The fade — the latest rage in hairstyles — can be worn with pompadours, crew cuts, side parts or square tops, making it a timed-tested, versatile technique that is ideal for anyone — from a footballer running on the field to a film star walking the red carpet or for any of you who just wants to accentuate a handsome set of features!

WHAT IS FADE? 

On a recent trip to London, I got to watch ace barber Radu working his fade magic on a client. With a plethora of different-sized clippers, he let his hand slither gracefully over the canvas of different-shaped skulls, creating works of simple elegance on some and intricate patterns on others. 

The fade consists of a very short taper that “fades” into the skin. You can ask for your fade to end high on the sides and back (high fade), low (low fade), or at the temples. 

TYPES OF FADE

SKIN FADE 

A skin fade is a haircut that blends seamlessly into the skin on the sides and the neck. The hair can be of any length on the top.

Shadow fade 

It is any fade that actually starts with lighter hair on the sides and blends into any length on the top.

FADE PATTERNS

This requires a very skilled set of hands and some of the fades and patterns out there are so precision-oriented that they deserve a signature on them. The designs can range from simple lines to complicated graphics and intricate patterns that are a seamless mix of shadow and fade. 

DIY PUNK 

The punk influence is back with a bang and women and men are sporting chic versions of this 1970s look with deep choppy bangs, highly-textured lengths on top, wispier longer bits near the ears and nape. No punk look is complete without an eye-popping dose of colour and this is done either on the entire hair with shades of either orange, bright green and pink, to give it a rock-star look, or in accents, placed in areas of your choice. Slated to be one of the hottest looks of 2018, punk chic can be made to look messy and lived-in, keeping with the trend of lazy and easy dos in the latest trending hairstyles.

CLASSIC STYLE

The side-parted hair look can be sleeked back for a touch of The Great Gatsby flair, like Ryan Gosling wears it, or worn casually flopped to one side, or with the help of hair products, made to look tousled and lived-in, or left to its own natural fall. This unpretentious style can be worn with a beard or clean-shaven or with a hint of a stubble and is high on the wanted list because of its potential to make you stand out or mingle unnoticed. 

BEARD TRENDS

Virat Kohli, our Indian skipper, has set serious facial hair goals with shapes that are all at once sophisticated and masculine. His neatly trimmed and well-groomed beard frequently fades and blends into high-fade, low-fade haircuts that complement each other perfectly. 

The David Beckham beard is for those who are into low maintenance and can’t be bothered about shaping and shaving regularly. Here the beard can be left to grow and with the help of waxy products, be subdued or spiked into shape. The sides are trimmed neatly while the front portion can be left to grow as long as you want it to till your next shave. 

The Jason Statham beard version is ideal for men who prefer their pates sensuously shaven and their facial hair ruggedly designer. The juxtaposition of hairless and hair stubble is wildly appealing! Ask Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  

Chris Hemsworth, or Thor, has rocked stubble chic like no other. The five o’ clock shadow, the sexy just-tumbled-out-of-bed two-day stubble, or the midweek beard, all versions of facial hair fashion, have been worn with equal aplomb by this actor on his chiselled jawline. 

COLOUR TRENDS

METALLIC SHADES 

Grey metal like what Zayn Malik sported seems to be the most popular metallic shade as of now as it is the natural offset for a sallow skin.

The top section of the hair is bleached till a pale yellow and is then toned with ash-based colours to get the desired metallic grey shade. This requires professional expertise and is very high-maintenance, so make sure it’s done with the help of your trusted hairdresser and you have deep pockets. You will need your hair treatments as the strong bleaches have your hair take quite a bashing. 

BLEACHED HAIR TOPS

Also known as the timeless footballer fave, the top section of the hair is bleached to a pale yellow and is infused with a yellow or an orange, green or blue hue and rinsed.