Any old hairstyle just won't cut it

Justin Bieber or Sonny Bill Williams? It is not just women who are influenced by celebrity hair trends. Bay men are flocking to hairdressers to get the latest looks, writes Annemarie Quill.

Bieber believers were shocked when the young pop star debuted a new spiky haircut on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this week.

Gone is the floppy forward-swept mop that spawned a whole generation of Bieber lookalikes around the globe, including here in the Bay where the look is extremely popular, Otumoetai hairdresser Corina Conn of Hair2Stare@ says.

"I would say over half of the boys you see around town currently have the old Bieber look.

"But they don't like to admit that it is - you would never get guys coming in asking for the Bieber as they would be too embarrassed, but they do always ask for texturising and a long fringe."

While fringes are still big news for women's hair this summer, now Bieber has lost his "boy-bangs", boys will soon be queuing up for the chop too, says hairdresser Joe Rodgers Purdie, award winning men's hair stylist at Salon One the Cove.

"Justin's new style is going to be the new look for summer 2012. Short hair for men is definitely in this season."

Brett Holmes, owner of Salon by Design, also approves of Bieber's new style.

"Justin's new look is a welcome change," he said. "It has transformed him from a boy to a man."

Mr Rodgers Purdie said the Bieber look was hugely influential in deciding fashions for men's hair.

"The full fringe look was very much in during 2010 and 2011.

'The look is commonly called 'the flow' or 'twitch', like you are twitching and flipping your hair out of your eyes."

It is not just overseas celebrities that influence our local lads' locks. Mr Rodgers Purdie said that since the Rugby World Cup, men's hair styles were also being influenced by the All Blacks, with the most popular cut being the Sonny Bill - a square cut, closely clippered at the front, and longer at the back.

Mrs Conn said she has had quite a few requests for Sonny Bills in the past few weeks.

Otumoetai College boy Kalani Rawlinson had his Sonny Bill cut in the holidays.

"Since then everyone is asking me about it and my cousin has just got it too. I was a little inspired by Sonny Bill, but everyone calls this look 'the box'."

Kalani previously had the Bieber mop, fringe and all, so mum Karyn was pleased with the new style.

"Now I can see his face," she said.

Other looks popular for men this summer included Underbelly influenced hairstyles, Mr Rodgers Purdie said.

"Old school gangster hairstyles are going to be in this summer.

"Side partings, comb-over look, but with a dash of modernisation."

He added that fringes for men would still be around, just not as full as on the old Bieber fringe.

Mr Holmes agreed that the floppy look would not disappear altogether.

"Justin Bieber has shown men that their hair can be worn softer and more undone and at the same time still being fashion forward."