Hairspiration: The Man Bun (AKA The Mun)

Move aside Michael Douglas - there's a new bout of hairspiration on my radar. 'The Mun', aka the man bun - woah kids!
If you are a regular T Magazine reader you'll probably know all about it, but in spite of the numerous articles on seemingly stylish men (think David Beckham, Bradley Cooper, Orlando Bloom etc) sporting an example you may still be very confused and rather concerned - or in shock. 'Buns? On guys? Are you channelling a librarian or something?'. 

To be fair 'the mun' does have a dedicated Tumblr hashtag which for me basically translates to one thing; it's become legitimate. Perhaps you think a real-life mun sighting is rare, but looking around all I see are man buns. From the courts of Wimbledon to cafés of Williamsburg the mun has become a certified thing. Why? Well as a semi long-and-still-growing-haired individual it comes down to a few basic things. It's easy. It's utilitarian. It's sleek. And it makes a statement (plus it's a great place to store things, like pens!). Unsurprisingly, it also looks good with black. Love it or hate it, I'm doing it (until my next visit to the hairdresser at least).

Alexander Atkins, wearing Rick Owens and T by Alexander Wang, with Ai-Li Chiong-Martinson photographed by Camille Labat in Half Moon Bay.

Pink Hair Don't Care

All this hairspiration and DIY-dye talk means it's now time to turn to the tables. So go on - take a walk on the wild side.
Perhaps it's because I've been seeing lots of pink-haired activity on tumblr recently, or maybe it's all down to the fact that I loved Jamie Kennedy's Sampson in Baz Luhrman's 'Romeo + Juliet'. Either way it really was only a matter of time until the whole mens-hair-dye topic was breached. So consider it breached, dear reader. It's definitely a thing (although I'm still deciding whether it's going to be my thing). So here we are. We've arrived (yet again) at the world of fantastically coloured dos.

I suppose we could ask why the girls should have all the fun? Hair is hair, and pink is an excellent colour on practically everyone. Also didn't someone say something about real men wearing pink? The point is I went blue for a night a couple of weekends ago. The whole Kurt Cobain thing - you know? Surprisingly, I was really into it. That being said I don't know if I'm ready to commit to anything too permanent just yet - and a pastel-ly pink would require the whole shebang (we're talking heavy duty bleach and dye-related maintenance afterwards). But what I will commit to is starting the dialogue. Baby steps...

Sam McKnight (pictured below) and his pink wig selfies can be found on his Instagram. For more pink inspiration be sure to follow my tumblr.

Megan Mouren is The Cloudhunter

By now I'd say I've made my feelings clear regarding fantastically vibrant hair. Hairspiration is hairspiration - I'm all in.

Perhaps I'm compelled because I actually enjoy bright colours and tones - tis the season etc. But aside from that there's something refreshingly rare about seeing someone dye their hair several shades of highlighter (all at once) and still manage to look completely put-together. I mean, does a vintage blue plaid uniform circa Winona Ryder in 'Heathers' really pair with neon green tresses? Well, yes actually. It does. Here's how.

Megan Mouren (designer of Cloudhunter - who's Cali Roots reggae-inspired hair I covered here) is all about colour. Lot's of colour (Lucy, her pomeranian, wears a pink dress - just FYI). Now I know we've breached the whole DIY-dye job topic, but this time around the focus was on what to wear with neon hair. After all, hair is a big deal. It's a game-changer. I mean redheads are all about emerald green for a reason, right? With various Echo Park locations as backdrops, I shot and chatted with Megan about her love of the area. "I just love menu-exploring. You know? Discovering new restaurants is like an adventure. I'm all about the ones that use local produce. The quiet coffee shops - it's easy to feel like you're away from the city."  

In terms of inspiration it's clear there's a lot going on. "My spirit fashion animal is Gwen in the 90ies. Bianca Jagger is my favorite historical icon. Also, I loved Fran Drescher's outfits in 'The Nanny'. Right now Anna Della Russo is amazing. I'm into how she wears anything she wants, especially on her head. The watermelon, china dolls, eggs and disco balls were all pretty insane. Her stuffed lamb thing at Ungaro was super fun - I guess I'm just into her as a fashion individualist and all around super woman! Oh, and Sailor Moon obviously. Huge inspiration there."

With regards to menswear, Mouren is all about keeping things neat and tidy. "Having a polished gentleman around is a nice balance to my colourful, print-friendly style. You can tell a lot by a man's casual and loungewear - so great vintage tees and stylish sweats (think Alexander Wang) are a must."

  

Megan Mouren, wearing pieces from her vintage collection and jewelry by Camille K, photographed by 

Alexander Atkins in Los Angeles.

Hairspiration: DIY Dye Job

In my continued quest to discover other people's hairspiration I've uncovered a big secret. People are DIY-ing it - for real.

I'm not just talking about cutting your own bangs. No, this is much more than that. And yes, heavy duty bleach is definitely involved. Now I'm all for the whole DIY thing (I have an odd affinity with any and everything IKEA), but it takes serious cajones to bleach and dye your own (!) hair. Not to mention in fluorescent colours (we're practically talking glow-in-the-dark). Essentially the days of 'The Rachel' are so behind us.

Megan Mouren (the creative force of Cloud Hunter) and Camille Labat (whose Alison Mosshart-inspired hairspiration I covered here) have been doing the DIY dye thing for a few years now. For Camille it all started with pink tips. "X-tina in a subtle, less dirrty way, although I love that album!" Of course one thing always leads to another. "Dip-dyes, purple-tips, multi-colored streaks, the ombré thing - I've done it all." Labat, who currently sports natural roots, a deep red body and magenta tips, aims to explore blue tones next. For Mouren, a recent trip to California Roots Festival in Monterey over Memorial Day Weekend was the ideal catalyst for venturing into a triple dip-dye situation. A trifecta of neons green, yellow and orange tints. "I wanted something reggae appropriate - you know? And everyone kept trying to grab my hair, thinking it was a wig - which it isn't." 

