If you’re struggling to decide what haircut to ask for from your barber then choose something you cannot really go wrong with, and start the Fall with the most versatile cut of them all! The undercut is the blue jeans and white t-shirt of hairstyles: it won’t ever go out of fashion. But, unlike these fashion staples, the undercut can fit any occasion properly.
The undercut is a men’s fashion essentiality for almost a hundred years now. Numerous variations had popped in and out of existence fashion-wise over the times but the basics haven’t changed: clipped short on the back and sides, long on the top.
The genius of undercut lies in its versatility: an appropriately chosen length can give you an edge over any meeting during the week just as successfully as over the Saturday night party, and there is hardly any beard or moustache style that you couldn’t pair with an undercut style. And which are these styles? In the following we are going to introduce a couple variatons to assist your decision making for our next session at the barber shop.
The most basic is the swept-back. No matter whether you comb it to the side in a slight angle or straight back, you’ll possess a perfectly elegant and timeless hairstyle if you pick this. You’ve seen it before countless times in gangster flicks for a reason: prohibition-era gangster life was all about spotless and masculine appearance, something that can be easily achieved by sporting a swept-back undercut. Choose this, and the only thing left is getting the complementary garments.
In the 20s the top was often parted in the center. Later in the 90s it made somewhat of a revival in the form of the decade’s iconic curtain cut, often seen on the likes of prominent pop star Nick Carter or actors like young Leonardo DiCaprio. We could list examples for the curtain cut for days, and it seems like it’s making a comeback now. If you’d hit a few 90s nostalgia notes then don’t miss out on this style!
Sweep it into your forehead and to the side a bit, and you’ll end up the alpha and omega of boyish hairstyles. Going perfectly with any occasion, this style can be either sporty or formal depending on your attire.
The latest iteration of the undercut is the swept-back with a twist where the clipped part meets the top in an angle, the long part is shaped by a line that goes from the side of the top of the head inwards, to the center of the forehead. This line that defines the parting can be emphasized with clippers, making it something called a hard part.
And last, we have to mention the style when the long part on the top is just slightly longer than in the clipped regions: the crew cut. Also a very masculine and basic haircut, the default haircut in the US army.
How high the part line, how long the sides and top should be, whether your haircut should include a fade - these are completely up to your personal preferences. Pick an appealing undercut style, show a picture of it to your barber (they’ll love it, believe me!), and your idea and your barber’s proficiency should breed an all-around awesome undercut.
Can’t wait to see you in the Black Sheep Barber Shop!