For All You Fashionisto's Out There

The Tintin

A Men’s Fashion Editorial

Who is your fashion inspiration? Coco Chanel? Marc Jacobs? Women have it easy, when in a pinch we can just look to Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, or maybe (if we are so fortunate in the gene department) Sofia Vergara. But fashion idols are more difficult to come across for men. As the scathingly witty comedian David Sedaris points out in his essay Because Everyone Needs a Pal, it is trial for a man to even find a suitable accessory “A woman might rejuvenate her outfit with a vintage Hermes scarf or a jaunty rope belt, but the options for men aren’t nearly as interesting.”

How disillusioning! However, this is true. While women can experiment with stackable rings, stilettos, and an endless supply of scarves, men are restricted to hats and ties. Explains Sedaris, “It was my search for something discreet, masculine, and practical that led me to the Stadium Pal.” For those who are not familiar with the Stadium Pal, a brief explanation: this genius accessory (produced solely for the male sex) consists of  tube attached to the urinary gland leading to a bag strapped to the user’s calf. Users can expect a fun filled day void of bathroom breaks, all thanks to the Stadium Pal! Convenient, masculine, and full of flair, this accessory is the perfect accent to any outfit.

However, portable urine pouches prove to be high in demand, leaving the poor men  without a role model. Without Sedaris’ cutting edge fashion sense to guide them, who can this unfortunate sex look to for vision? George Clooney? Too mature. David Beckham? Too ripped. One would think that men could find fashion solace in a certain heart-throb boy-band, but unfortunately the fashion of One Direction is unachievable by the standard male, due to the band’s unobtainable and extensive hat collection.

With such a limited source of idols, the obvious answer for men would be to opt for no fashion sense at all, ‘free winging it’ as some would say. But one cannot simply go without inspiration - it is a necessity. It appears that the majority of the male population look to a cartoon character for the newest up-and-coming trends. Tintin, as it happens, proves to be the epitome of masculine style.

Instead of sporting edgy accessories, Tintin opts for a more suave appearance, focusing mainly on his lustrous locks. His signature look consists of a slicked back do with a playful tuft of hair peeking over his forehead. Originally debuted on the fashion scene in 2010, this style has waned in popularity, but still lingers on many testosterone-riddled heads. A random survey of a High School hallway yielded a staggering 20% of Tintin inspired dos. But what is it that makes this style so keen? Sam, men’s fashion expert and long-time supporter of the do, answers all.

Bella: When did you first start wearing the Tintin?

Sam: I first started wearing this style in the winter of 2010.

B: What/who inspired you? Was it indeed the famous Tintin?

S: Actually, I was just sick of having my hair flop into my eyes, so I spiked up the front and it looked cool, so I kept it!

B: Would you please give our readers a short walk through of how to achieve the Tintin?

S: I usually shower, then blow dry the front of my hair into a point, you can then add product for extra flair. If I’m really lazy, sometimes I just shower and then go back to sleep on my face so that the hair dries standing up.

B: Which length of hair works best or the Tintin? And a suggested color?

S: Surprisingly enough, short hair works best with the Tintin! You would think you’d need a lot of hair to get it to stand up, but you don’t. Any color of hair works well.

B: Do you believe that the Tintin is making a comeback on the fashion scene, after it’s decline in popularity in 2011?

S: In my opinion, this hairstyle is making an extremely slow comeback from it’s glory days in the 1930’s.

B: Which style do you enjoy most at the moment: the Beiber Bowl or the Tintin? Why?

S: Tintin is an easy win. Personally, I dislike the Bieber Bowl. I believe that this do’ makes unsuspecting wearers look like tools, even though they’re not! A quick fix for a Bieber-esque swoop is a shorter length at the base of the neck. This edgy twist makes the look seem more hipster.

B: Thank you so much, Mr. Davis! I do hope you will be joining us again soon.

S: I hope so too! Maybe next time we can talk about plaid.