AMC’s Mad Men is one of television’s most popular shows right now. Yeah, the story is good, but the attention to retro detail and the classic style of Don Draper and crew is at least an equal attraction. Well-tailored grey suits, pocket squares, and skinny ties makes the men on the show look cool, sophisticated, and manly.
But that classic and masculine look would be ruined if Don Draper sported a dopey looking haircut. Do you think advertising clients and women would take Don Draper seriously if he combed his hair forward and spiked it up front like many young men do these days? I don’t think so.
Don Draper and the other men at Sterling Cooper have haircuts that demand that you take them seriously. Your grandpa probably did his hair the same way: tight on the sides with a sharp part on the left side of the head. And of course, the hair needs that healthy looking shine.
Unfortunately, many men today walk around with the same boyish haircuts they’ve had since high school. Sure, your hair spiked in the front or tussled carelessly looked cool when you were 17, but it looks goofy when you’re 30. You want a haircut that looks manly, not juvenile.
To help upgrade your hairstyle to something more respectable, we provide the following tips from the Emmy Award-winning hairstylist of Mad Men, Gloria Ponce.
How to Get the Mad Man Hairstyles
The hair product. If you really want to recapture that slicked back, clean look of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, get your hands on some Brylcreem. The stuff is a little greasy, but boy it really makes a man’s hair look nice. It smells pretty damn manly, too. I’ve used Brylcreem to style my hair for awhile now. My wife loves the way it makes my hair look, and I get compliments on it all the time.
If gramp’s hair products are too greasy for your taste, but you still want that shiny, put together look, try the modern products used by the Mad Men hairstylist. Gloria Ponce uses American Crew hair products on the Mad Men set. Her go to product for all the male actors is American Crew Pomade. The pomade gives you the same hold and shine as Brylcreem, but it isn’t as greasy. She’ll also use American Crew Firm Hold Styling Gel when the hair really needs to stay in place. Unlike other gels, this gel doesn’t flake and leave you looking like you have a bad case of dandruff. Plus it gives you that nice Mad Men shine without making your hair as hard as a helmet.
It comes down to a matter of preference on whether you go the Brylcreem or the American Crew route. They’ll both give you the same look. Personally, I like my Brylcreem. If it was good enough for granddad, it’s good enough for me. Plus, it’s cheaper and you can get it at your local drugstore.
The Don Draper
Tell your barber…
Ask him to cut your hair tight and tapered on the sides and leave it long and full on the top. Tell the barber that you also want your part on the left side of your head. Yeah, I said part. The part demands respect. The part is powerful. Your barber can cut your hair in order to help your hair part more easily.
To style…
Take your hair product of choice and run it through your hair while it’s still damp. Take your comb and create your part on the left side of your head. Create a small wave on the front of your hair by combing your bangs up and back towards the right. Comb back the sides of your hair. Bada-bing! Instant Draper.
The Pete Campbell
Tell your barber…
Like with the Draper-do, you’ll want it nice and tight on the sides. The only difference is to have your barber cut it a bit shorter on the top than you would with the Don Draper hairstyle. And if you want to part it on the right, ala Pete, tell him that too.
To style…
Use a bit more product. Pete Campbell’s hairstyle is much more slick and wet looking than the other characters. When you comb it, start off with a sharp part on the right side of your head. When you create the wave in the front, keep it close to the head. It’s not as high as some of the other men on the show. Pete’s style is good for younger men or men with smaller frames.
The Roger Sterling
Tell your barber…
Sterling’s look is much shorter and barbered than the other men on the show. It’s almost like a military cut. Get it cut short on the top, but leave it long enough so that you can comb a part on the right side of your head. Sides are tight. Make sure he tapers the sides so they blend in nicely with the top. You won’t want any lines like you have a bowl cut.
To style…
Add product to your damp hair and comb it over to create your part. Create the wave in the front. Because your hair is shorter, it won’t be as high as Don Draper’s. Comb back the sides. Now you’re ready schmooze with clients at a 12 martini lunch.
Final Note: If you really want to ensure that your barber gets your haircut the way you want it, print off this post and show him a picture of the haircut you want. You can never go wrong doing that.
