hot, hairy, MEN!

it would not be fair if we only showcase retro frocks for the ladies and leave the men out of the picture. since The Online Edition is all about seeking balance between the genders (yah, right! who am i kidding?) here's a post for by a man, for the rest of the gentlemen. this post shall feature a few vintage hair looks for the men!

image from fellow blogger

most modern hairstyles tend to lean toward spikes and a messy appearance. however, there are several popular retro hairstyles for men that have either never lost their popularity or are making a comeback. several of these styles are able to evoke a sense of nostalgia and transport one to a past era. however, choosing the right look depends a great deal on the type of hair one has.

1) the afro

those who have thick, curly hair may choose to blow dry it to get it to stand out from the head. with a little bit of shaping, this can be turned into a look very similar to the afro worn by men in the 1970s. the longer they let their hair grow, the thicker the style will be.

2) the mop top

men with fine, straight hair can go with a style similar to that worn by the beatles in the late 1960s. commonly referred to as a 'mop top', this is a form of shag style. the back is cut in a straight line across at a level even with the chin. the bangs are cut straight across the forehead just above the brows. the sides angle back in a straight line between the two levels. 

3) the flat top / the brush

one popular variation on this is known as the brush. it is so named because the top is left long enough to brush back or to the side while the sides and back are cut closely and tapered down to nothing. another is known as the flat top. here, the sides of the top hair are left a bit longer to create a flat plane across the top of the head. the hair in the center is cut shortest, creating a nearly bald patch known as a 'landing strip'.

4) the classic

one of the most popular of all time is a simple classic with the hair parted on one side and combed over. this look was made popular by cary grant and has remained in style since the 1930s. it is strongly favoured by men who want to project a conservative appearance and those who work in professional offices.

5) the pompadour

another classic retro look is the pompadour. this style was first made popular by rockabilly musicians of the late 1950s and early 1960s. it is created by having the hair cut short on the sides and back. the top is shorter in back, tapering to a longer length (up to three inches) in the front. the hair is combed at an angle tending forward. the front hair is then flipped upward and straight back. this creates height in the front.

originally, this look is created using hair cream that imparted a greasy appearance, it can now be created using pomade or wax to provide the needed hold. this gives the style a softer, more touchable appearance.

many of the newer hairstyles for men tend toward a lot of spikes and a messy, devil-may-care look. however, there are still several retro hairstyles for men that have never lost their popularity and are making a comeback in recent years. these include a wide range of buzz cuts, the simple classic, the pompadour and other short styles.

fash'on... BAM!

hot, hairy, WOMEN!

one thing i enjoy about The Online Edition is the space that it allows me to explore the theme. sometimes, thirteen posts are a little too much, at other moments, it's too little. i think, for this week, it would be just nice. for this vintage week, i'll be doing head-to-toe coverage, starting with our crown of glory. so what's hot and contemporary yet a fad from the past for ladies' hairstyles? here are five for reference.

1) finger waves

finger waves are alternating waves which give you the authentic 1920’s flapper look. the trick to a good finger wave is to wash the hair. while the hair is still wet apply throughout the hair a good wet setting or stronghold gel. then part the hair for the look you want. the traditional side part is either on your left or your right side. 

on the side of the part, you put two fingers down with the palm resting on the back of the head (the crown). you then get the comb and line it up to your fingers, and push forward with the comb and start alternating the waves by going back on forth with the comb on the side of the head.

2) pin curls

Christina Aguilera

pin curls are the same thing as a finger wave. however, instead of waving with gel, you grab the hair with your two fingers and wrap your hair around your finger as if it were a ribbon. then when your hair is close to your scalp you clip it with a small hair clip, or bobby pin. then you alternate the pattern clockwise and counter-clockwise around your head.

3) wet sets

vintage wet set

back in the day people took their time to look good and took pride in taking their time. now with today’s modern lifestyles wet sets really almost disappeared. a wetset will last until you wash your hair. wetsets are important because it is a building block to a lot of vintage retro style. the key to a good wetset is shampoo your hair and distribute setting lotion through-out the hair. you then get the size of roller that you want to use. the size depends on the look you want to go far. the smaller the roller the more volume and curl and the larger the roller the less volume and less curl. 

set your hair with the rollers and go underneath a hooded dryer until hair is thoroughly dry then you take down the hair and style as desired. the reason why this lasts so long is because when you wet your hair you are breaking down hydrogen bonds and you are now reforming them with heat which your style last longer.

