UrbanUpdate

Beards are back in style. I had a dinner party last night, and all the men present had beards. And it was not a theme party. We’ve been seeing scruff in the art world for quite a while, but lately I’ve been seeing bearded fashion designers, bearded musicians, bearded photographers, even bearded doctors and ecutives. It wasn’t so long ago that Al Gore was sporting one. Wouldn’t you love to have a plump, bearded Gore as President? I would.

Anyway, as you may have noticed I’ve been wearing a beard for a while and getting away with it. My wife no longer mentions Ernest Hemingway or Kenny Rogers in attempts to get me to shave. She acts resigned to the beard, and in fact I suspect she sort of likes it. This is possible because I have gotten quite good at keeping it under control.

I have achieved control over the beard through use of this handy little device, the Conair Trimmer. It comes with a lot of little attachments and, after trying to read the directions, I managed to stumble upon one that seemed like it would leave me with the length I desired. What I was aiming for was a setting that would leave my beard short enough that the magnificent outline of my chin would be visible. Anyway, a few minutes a week and my beard has a permanently perfect shape. (The blue button says "Turbo." I’m afraid to push it.)

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My very good friend Hooman Majd (a fine writer and sometime bon vivant) was among the bearded diners last night, and after a lengthy discussion about whether he was an atheist or a bad Muslim, we turned to the beard habits of his native Persia. It was my contention that a handsome man owes it to the world (or God if he’s so inclined, or pretends to be) to keep his beard short enough that the contours of his face can be discerned.

Mr. Majd, whose beard is somewhat redolent of unfiltered Camel Turkish-blend cigarettes, argued for more length, throwing up Prince Michael of Kent as an example. We examined photos of HRH on Google Images, and indeed this superbly dressed, regal gentleman, who is cousin to Queen Elizabeth, has a rather longer beard that does not follow the chin line. But it does suggest the chin line, and is perhaps longest at the chin itself. (If Prince Charles dressed as a prince should, Prince Michael dresses like a king. Note the size of his knot, the bold shirt collar, the cut and texture of his suit, and the beautiful boutonniere. Dressed like this he could rule Britain, and Italy, too.)

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Mr. Majd said he would contemplate trimming closer in the jowl zone, while retaining a Kent-like point at the chin. Then we discussed the possibility of his growing a moustache in the traditional Persian manner, in which the points extend beyond the width of the head. This style was popular among the military, and I believe it was the impressive moustaches of dandyish Persian cavalry that spread that style to Brits. Here is Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald in such a ’stache.

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I am all for it. There have been few courageous moustache wearers in the public eye since the great Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers retired from the Major Leagues. He was a warrior.

Glenn O’Brien was an expert on menswear, art, music and culture, a friend to Warhol and Basquiat, and for many years the author of GQ’s popular Style Guy column.Related Stories for GQStyle GuyGrooming