Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Barber Bros

There are a lot of Barbered Bros around now. I'm not using Bros necessarily as a pejorative, but it's alliterative and catchy. I can only hope the term does catch on. I was pointing it out to WB at Lowbrau and we agreed he is going to have to start some intensive barbering to fit in. He's been living in the wilderness where there are no barbers. Right now there are about 2 barbershops on every block and he was saying that perhaps he would visit all of them, getting his hair cut shorter every time.

I actually think the picture above might be really old?

I think the barbering looks very sharp, although is being taken almost to fascism in some cases. The head fascism is sometimes countered confusingly by things like 90s shirts, but most often is paired with head-to-to J. Crew or some other store I don't know about. Red Wings, docksiders, you know the drill. SF and other big cities have lots of stores with this kind of sharp, expensive clothing but to my knowledge Sac does not. Smiller and I went to one in London with some lovely men's clothes but it would have been thousands upon thousands for even a few outfits.

I mostly see these men at Lowbrau and wonder where the heck they are the rest of the time. I love Lowbrau and they cause me no problems.

Also, the beards are holding on pretty well, so the extreme barbering is often balanced out by beards. Barber on the top, beard on the bottom is kind of the new mullet. Mustaches on their own don't seem that big and definitely not waxed ones. That guy I saw with a gun at E-40 had a waxed curlicue one, which I probably mentioned, but he looked more like a Gangs Of New York wanna-be gangster than a J. Crew Barber Bro.

I think men's fashion is in a more interesting phase than women's right now. Pretty bored with the short shorts (I know, I know, no dudes agree). Crop tops are going right now which can be cute.  Maybe part of it is because most of the young lady's fashion looks very cheap and the  men's looks very expensive. Don't get me wrong, I totally buy the cheap stuff and my most recent shopping occurred at forever 21, but that stuff looks poorly contructed with cheap material, which it is.

13 comments:

DJ Rick said...

We've come so far since a couple of years ago at the tail-end of a decades-long run which saw nightclubbing women dolled-up in fancy dresses, foot-constricting spike heels, and expensive hairdos while dudes rolled up in a backwards baseball cap, XXXL white t-shirt, ridiculously baggy pair of Southpole jeans, and some Timberlands.

This reversal has been long overdue. Ladies, enjoy the freedom of merely dressing for comfort while we do all these ridiculous things including hairstyles that take several minutes(!) in the mirror to maintain.

Anonymous said...

I feel the opposite. It's my impression that male fashion is sort of one-note lately with a ton of these barber guys going for the same uniform: button up shirt, chinos or raw denim and some kind of dessert or chukka boot with an emphasis on fit with the clothes. I like it. If I were a dude, I would feel really comfortable in this stuff.

Female fashion is much more varied right now, even within Forever 21! There's your boho (tunics and all that hippy stuff), your casual chic (think Katie Holmes), your classic prep (fashion blogger Sarah Vickers), glam (Kardashian), young ladies in their crop-tops and short shorts with the pockets hanging out (Coachella style), edgy stuff with angles and weird cuts. Probably lots more I'm missing.

NL

Cody said...

I was trying to describe this kind of thing to Brandi the other day, and "barber bro" is kind of spot on. I like to think I was ahead of the curve for a little while. I bought some redwings and some nice-ish jeans and have gone through phases of combing my hair nicely. It's hard to keep up with though! I think it's a good trend, mostly because pretty much every dude looks good wearing nice, basic clothes and nicely combed hair. I mean, plenty of dudes look fine without that stuff too, but no one looks bad if they get a haircut and wear jeans and a button up shirt. It's not til you get to the next level suspenders and a waxed mustache thing where it starts getting to be a little much, but to be honest I think that stuff can look good, just unnecessary. There's a few stores like that in Portland too, and yeah, super expensive. Most of the stuff is US or European made, and quality, so I guess it's better to spend more money on that stuff than hardly any money on sweatshop stuff that's going to fall apart.

Anonymous said...

There are fast fashion places that have this stuff for guys, too though it seems there are less of them than there are for women. Or maybe I'm mostly aware of the retailers that sell clothes for both men and women. I am rarely ever looking at retailer that cater to only men.

H&M totally carries the stuff to pull off this barber bros uniform, though their sizing skews on the thin side. Online retailers like ASOS sell barber bros clothes for cheap. Even Forever 21 has a men's section on their site (in select stores, too).

But it is true, for clothes that last (for any gender), it's worth spending more than fast fashion prices.

NL

beckler said...

I also think for the most part the guys look great and it is nice that the style isn't just major slob-age for men and done up for women.

Cody, you rock that look excellently. Just don't grow a waxed mustache.

I think because female style is basically everything from the 70s-now put in a blender that nothing sticks with me. Every style at the same time is not really a style - although it can lead to a cute outfit. But like, what's your style? Is it boho hippy goth 90s grunge prep Coachella all at the same time? What would you call that? I call it the internet.

Put a cat on it is the new put a bird on it, and yes, I have at least 15 garments with cats on them. that is not an exaggeration.

Teeni said...

This is part of the cats' plan!

Well, some ladies mix styles pretty freely and some do not. I couldn't really make a blanket statement about women's fashion though. Too many flavors!

NL

Cody said...

I think the weirdest thing is that so much of the look, especially the expensive stuff, is taken from working class clothes from the past. I'll admit to feeling a little silly when I put on boots designed for a man to work in a coal mine in the 1910's or whatever before coming to sit at a desk and look at a screen all day. But I guess if everyone just dressed utilitarian for their jobs I'd just be wearing sweatpants and a robe or something.

I'd also like to add that I think the barber bro look is equally appealing on the ladies, including the haircuts, on those brave enough to go for it.

Anonymous said...

Jay and I were recently discussing this look and I think I referred to it as being the cody. As far as I know you started the look.

I like it. Its often overdone as are most looks but it is tidy and attractive for sure.

I agree, super good on the ladies.
Mustache usually not included.

-Natalie

Cody said...

It's don't think it's the me. I don't keep it up, spend as much money or keep it as tight as all those dudes. Barber bro casual?

beckler said...

lol. On Fridays you were your topsiders to work?

I don't think there is much of a contradiction with the redwings and the soft lifestyle, because one of the points besides looking good is that they will last forever. also, I recently found out that when you are 80 and they have worn out you can send them back to redwing and they will restore them, including new grommets (if that's what they are called) and stitching.

that reminds me, I saw my shoe guy get into an absolute silent rage yesterday because a woman said he had stretcher her flats out. it was frightening. he sat there with his greasy apron and shoe equipment from the 1870s, closed his eyes and emanated extreme anger. then he came over and denies that he had made them bigger. he has a middle-aged apprentice now so apparently the repair will carry on.

he is usually nice but then was quite stern with me when I couldn't find my correct shoelace length on the wall.

A harrowing experience.

Scott Miller said...

Don't get Foster started on the shoe guy.

beckler said...

I now live in fear of angering the shoe guy.

Liv Moe said...

the shoe guy with the big shoe out front? if so yes, that dude is OMF's mortal enemy.

in other fashion news, last week i encountered 'normcore' because one of my new interns rocks it. i gotta say, it might be my favorite hipster, youth fashion trend. http://gawker.com/are-you-normcore-1532469009