4) blow-dry sets

blow-dry sets

the blow dry set is the same as a wetset but you use a blow dryer, a round brush and hair clips. instead of using rollers you wrap your hair around the round brush to blow dry your hair. a blow dry set will give a nice retro look but its temporary. if you just want a quick style this will be your best option. a blow dry set will give you big sexy glamorous hair.

5) victory rolls

Scarlett Johansson

a victory roll was really popular in the late 1930’s and in the 1940’s. the trick to a good victory roll is to part your hair in the middle, then you diagonally part your hair from your ear to the middle of your center part. take that hair and back comb towards your scalp (backcombing is key to firm roll) then you are going to take your brush and smooth the front of the piece of hair. then, take that piece of hair and roll it inwards towards the scalp and pin it with a bobby pin.

have a blast going back to the past!

fash'on... BAM!

taking ad-vintage

this week is dedicated to a dear friend who was first featured here. she is into all things vintage and retro. often, i would joke with her that i am bringing my trash over so that she can rummage through it and keep whatever she likes. however, jokes aside, i thought that as the end of the year draws closer and most of us start getting into reflection and recollection mode, it will be good to look at fashion from the vintage and retro point-of-view.

before we go into the fashion proper, we need to understand the terms. there will be a couple more during the week but let's just get the biggest one out of the way first. 

vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. the phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, for instance, 'vintage clothing store'. generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1960s is considered vintage. retro, short for retrospective, or 'vintage style' usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. reproduction, or repro, clothing is a newly-made, copy of an older garment. clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion.

as with traditions, here are a couple of topless and shirtless male models with female swimwear models who have zero relation to the rest of the post.

Shirtless Beefcake Hunks for sale?

Maxim Girls: April Rose, Amanda Mertz, Kaitlynn Carter, Melanie Iglesias

fash'on... BAM!

the best and the worst: week 12

what an interesting experience this post is. here i am, sitting in my suite in penang and writing my first post. if i were any regular blogger, i would not have to bother about the timing and release of my posts. however, on The Online Edition, it is my personal standard that the writing does not get affected no matter which part of the world or time zone i am in. so yes, the blogging continues. 

back to the material of the week. readership fell drastically this week. i'm not fully certain if it was due to the erratic theme that i adopted. conceptually, i enjoyed the idea but in reality, i guess it didn't sit well with readers. after three months, i must say that i have a better grasp of readership patterns but the struggle then comes, who to place first? my writing, ideas and concepts or the readership figures. in seeking out the balance, we reveal the best and the worst of the week.

best: i am jennifer nettles

this was a close fight between jennifer nettles and jennifer aniston. surprisingly, not many people were interested in the jennifer lopez post especially since she held her debut concert in singapore. that said, i'm glad to have introduce jennifer nettles to many of my friends who, otherwise, would not know who she is.

worst: i am jennifer scherman

oops, it happened again. the curse of the final post. haha. well, i take it in good spirits. also, it is a pretty obscure personality so naturally, the views and hits would be much lower. that said, i always think that a person who passes on does not disappear as long as we continually share and talk about them.

anyway, the weekend's here. enjoy it. i sure am!

fash'on... BAM!

i am jennifer scherman

this is one of those posts that i struggled writing. the sub-theme for today is models named jennifer and in my search, i came across 'jennifer scherman'. who is she?

jennifer scherman is from argentina and was crowned miss world cup 2010. what caught my attention when her name surfaced with the rest of the searches was the titles and headlines. it all revolved around sickness and death so i thought it was just hate articles till i read on and realised that it was actually the truth. thus, as we celebrate the lives, careers and style of the different 'jennifer-s', i would like to take this moment to just remember jennifer scherman.

we can only debate how big a star she would become but that is all speculation now. heidi klum made famous the line, 'in fashion, one day you're in and the next day, you're out!' life is even more uncertain, one day you are here. the next day, you could be gone forever.

i would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a moment of silence as we collectively remember an individual taken away unexpectedly. it does not have to necessarily be jennifer scherman.

fash'on... BAM!