Two DIY-dyers are certainly better than one. Together the pair are eye-catching and incredibly easy to spot in a crowd (which comes in handy). While maintaining the vibrance and tonality of neons is an arduous task at best, the eventual run and fade thing is quite charming. Colours become soft and powdery; think Kurt Cobain meets Marie Antoinette. It's all mildly punk, yet overtly lovely.

Discover more hairspiration features by clicking here.

Megan Mouren & Camille Labat, in basics by Acne and J Brand, photographed by Alexander Atkins in San Francisco.

The Look: The Great Bowie (Sorry Gatsby)

So I guess I'm supposed to be all about Gatsby. I mean I tried (for a sec) but I just can't. Instead I'm still all about Bowie.

Don't get me wrong, Baz Luhrmann's whole visual overload-to-the-max thing was impressive and excessively indulgent (thing's I usually enjoy), but I just need something more, well, me. Enter the completely unrelated Bowie alter-ego of Ziggy Stardust (the original Sasha Fierce?). Essentially it's like how can you not be inspired? A mullet-wearing, lightening bolt-ed original gender benderer from the 70s! It's all incredibly fun.

Let's chat hair. Now I'm not saying I've given-up on my most recent bout of hairspiration (the whole long and wavy thing is slowly happening for me). All I'm saying is I'm into getting funky (just like Major Tom) - besides there are many a theme party to attend these days, and I'm over onesie's. I vaguely remember the mullet being cool in 2004, when, on my first solo venture to Toni & Guy I kind-of ended up with one. Needless to say it was scary (if not a tad lesbisch). But I'm older, potentially wiser now, and I'm thinking about things. If I were to venture into mullet-land I would definitely use a great volumizer, like Bumble and Bumble's Thickening Full Form Mousse and then seal the deal with some Thickening Hairspray - just to be sure, you know?

Now this may sound slightly intense (if not extremely opulent) but La Mer's The Concentrate is the best primer ever. Its smooth, rich consistency means skin is left feeling undeniably silky and treated (ie makeup application is a breeze). Also a high-consistency of the coveted and very secret 'miracle broth' means your basically getting a facial underneath your Ziggy-glam. For the perfect lightening bolt I'd use Giorgio Armani's All in One No 2 Palette. We're looking for strong color, and that red means business. The use of an eye-patch is completely optional, but always a great idea if face-paint sounds a bit daunting.

Here's to a Ziggy Stardust-infused Memorial Day Weekend!

*Click the arrows above to browse the products mentioned and get the look.

- David Bowie, performing 'Ziggy Stardust' at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1973.

Hairspiration: The Dip Dye

By now I'd say I've made my views on hairspiration known, and so nothing is more exciting than seeing it become reality.

Hairspiration is a real thing and you, dear reader, are being led to it's very essence. Hairspiration in action! And if that sounds a bit too intense for a Tuesday morning, relax. Just look at the pictures and click the links - you'll get it.

When my friend Camille (who has always had great hair moments - remember?) decided she was going to go all Alison Mosshart-circa-right-now this past weekend, I was beyond excited. I mean who doesn't like The Kills? (Especially now that Jamie Hince is actually Mr. Kate Moss.) That's right, we all love them. 

Some of the best decisions we make are impulsive. Changing-up your look is real when it's impulsive, because your gut knows you want it. Camille settled on her hairspiration twenty minutes before her actual appointment. Judging from these shots I'd say it was a hugely successful source of inspiration. Centrally parted, teased or even tied back in a high-pony, the triple dip-dye job has proven its versatility. And besides all that, aren't we supposed to do this kind of thing in our twenties?

Tuesday just got a little more interesting.

Camille Labat, wearing an Acne leather jacket, photographed by Alexander Atkins in Palo Alto.

*Camille Labat wears blue-tinted Ray-Bans and an Acne leather jacket. Click here to visit her tumblr. 

Hairspiration: Michael Douglas

To say Michael Douglas has great hair is an understatement. Rather, I'd say he's had a career of exceptional hair.
Besides, we all can use a little inspiration from time-to-time, and what is the point of a proper Throwback Thursday really if not to inspire? That's right dear reader, inspiration is the point. 

I've long been a fan of Michael Douglas - have you seen A Perfect Murder? It's really something. And yes, we should of-course consider the amazingness that is Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and the first Wall Street (shall we just quietly ignore the sequel?). But when I really get into it, what I most admire is the unequivocal level of sophisticated elegance MD exudes at all times (even when attempting to kill Gwyneth). Perhaps it has something to do with the whole Hollywood royalty thing, but I'd say it's more than pedigree. It's genetics. Hair genetics. 

I'm all for trying different hairstyles - I mean wasn't that the point of the eleventh grade? But after countless cuts, buzzes and trims I'd say by the age of twenty-four you should have a general idea of what works for you. For Michael it's all about the voluminous wavy blow-back, and boy does he rock it. In fact he's been rocking it since forever. From glaringly good on the cover L'Officiel Hommes (June 1979), to I'm-all-business for Fortune Magazine (June 2005), it seems Michael Douglas knows, quite literally, what's up.

Hairspiration is a thing, happy almost-Friday.

*Top: Michael Douglas with Glenn Close (Time Magazine, November 1987), On the cover of Rolling Stone (January 1988). Above: Michael Douglas on the cover of L'Officiel Hommes (June 1979), Fortune Magazine (June 2005), and Gordon Gekko on the cover of Fortune Magazine (as seen in Wall Street).