Five Four X Movember: A handlebar (mustache) for each wrist [Updated]

Los Angeles-based Five Four* is the latest label to jump on the Movember charity brandwagon. The fashion brand it will donate $10 from the sale of each $50 Movember Country Gentleman Red Plaid Buttondown to the cause, which raises money and awareness for men's health issues, including prostate cancer.

In addition to an interior tag touting the partnership (see photo above), the 100% cotton button-front shirt has stealth 'stache cuffs that are red plaid on the outside but unbutton to reveal a bangin' gold handlebar mustache embroidered on the black poplin contrast cuff lining of each sleeve.

The shirt is available now at the brand's bricks-and-mortar flagship store at Westfield Culver City, as well as online through the label's website.**

In addition to the Toms Shoes collaboration we told you about last week, this year's other wearable Movember-supporting merchandise will include Palmer Cash T-shirts, knit caps from Krochet Kids International, necklaces by Demitasse Jewelry and cuff links by Arbitrage.

If biking is your thing, then you should check out the Movember-themed, mustache-emblazoned cycling kit by Giordana, which for anyone keeping track, essentially means handlebar mustaches made for wearing while holding on to the handlebars.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Five Four Clothing will donate $10 to the Movember Foundation to fund prostate cancer research and awareness for each of the $50 shirts with stealth 'stache cuffs it sells. Credit: Five Four Clothing

[*Correction 10/25/11, 11:23 a.m.: An earlier version of this post referred to Five Four incorrectly as Five Four Clothing. ** Update: The stock of shirts at Five Four's e-commerce site has been replenished since our original post, so that link has been added.]

Results of the 2011 National Beard and Moustache Championships

California and Ohio took home the most wins at the 2011 National Beard and Moustache Championships, which took place on Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. 

PHOTOS: 2011 National Beard and Moustache Championships

In all, more than 200 bearded and mustachioed guys, ranging in age from 16 to 66 and hailing from 35 U.S. states and a handful of foreign countries -- as close as Canada and as far flung as New Zealand -- descended on the heart of Amish country for a facial-hair faceoff that, while it recognized some of the circuit's familiar faces, resulted in crowning a fresh crop of tonsorial talent, many of whom had been introduced to the world of competitive beard sports through the IFC Channel’s recent “Whisker Wars” comedy-documentary series.

Los Angeles, traditionally well-represented in the Moustache category, failed to place, with the top

National Beard and Moustache Championships tip off Saturday

The 2011 U.S. National Beard and Moustache Championships are set to tip off at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday afternoon in Lancaster, Pa., in the heart of Amish country.

It's the second annual nationwide battle of the bearded and mustachioed organized by Beard Team USA, 
with the inaugural event taking place in Bend, Ore., in June 2010.

Many of the folks from that facial-hair face-off are scheduled to attend the event at Clipper Magazine Stadium, including Jack Passion, the former world champion beardsman who will be reprising last year's role as master of ceremonies, Beard Team USA captain Phil Olsen (whose fur-bearing faces should be familiar to followers of IFC's "Whisker Wars" reality show) and Willi "the hair pretzel" Chevalier, the German bearding legend and current U.S. Nationals freestyle champion, who will be serving as a judge.

Other judges are expected to include the reigning Miss Pennsylvania Juliann Sheldon, pro football player Justin Hartwig, rugby player Phil Thiel and Josie Cuervo, founder of (and skater with) the local women's roller derby team the Dutchland Rollers.

Replacing Dockers as this year's presenting sponsor is Panasonic, which sounds like an odd fit until you realize that the electronics company also makes a line of beard and body grooming devices.

A total of $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded in five categories: moustache, partial beard, full beard groomed, full beard natural and freestyle. 

Oh, and you'll be able to follow all the follicularly focused fun in real time on our @LATimesImage Twitter feed (and later here at All The Rage) since I'll be live in Lancaster for the event. 

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Results of the 1st Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Championships

Full results of the 2010 National Beard & Moustache Championships

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Contestants line up at the first-ever Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Championships held earlier this year. The second annual nationwide battle of the bearded takes place Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

 

Dopp Kit: Celeb stylist George Kotsiopoulos' grooming go-tos

George Kotsiopoulos is a celebrity stylist and fashion informed member of  E! Channel’s Fashion Police. Alongside Joan Rivers and Kelly Osbourne, the group doles out funny, honest and sometimes scathing remarks aimed at Hollywood’s best and more often worst dressed.  But the veteran stylist always manages to bring the conversation back from biting to constructive, giving people his expert advice and reasons why a look did or didn’t work.

