Walk into any high-end barbershop in London, New York, or even a small-town strip mall, and you’ll see it. It is ubiquitous. The short sides long top men aesthetic isn't just a trend; it has basically become the default setting for the modern male. It's funny because, for a while, people thought this look would die out with the 2010s hipster era.
It didn't.
Instead, it evolved. We went from the rigid, gelled-to-death pompadours of 2014 to these messy, textured, and infinitely more wearable versions we see today. Honestly, the reason it sticks around is simple physics and flattering geometry. Most guys don’t have perfect, chiseled jawlines. By shaving or fading the sides and keeping the volume up top, you’re essentially "cheating" a better face shape. You’re adding height. You’re narrowing the head. You’re making yourself look taller and leaner without hitting the gym once.
It’s the ultimate optical illusion.
The actual science of why this look works
Most guys have what's called a "round" or "square" face shape. If you grow out the hair on the sides of your head, your face starts to look like a basketball. It’s not a great look. By keeping the short sides long top men silhouette, you create a vertical line. This is why barbers like Matty Conrad or the crew over at Uppercut Deluxe talk so much about "squareness."
A good haircut isn't just about cutting hair. It’s about building a shape. If your barber just follows the curve of your head, they’re doing it wrong. They should be cutting "into the corners" to create a masculine, boxy frame.
Think about the classic undercut. It’s the extreme version of this. You’ve got a high skin fade and then a sudden, disconnected shelf of hair on top. It’s aggressive. It’s bold. But it’s also high maintenance. If you don’t have a specific type of hair—usually straight and thick—you’re going to spend forty minutes every morning wrestling with a blow dryer and a tub of heavy clay.
Then you have the "taper." This is the more sophisticated cousin. It’s what you see on guys who work in offices but still want to look like they have a soul. The hair blends gradually. There’s no harsh line. It’s subtle. It’s the difference between a loud neon sign and a well-placed desk lamp.
Texture is the 2026 secret sauce
We used to want our hair to look like plastic. Remember that? The ultra-shiny, rock-hard slick back? Thankfully, we've moved on. Now, it's all about "texture." This basically means making your hair look like you just woke up, but you happen to have the world's most stylish bedhead.
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To get this, barbers use thinning shears or "point cutting." They’re literally cutting chunks out of the hair so it doesn't lay flat. If your hair is all one length on top, it’s heavy. It’s boring. It’s a wet blanket. But if you have different lengths throughout the top, they support each other. They create "nooks" for the product to grab onto.
You’ve probably seen the "French Crop" popping up everywhere. It’s a very specific version of the short sides long top men style where the fringe is pushed forward. It’s huge in the UK and Europe. It’s great for guys who are starting to see a little bit of a receding hairline because it hides the corners of the forehead. It’s practical. It’s stylish. It’s low effort.
What your barber wishes you knew
Barbers are tired of you showing them a picture of David Beckham.
Look, David Beckham has a team of people to make his hair look like that. He also has a perfect head shape. You might have a "lumpy" skull. We all do. This is where the "fade" comes in. A skin fade isn't just a haircut; it’s a technical skill that involves blending hair down to the literal skin.
If you have a bump on the back of your head (the occipital bone), a good barber will adjust the height of the fade to mask it. If you have "dips" in your temples, they’ll leave the hair a bit darker there to fill it in. This is why you shouldn't go to a $10 franchise salon if you want a high-quality short sides long top men cut. You’re paying for the consultation, not just the clipper work.
- The Low Fade: Starts just above the ears. It’s conservative.
- The Mid Fade: Hits right at the temple. It’s the goldilocks zone.
- The High Fade: Goes up toward the crown. It’s high-impact and looks very sharp but grows out fast.
Maintenance and the "awkward phase"
Here is the truth: this haircut is a commitment.
If you get a skin fade, it’s going to look "perfect" for exactly five days. By day ten, the stubble is back. By day twenty, the shape is starting to go. If you want to keep that crisp look, you’re in the chair every two to three weeks. That adds up.
If you're more of a "once every two months" kind of guy, you need a different version of the short sides long top men style. You need a "scissored taper." This uses scissors instead of clippers on the sides. It doesn't get as short, but it grows out much more gracefully. Instead of looking like a fuzzy tennis ball after two weeks, it just looks like a slightly longer version of the original cut.
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And please, stop using 3-in-1 shampoo.
If you have length on top, that hair is "older" than the hair on the sides. It has been exposed to the sun, the wind, and the shower. It’s drier. It needs a real conditioner. You also need to understand the difference between pomade, wax, and clay.
- Pomades are for shine and slickness. Think 1950s grease monkey.
- Clays are for volume and a matte finish. They have bentonite or kaolin in them, which actually swells the hair strand. It makes your hair look thicker.
- Pastes are the middle ground. They’re easy to use and usually water-based, so they wash out without a fight.
The beard factor
You can't talk about short sides long top men styles without talking about facial hair. Because the sides of your hair are short, your sideburns become a "bridge" to your beard.
If the sideburns are too thick, it ruins the "slim" effect of the haircut. You want the barber to "taper" the beard into the haircut. It should be a seamless transition from the skin of your fade into the hair of your beard. This creates a continuous line that further elongates the face. It’s a game-changer for guys with rounder faces.
The common mistakes that ruin the look
One of the biggest mistakes is the "island" effect. This happens when the top is so long and the sides are so short that it looks like a hairpiece is just sitting on top of a bald head. There has to be some connection. Even in a "disconnected" undercut, the weight line should be placed strategically.
Another one? Neglecting the neckline.
There are two main types: blocked and tapered. A blocked neckline is a straight line across the back. It looks very sharp on day one. But as soon as the hair starts growing back, it looks messy and uneven. A tapered neckline fades into the skin. It’s much more natural and looks cleaner for longer.
Also, consider your cowlicks. Everyone has them. If you try to force your hair to go against a cowlick with a short sides long top men cut, you’re going to have a "horn" of hair sticking up in the back. A good barber will cut the crown shorter or leave it longer to weigh it down. They work with the hair, not against it.
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The 2026 trend: The "Soft" Modern Mullet
Yes, the mullet is back, but not the way your uncle wore it. The modern version is basically just a short sides long top men cut that isn't cut quite as short in the back. It’s about "flow."
It’s less "Joe Dirt" and more "thoughtful artist." It’s a way to have the benefit of short sides (the face-slimming effect) while keeping a bit of length to play with. It’s polarizing, sure. But in fashion circles, it’s currently the height of cool. It’s about breaking the rules of the standard "gentleman's cut" while still keeping the basic architecture that makes men's hair look good.
Actionable steps for your next visit
If you’re ready to pull the trigger on a new look, don't just walk in and say "short on the sides, long on the top." That’s like walking into a restaurant and asking for "food."
Be specific.
Tell the barber exactly how much skin you want to see. "I want a mid-drop fade starting at a number 1." That is a sentence they understand. Tell them how you style it at home. Do you use a comb? Do you use your fingers? This tells them how much texture to cut into the top.
If you have thin hair, ask for a "blunt cut" on top to add the illusion of density. If you have thick, unruly hair, ask them to "remove some bulk" so it doesn't look like a helmet.
Lastly, invest in a pre-styling spray. Most guys just put product in bone-dry hair. That’s a mistake. A sea salt spray or a "grooming cream" applied to damp hair before you blow-dry will give you the foundation you need. The product you put in at the end is just the finishing touch. The heavy lifting happens while the hair is drying.
The short sides long top men style isn't going anywhere because it’s a solution to a problem. The problem is that most of us weren't born with the bone structure of a supermodel. This haircut fixes that. It’s a tool. Use it.