll notice something peculiar happening. With fewer women in the dating pool the popularity of beards among British males skyrocketed.
Hollywoodian
The original look: A full beard with a connected mustache and sideburns removed. You can think of it like a combination of both the mustache and goatee.
While the red carpet look does go by the Hollywoodian, other gentlemen call this beard style the extended goatee and tailback.
Horseshoe
The original look: The horseshoe entails a full mustache paired with facial hair (pipes) that runs alongside the corner of the lips and down both sides of the mouth. The look completes at the bottom of the jawline to form a classic horseshoe shape, or inverted letter U.
While it’s quite similar to the Fu Manchu a key difference lies in the fact that the horseshoe does not feature shaven sides. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t vary the classic look without entering into Fu Manchu territory. The truth is, gentlemen can either elect to sport a traditional horseshoe or go instead with a half horseshoe. Not to mention, the lip brow can vary from 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch.
In terms of history, the horseshoe aka the biker mustache has been made famous in part thanks to Hulk Hogan, Aaron Rodgers, John Travolta, and Joe Namath among others.
For face types, gentlemen with long faces should generally avoid the beard style as it can easily exacerbate facial length. On the other hand, males with shorter and wider faces stand to gain considerable handsome benefits. Not to mention, the horseshoe also works wonders for bald gentlemen by adding some well needed texture.
Hulihee
The original look: The Hulihee features (bushy) friendly mutton chops with a lengthier and wavier beard, in addition to a finely groomed and connected mustache.
While a Hawaiian beard, the term itself actually means “turn and flee” oddly enough. While most male face types should generally avoid it, oval faces can pull the look off without worry.
Imperial
The original look: A thick, coarse facial hair mustache that grows from the cheeks and upper lip. The style is finished with whiskers styled pointing upward, however, this look does not feature closed curls. Additionally, any facial hair outside of the upper lips and cheeks (ie. chin and sideburns) is to be shaven bare.
With that in mind, perhaps you’ll get a better idea of why overly curly and ultra fine facial hair fail to meet the grade. Of course, twisting your whiskers too far can also transform the Imperial style into a Dali look.
In terms of history, this mustache style stems from the last emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Lampshade
The original look: A closely-cropped mustache that rests above the upper lip and spans across the entire length of the lips. Corners are slightly angled in order to resemble the classic shape a lampshade. In a sense, the this mustache style bears a similar resemblance to the Painter’s Brush, though with key variations noted above.
In today’s times, the Lampshade is considered to be more a modern style with a significant appearance in pop culture.
Major
The original look: A neatly combed mustache featuring a sloped shaven gap in the middle alongside two rectangular straight wing ends. While a distinctive style, the major does go by a second term, the double boxcar.
Medium Stubble
Mistletoe
The original look: A narrow crescent shaped moustache with the addition of inverted wings.
While often called The Guy Fawkes, the truth is, that style differs by combining both a moustache and spearhead shaped soul patch.
Mutton Chops
The original look: The classic Mutton Chops style starts with full, long sideburns grown in excess of 2 inches to overtake the outer edges of the face. These sideburns run near the corners of the mouth, however, at no point do they connect to either the chin or mustache. Of course, they also begin quite narrow at the temple before finally broadening out towards the ends near the lower jaw.
While it’s easy to mistake this style for overgrown sideburns for instance, it’s important to remember that sideburns begin at the hairline and end at the bottom of the ear. While Mutton Chops on the other hand, feature a much longer length. In a sense, you can think of them as being a more drawn out version of the classic sideburns.
If you’re a aficionado of 19th century politicians the Mutton Chops or aka, lamb chops and muttons for short, just might hold a special place in your heart. Of course, if you just want to chow down a beefy slab of BBQ ribs without the facial hair mess, that works too.
In terms of history aside from politicians, it’s interesting to note that Elvis once grew sideburns before finally sporting mutton chops as his fame rose. Not to mention, the unforgettable masculine appearance of Wolverine.
Neckbeard
The original look: If the name alone wasn’t enough, this beard style is exactly what it’s named for, a literal neck beard. The style features facial hair grown only on areas of the neck, without growing above or under the jawline, nor making contact with the sideburns.
While not truly a male fashion mistake, the reality is only a handful of gentlemen can truly pull off the style without looking overly off-putting.
