What do Paul Dano, Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender, and Johnny Depp have in common when it comes to grooming? Absolutely nothing. Survey the photos from last night’s Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards red carpet, and you’ll see the pendulum swing in literally every direction. Looking at the options, we can’t help but favor the slightly more clean-cut looks in the group. 2015 was definitely the year of the beard and the man bun, but maybe it’s time for a little trim—or at least some styling products? Here, three examples of where the more cleaned-up looks won out.
Michael Fassbender’s all-over scruff gives his face character without obscuring it too much. The same can’t be said for Christian Bale’s XL Van Dyke, which is impressive in terms of its fullness but kind of makes him look like he's in disguise. And not in the cool Batman kind of way.
Cuts with a super-defined side part, like what Finn Wittrock’s rocking, have really dominated the men’s grooming scene for the last couple of years. Which is exactly why we sort of prefer Matt Damon’s almost-buzzcut look instead. We could use a break from the Don Draper thing.
Long hair is never not going to be cool, and Johnny Depp is here to remind us of that for eternity. But as much as Depp sort of owns the look, we liked Paul Dano’s approach to styling the length for a formal event. It’s cleaner, less wet-looking, and yet still kind of badass.
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