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Dang it hit submit by accident. Just wanted to say thanks Brent for the trip down memory lane!
I will admit I think sometimes the site takes things too far in the way thats what my grandpa did. I think that as a man you should be able to pull of whatever hair do you have. For example I would say as an adult david boreanaz pulls off the modified combed look very well. It is modern and masculine. I think part of life is adapting and changing to go with it.
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Would like to see this kind of stuff for people with curly/kinky hair. I’ve most often found trying traditional barbers perplexed when I’ve gone.
I really like the article guys, but what about your loyal ethnic minority followers? I’m mixed African caribbean black & British white. My hair is black and curly. I have real trouble deciding how to wear my hair so I normally just keep it shaved but I don’t particularly like it. Any suggestions guys? I am sure I’m not the only man with this predicament.
Kind Regards,
Mark
Love the article. Getting my Mad Men haircut tomorrow.
@Mark-
Yours is a great question. These tips came from the lady who does the Mad Men hair and since there aren’t any major minority characters on the show, she unfortunately didn’t have any tips about curly hair like yours. But perhaps I can talk to some barbers and make that a future topic….
Being a very observant woman who has many female connections, I not only talk to a lot of women but also overhear conversations that women (strangers) have. I cannot tell you how many times a day I hear the words “Mad Men.” Women love everything about this show; especially the cothes and the attention to details when it comes to appearances, such as hairstyles and an overall ‘clean,’ ‘well-kept’ look.
I know oodles women who fantasize about “Mad Men” men. The Mad Men look is a very powerful style that, right now, makes every woman I know melt … including myself.
@brigettebrugada
Hey Brigette I am the same, all that great grooming.
Take a note guys!
Two rules for wearing these hair cuts. 1. Be hansom 2. Don’t be un-hansom.
Women melt when they watch this show because they picked great looking men. If this were a show set in the 70’s and they all had long hair, they would be saying how much they love long hair on a guy. What they mean is they love that hair on that guy in that photo shoot, not necessarily on you, because you live in the real world.
In reality you have to work with what you’ve got, not try to look like a constructed fantasy on TV.
Gotta go with the “natural” part argument. When I was a kid, my dad took me to a very manly old barber (lots of stories my brothers and I share about that barber shop and the comic books we read, and the quarter we got back from the buck and six bits haircut). Anyway, he always had my hair cut high and tight with the forced part on the left, and my hair always looked funny to me because of my cowlick. After a high school phase of having an unruly mop, I started getting my hair cut by a former high school classmate turned beautician (mostly because she was cute). She suggested that I part on the right, which effectively co-opted the cowlick into my hairstyle. 20 years later and I am still parting on the right (though as a lawyer in federal court I am wearing my hair a lot shorter these days!)
Wow @Jay, we must be living parallel lives. My story is exactly the same except for the Federal Court bit. I actually run an advertising agency. Go figure. Anyone know why the left side part is traditional?
Jay, I think it has everything to do with hand dominance. I’m a lefty, so I’ve always run my left hand through my hair. I’m constantly having to tell hairstylists to keep the part on the right.
Not all men will look great with the same haircut. I agree with the suggestion of working with what you have. The shape of the face will affect how a hairstyle suits, the type of hair you have and for me I find if the sides are cut too short it makes my ears look like they stick out somewhat…
I have worn my hair in these styles for years and the products I have found to work the best are made by a barber who cuts these and other older styles. I use layrite wich you can find online at layrite .com. they are priced from 10 to 15 bucks per bottle or tub, but the big difference is they are water based and come out alot easier than the older products.
Great show, Great Style and great hair styles. I haven’t used brylcreem in years but might have to pick some up tomorrow.
I’ve always found long flowing locks to be pretty damn manly myself, I’m not a fan of too much greasy junk in my hair. On a side note, I have the same problem as FS being a lefty and the stylist always parting my hair the wrong way even after being a regular customer for a year or so.
