Male face shapes and the rules

There are different male face shapes and the hairstyles I would recommend will depend on whether you have a full head of hair or not.

Those with receding hairlines or hair loss on the crown should understand that trying to compensate by growing hair long at the back, or attempting to comb long side strands over the balding spot, will never be considered a good look.

The best rule is, the less natural hair, the shorter the style should be.

There are 4 basic male face shapes:

• Oval shaped 
• Round shaped 
• Rectangle 
• Square

Oval-shaped – The rules

• Hair – Can usually wear most hairstyles

• Collars – standard or curved 

• Necklines – crew, ‘Grandad’ or drawstring 

• Ties – suit most patterns and styles 

• Spectacles – suits most shapes proportionate to face size.

Round Shaped – The rules

• Hair – add height to hair at the crown, and long layers, and avoid fullness on the sides and around the ears. 

• Collars – curved, narrow or standard 

• Necklines – round, crew or ‘Grandad’ 

• Ties – dots, paisley, swirls, avoid very wide 

• Specs – oval or soft rectangle shapes

Rectangle – The rules

• Hair – full or ½ fringe to shorten the face, Avoid any added height. 

• Collars – straight, standard or button-down. Male face shapes

• Necklines – V’s, polo shirt, zipped or collared 

• Ties – plain, angled or horizontal stripes, patterns 

• Specs – square or wide rectangular.

Square – The rules

• Hair – add height, short layers, avoid side fullness Male face shapes

• Collars – standard, tab, crisp points 

• Necklines – V’s, turtle, polo shirts, zippers 

• Ties – diamonds, geometric, plain 

• Specs – oval, aviator, soft rectangles Male face shapes

   Necks and the rules:

Short or Wide Necks

Do’s:

• V necks 
• Longer shirt collars
• Open necks
• Wide-set collars
• Plain ties
• Medium width ties

Don’ts:

• Polo/turtle necks
• Contrast colour collars
• High cut collars
• Round necks
• Bold pattern ties
• Narrow or very wide ties

Narrow or Long Necks

Do’s:

• Polo/turtle necks 
• Short, pointed collars
• Buttoned or closed necks
• Medium or wide ties
• Horizontal pattern ties

Don’ts:

• Low V necks 
• Extra-long collars
• 2-button open necks
• Narrow ties
• Vertical pattern ties