Trim away the decades

It's easy to be confused. Whether he's riding a bus, shopping at the market or dancing at a club, your fellow man may prompt you to ask, "What decade is this?"

Back by popular demand, men's hairstyles of the '60s and '70s - two very different looks - have returned. For those of you who can't remember, that's the shaggy, I-can't-see-your-eyes look or the clean-cut shorter styles of the ever popular Mad Men.

Give credit to TV and the "metrosexual" movement, says James Morningstar, professor at The Art Institute of Philadelphia.

"Beverly Hills 90210 started it, with the Jason Priestley and Luke Perry haircuts," said Morningstar. "Men are just as pretty as women now."

Take Christopher Henry, 23, of Philadelphia. Admitting to having a preference for long hair, Henry sports a '70s shag, kind of like David Cassidy with wild bangs. "You've got to have hair - short hair is overrated."

But for a lot of the population, that's not true - and that's due to AMC's Mad Men, a show that sports classic examples of '60s styles, according to Diana Schmidtke, celebrity hair and grooming expert. And these days, men have taken those classics and personalized them.

"What we have now is more individual style. We see four basic looks: the clean-cut look, the spiked look, the messy look, and the shaggy look," said Schmidtke, though she predicts men will eventually lean toward the most refined of those looks.

"Guys need to keep it simple," she said.

But simplicity doesn't mean cheap. These days, men are ready to spend more money - the average cost for a man's cut in Philadelphia is $35, compared with $8 to $12 a decade ago - as well as time, to get the look they want.

Mark Lightfoot, owner of Philadelphia Hair Company, has clients who come into his barbershop every week for a cut.

Many men want to retain the exact look they had when they stepped out of the barber's chair, said Lightfoot. "If your fade isn't that sharp, or you have a hair out of place, they will come back."

Others are willing to travel a distance for indulgence in hair care - even if it means entering salons that have traditionally been for women only.

"Once men get over the hurdle of thinking that salons are just for women, it is something they can enjoy," said Steve Widdoss of Glen Mills. Widdoss considers his experience at the salon a luxury, though he admitted to being intimidated his first time.

Les Schwartzberg of Wynnewood gets regular grooming every two weeks. This includes haircuts and styling in addition to manicures and pedicures.

You might say hair has become an integral part of a man's wardrobe.

"I can only imagine a decade from now, how serious we men will be about our hair," Morningstar said.