Scott Neas competing for Best Moustache
© AFP/File Stan HondaNEW YORK (AFP) - Largely shunned since the 1980s, moustaches are enjoying something of a renaissance among young New Yorkers, following a comeback trail blazed by such hip role models as actor Nicholas Cage and the ultra-trendy fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
"It's just cool, right?, and it's fun," said Bradford, a tall man with blonde highlights in his hair to match his silver jacket.
Jay Della Vale verges on the evangelical in his praise of the moustache's attributes which, according to the 26-year-old DJ, include intimations of virility, a relaxed style and a healthy sense of humor.
"You walk differently. You're more laid back. You dress differently," Della Vale said. "We're on a mission to bring it back."
Graham Veysey
© AFP/File Stan HondaDella Vale's devotion to facial hair prompted him to make a documentary "The Glorious Moustache Challenge" in which he persuaded 30 men to grow moustaches for a month to see what difference it made in their lives and the reactions of those around them.
"For the first month, everybody is against it, especially the women," he said. "They say, 'Please don't do that, you remind me of my father ... or a 70s porn star'."
According to Della Vale, most of his moustachioed guinea pigs weathered the early critical storm and actually became quite fond of their new accessory.
Love of "the stache" was taken for granted at the recent New York City Beard and Moustache Championships, which saw hundreds of hirsute aficionados turn out to root for their favourite styles.
Iconic images of movie stars and characters who championed the moustache -- Clark Gable, Sean Connery, Inspector Clouseau, Marlon Brando in "The Godfather" -- were projected onto a giant screen to appreciative applause.
Tom Vu and his winning moustache
© AFP/File Stan HondaBut the real adulation was reserved for a photo of the contestants' main hero, Tom Selleck, who brought stache-style to the masses in the early 1980s with the television cop series "Magnum."
But not long after those heady days, the moustache's fortunes took a dive in the popularity stakes -- it's fall from grace best summed up by the makeover forced on the "Brawny Man."
A brand icon whose lumberjack shirt and heavy moustache had promoted Brawny kitchen towels for decades, the Brawny Man was replaced in 2003 by a clean-shaven hunk who was seen as more in tune with the times.
For all the efforts of Della Vale and his cohorts, bringing back the old style is proving a tough sell to the average man in the street.
"I feel less confident, more insecure," said Graham Veysey, 24, who grew his moustache and entered the New York contest in a response to a dare from his friends.
Jay Della Valle talks about his moustache
© AFP/File Stan Honda"It's just not me," Veysey said. "I didn't understand how much it would dominate the conversation. It's like 25 times a day!"
New York-based French fashion designer Thomas Vasseur finds his moustache -- complemented with prominent sideburns -- serves as an open invitation to comment from just about everybody.
"For some of my friends, it suggests I'm looking for a new identity," said Vasseur, 32.
"My mother tells me I remind her of my father who she divorced 25 years ago, my nephews tell me it scratches, and then there are also those, happily, who say that it suits me," he added.
No matter what the reaction, Vasseur insists he has no intention of taking a razor to his upper lip.
"It's a male accessory, just like highlights or make-up for women," said Vasseur. "I would feel naked without it."
Jeff Sauber showing off his moustache
© AFP/File Stan HondaAs for the future, zealots like Della Vale optimistically predict an "epidemic" of moustaches spreading across the country, while other fashion arbiters are more cautious.
"It's almost like a tongue-in-cheek kind of style," said James Bassil, editor-in-chief of the male lifestyle website, AskMen.com.
"The general impression that women have of moustaches is either they love them or they are absolutely repulsed by them, and there's no real middle ground," Bassil said.
"And there needs to be a middle ground for a fashion or a facial hair trend to be adopted en masse permanently," he added.
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