Any suggestions for someone like me who has very thick hair… I am 25 and am looking for a more manly hairstyle. i love the Draper look, but my hair is thick and don’t think I can get the look because my hair makes my head look massive when its that long
Just a tip for the Don Draper cut: not all barbers interpret “tight and tapered” the same. I just left the barber wanting the Draper but got the military reject. So the lesson here is to be a little more specific and leave less to interpretation.
@Dutch: Military reject?
Apparently the barber took tight and tapered to mean high and tight, but long and full on top translated fine. So, half of my head looks like I’m enlisted in the Marines which makes the other half look confused.
Yowsers. I saw this sort of thing from time to time during my years as a Marine – guys would get a “medium regulation” cut (think Sterling above but a bit shorter) as sort of a rebellion against the standard issue high-and-tight. Some commanders let it go, others didn’t. For those ordered to get a high-reg, they would go back to the barber and just have the sides shaved down to near nothing, with a good 2 or 3 inches left on top.
Me, I just kept it shaved
Trying to grow it back out nowadays.
have worn my hair in these styles for years and the products I have found to work
Well this is all well and good for those blokes that have any hair on their heads…
Manly for us male pattern baldness lot is a close but not cropped cut with scissors not clippers. Leaves what we have not bristly.
Of course there is always the chrome dome for those with a head shape that wont scare the children!
I can’t say enough on how great American Crew products are. In fact, I should be getting a check from those guys from how often I push their product. I use their Fiber more often than the Pomade. Every man’s bathroom inventory should have either of these.
I prefer Top Brass . A little harder to find than Brylcream. Much more body.
@Brett – Did you get to speak with Gloria? The only reason I ask is I found a NY Times blog post that says she uses some Redken and TRI products. The author did not speak to Gloria directly. He was relayed a message by the show’s press office.
Here’s a link to the article:
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/look-the-part-2-mad-men-hair-uncovered/
Thanks for the great post. I’m shopping around for a vintage haircut/good barber and this article will help my efforts.
I winced when I read “part on the left for this cut”, “part on right for that one”…You will get cowlicks, etc if you don’t do it the way your hair is growing. If you look down on the back of someone’s head, there is a “point of origin”. If the hair natural grow clockwise around that point, part on the left; else, right.
My son got me the 1st season of “Mad Men” as a birthday gift recently. My dad started his teaching career in 1960 and so I was immediately intrigued by the styling of the show. (Especially interesting was Pete Campbell’s admission that he was making $75/wk at the firm. My dad made more than that teaching junior high industrial arts in small-town Wisconsin in ‘60.) I will show the posting to my wife, who is a former hair stylist and cuts my hair. What man wouldn’t like the Draper look? This is a look that shouts power and success, in the boardroom and the bedroom. It demands respect from other men and as we have seen from some of the posters, women like it a lot, too.
I also have a natural part on the right. I am a right-hander, but I have a cowlick on the right just at the part with a natural wave in the front towards the left. If I forced my part on the left I would end up looking ridiculous, not powerful.
I think Gloria realizes this and that’s why Roger and Peter both have right parts.
With that hair cut, how would you comb your hair the days you don’t feel like putting all that stuff in your hair?
Trouble with having a haircut like this is that you have to dress appropriately – suit, shoes, hat etc etc. Then if you dress like that you end up looking like your going to a fancy dress party as a dad off a 50’s sitcom.
My point is this…no one would take you seriously if you turned up to work/a meeting/a date wearing these clothes or having this haircut. You’d look ridiculous. Attaining a manly look doesn’t nessecarily mean looking like these men. An example of a manly man with a modern look could be that of Alec Baldwin’s character in 30 Rock, Jack Doneghy.
Plus Don Draper cheated on his wife, whilst drink driving, so this discounts him from being a man to aspire to be. Mad Men is good television though.
Hey Brett. Really enjoyed reading your article. I have been wanting to try one of these haircuts for awhile. In your article you mentioned having your barber cut your hair so it is easier to maintain a part in it. I have been looking for a skilled barber who knows how to do this can you recommend a good one here in Tulsa that you use?? What do they do to make it easier to part?? Looking forward to getting the right cut, I picked up a tube of the brylcreem yesterday.
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