Old Dutch
The original look: A time-honored full beard style that’s worn square without the addition of a mustache. While the top of the chin remains the bare of facial hair the cheeks are covered. The finish the look off sideburns are connected while the rest of the beard extends outwards towards the bottom.
While the Old Dutch is more old-school and often associated with a manly lumberjack sense of style, it’s highly popular among the Amish. If you’re wondering where Dutch comes from the in the style “Old Dutch”, just consider the fact that the Amish speak Pennsylvanian Dutch (a dialect of German).
Painter’s Brush
The original look: A neatly trimmed, thick mustache style that covers the full width of the mouth. The mustache does not hang below the top of the upper lip, however, it does feature slightly rounded edges. Some gentlemen consider this facial hair style to be strikingly similar to the Chevron.
The Paint Brush has been made famous in part by Ron Swanson and Super Mario, among many others.
Pencil
The original look: This facial hair style features a thin, narrow mustache that’s neatly clipped in order to outline the upper lip. Additionally, a center gap is formed in-between the mustache and the nose (philtrum). The end result is a thin strip of facial hair that appears to literally have been drawn on with a pencil.
For variations, aside from also being called the mouth-brow, some men opt to sport the style with an solid unbroken line. In other words, instead of creating a gap at the philtrum, the area rises up vertically before stopping right under the nose.
In terms of history this mustache has a special place in Hollywood’s Golden Age with gentlemen such as Clark Gable, John Waters and Errol Flynn sporting the look.
Petite Goatee
The original look: A classic goatee on a diet, with facial hair below the lips that is bound by the central chin area. While technically a partial goatee, the style does feature a distinctive upside down triangle shape.
For face styles, the Petite Goatee is best suited for gentlemen with square faces.
Pyramidal
The original look: Like the name itself entails, the pyramidal mustache features a narrow top and wide bottom to form a shape similar to a pyramid. In other words, the lips feature a wide base while the rest of the mustaches tapers to a point before reaching the nose.
Rap Industry Standard
The original look: The Rap Industry Standard features tremendously thin facial hair that extends across the bottom chin with two equals lines. The look begins at the sideburns and is finished off with a pencil mustache.
In reality, this facial hair style can be achieved by using a black marker to replicate the look before actually sporting it on your face. While it’s truly just a hint of a beard, this beard style is best suited for men with a diamond face shape.
Short Boxed
The original look: Simply put, it’s the old-fashioned way of wearing a full beard. Upper cheeks and the neck are shaved while the sideburns, beard and mustache are given room to grow as one. The style is well-groomed with a trim to form a tidy and stylish shape.
For every man out there, the Short Boxed Beard brings about great news! It’s pairs perfectly with every face regardless of the shape, making it one of the most universal styles in existence to sport successfully.
Short Stubble
Sideburns
The original look: Believe it or not, but Ambrose Burnside, the famous American Civil War general wasn’t the true pioneer of the sideburns. While his extravagant take on them made history, the truth is, Alexander the Great wore sideburns first back in 100 BC. A quick glance at the Pompeii mosaic and you’ll see a facial hairstyle that’s similar to what you’d expect today: Patches of facial hair that run along the sides of the face and extend downward from the hairline to beyond the ears.
However, that still doesn’t change the fact that the term “sideburns” and it’s variations like “sideboards” and “side whiskers” are technically a 19th century corruption of the classic term, “burnsides”. In reality, Burnsides were thick sideburns with two notable differences: The sideburns were connected to the moustache while the chin area was clean-shaven. It’s a good reason why the extravagant beard style took the name “mutton chops” back in 1865.
Of course, there’s also the beard, chinstrap, chin curtain, and friendly mutton chops which are all variations of sideburns once they venture beyond the ear and towards the chin.
Unfortunately, you don’t see this facial hair style far too often when it comes to the original. While there’s no precise way to explain why trends grow and fade away, a good indication might be found during World War I. Back then all men had to be clean-shaven in order to form a secure seal while wearing a gas mask. However, this rule didn’t apply to the mustache which is still extremely popular among men today.
Soul Patch
The original look: A simple, small patch of facial hair that grows in the middle area of the chin and lower lip. Not to be confused with the Chin Puff, as the Soul Patch features a neatly groomed squared patch that does not extend off the chin, nor into a pointed end at the bottom. For variations, Stevie Ray Vaughan was known for his own unique take on the style by wearing it small and triangular, calling it a “soul tip”.
While this facial hair type might look modern, the statement is far from the truth, not to mention, even the name too. In reality, the style dates back to John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, a legendary jazz musician. During the time period, his trademark style took up the name the “Dizzy Gillespie beard” before eventually being simply called the “Jazz Dab.”
Within time the Soul Patch grew its roots in the beatnik fashion of the 50s and 60s, and even gained popularity with artists like The Blue Brothers.
Sparrow
The original look: A downward mustache with corners extending beyond the lips. The style pairs a goatee, though, it is not connected to the mustache and features two braids of facial hair below the chin.
If you’ve ever seen the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll know exactly where the Sparrow stems from, Jack Sparrow.
Stiletto
The original look: Looks easier than it really is to style. The Stiletto beard features two U shapes of facial hair under the mouth with a cheek line lower than the standard beard. In order to finish the look, the mustache is to be neatly trimmed along the lip line.
Historically speaking, the Stiletto beard dates all the way back to 15th century England with an introduction from foreign nobility.
Toothbrush
The original look: A thick mustache that’s neatly shaven to form a one inch width in the center.
In terms of history, the style has be made famous in part by Adolf Hitler, Oliver Hardy, and Charlie Chaplin among others. You could spot the style worn by Charlie Chaplin in his Mack Sennett silent comedies of 1914. During the time he claimed the Toothbrush added a sense of humor and comedy to his appearance without concealing his facial expressions.
While it’s true Adolf Hitler was indeed a fan of Chaplin, there’s no recorded history that claims it was his inspiration to switch away from the Kaiser moustache. If you’re not familiar with the Kaiser, the style was made famous by Wilhelm II, a German Emperor, and worn by countless Germans until the Toothbrush took over in 1907.
In a sense, the style was more uniform in comparison to the more flashy styles of the 19th century like the Pencil, Horseshoe, Handlebar, Walrus, and Imperial. Though, by the end of World War II due to the styles strong ties with Hitler, and it’s new term the “Hitler mustache”, it quickly fell out of fashion.
Van Dyke
The original look: Also known as the pikedevant, the Van Dyke features a combination of the goatee and a pointy mustache with bare, clean shaven cheeks. Variations include the ends of the mustache curled upwards and the option of wearing a soul patch.
In terms of history, the Van Dyke dates back to Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist from the 17th century. Aside from his popular regal-themed and religious paintings of bearded males, one painting of King Charles I of England stands out in particular. Hence why you might hear the Van Dyke being referred to as the “Charlie” occasionally.
However, while the style remained popular in English for some time, it ultimately lost its peak in Britain with the Restoration. French fashion and wigs had certainly taken over, yet, that didn’t stop some gentlemen from calling themselves “vow-beards.” Together they pledged to wear the style with hopes the King would eventually return back to it.
Aside from the king above, the Van Dyke has also been made famous in part thanks to Vladimir Lenin, General Custer, Colonel Sanders, and Monty Woolley among other men.
Walrus
The original look: A heavily bushy mustache that droops over the lips and encompasses the entire mouth. For variations, some gentlemen elect to wear this style with downward facial hair at the corners; often branching out onto the cheek area. Regardless, the Walrus has often been compared to the whiskers of a walrus, a push broom, and even a similar take on the Chevron.
While the style is relatively simple, it does come with a few lesser obvious requirements. In order to perfect the look with the right proportions, it means acquiring fullness with coarse, heavy, and straight facial hair.
In terms of history, the Walrus has been famously associated with Theodore Roosevelt, John R. Bolton, Josef Stalin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Yosemite Sam, Jamie Hyneman, Wilford Brimley, Mark Twain, David Crosby, Lech Walesa, and Lanny McDonald among many others.
Though, it’s been said the style originates back to the Celts and Gauls.
Zappa
The original look: The Zappa features a full mustache with edges drooping just below the corners of the mouth. To complete the look it’s paired with a soul patch for a boxy shape. While a distinctive mustache style, growing the edges too far out can transform the look into a Horseshoe style.
When it comes to the history of the Zappa mustache, the style originates from the legendary musician, Frank Zappa.
For faces types, this mustache style works wonders at adding definition to gentlemen with oblong face shapes.