When he’s not taping a TV show or pulling clothes for clients, Kotsiopoulos can often be found hosting a charity event or attending one of the various fashion-related functions around town. From sitting in front of the camera to schlepping garment bags to a photography studio, the stylist shares his most coveted skin and hair care products and the reasons they are his go-to items, night or day.


Bb. Texture hair (un)dressing crème, $26 at Sephora -- “I have been waiting for this product my entire life.  It's matte, it's not stinky, it's a little dirty, it keeps me under control and it doesn't sting my eyes when I sweat at the gym," says Kotsiopoulos, adding that men shouldn't look as if they use hair product unless they’re doing an intentional "Cary Grant" thing.

La Mer lip balm, $45 at Nordstrom -- “Not only is it incredibly self-indulgent and decadent,” he says, “but it tastes good too!”

DenTek Easy Angle Floss Picks, $2.79 at Amazon.com -– “This is the first in my three-part 'drooming' regimen [grooming while driving],” says the stylist, and uh, daring driver. “Flossing while behind the wheel is much safer and more hygienic than texting.  The angled ones are way better than those useless flat ones.”

ROHTO Cool redness reliever, lubricant eye drops, $6.99 at Walgreens –- Kotsiopoulos says that clear white eyes make you look alert and advises that these drops are best applied right before a meeting, date or anytime you want that fresh feeling. “Even the packaging is clear!" he says. "Very chic.”

Boscia green tea blotting linens, $10 at Bosciaskincare.com-– “Because nothing says 'take my picture' like an oil slick on your forehead,” jokes Kotsiopoulos.   “These are great in the car, but when all else fails use the center of a toilet seat cover, which does the job in one fell swoop.” 

Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture SPF 15, $9.99 at Neutrogena.com-– “I've tried all the expensive facial moisturizers and thought you had to pay more for better products until Oprah told me I was paying too much for grooming products.  OK, fine, I saw it on Oprah.... I headed over to Rite-Aid and now not only do I get the occasional pimple even less occasionally but I'm richer so I can afford that delicious La Mer lip balm,” he says.

Stila sun gel bronzant, $4.99 at Amazon.com –- “Contrary to popular belief, my Greek skin gets very sallow without any sun,” says Kotsiopoulos, “so I mix a little with my facial moisturizer to get a kiss of sun during those dreary winter months. It doesn't rub off on clothing or make me look like that other George. That's George Hamilton for those of you under the age of 30.”

Kiehl's bath and shower liquid body cleanser (either coriander or cucumber, but what I really want is eucalyptus), $16 at Kiehl's.com –-  Kotsiopoulos finds that bar soap often leaves a filmy feeling on the skin and inexpensive drugstore body washes are too thick.  So, the subtle fragrance and thin consistency of Kiehl’s body washes are his go-to. However, he can’t seem to find a replacement for his favorite discontinued scent. “Kiehl's, why you gotta mess with me and discontinue eucalyptus?” he says. “What's left for a dude?  Lavender and gardenia?  I don't think so.”

 

Melissa Magsaysay

 

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Top photo: George Kotsiopoulos/Mike Rosenthal

Bottom photos: Bumble and Bumble Texture hair (un)dressing creme (Bumble and Bumble); Rohto Cool redness reliever, lubricant eye drops (Walgreens); Boscia green tea blotting linens (Boscia); Neutrogena oil free moisturizer with SPF 15 (Neutrogena); Kiehl's bath and shower liquid body cleanser in coriander (Kiehl's)

Results of the 1st Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Championships [Updated]

The first-ever Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Championships took place at the Federal Bar in North Hollywood Sunday afternoon, and you know competition's tough when Abraham Lincoln comes in third place.

Honest Abe -- in all his stovepipe-hatted, bow-tied glory -- was actually professional Lincoln presenter Robert Broski of Covina, and his third-place finish was in the partial beard category, behind Chris Noel (whose business card reads: "actor / musician / #1 freak" ) in second place, and Nathan Johnson grabbing top honors.

Photos: A gallery from the inaugural Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Championships

And though there were three additional beard categories (business beard, full beard and freestyle -- which included tonsorial topiaries of all kinds) included in the facial-hair faceoff organized by the North Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Club, it was the 'stache that brought more than a dash of panache -- and solidified the City of Angels as the home of the handlebar.

"The mustache [category] was the most competitive I've seen anywhere," Phil Olson remarked afterward of the 28 vying for a prize (representing more than a quarter of the nearly 100 competitors in all). "I'd call Los Angeles the City of Mustaches."

Local beard and mustache face-off set for Aug. 14

If the Aug. 5 premiere of IFC's "Whisker Wars" whets your appetite for the competitive-facial-hair crowd, you might want to consider buying a ticket to the 1st Annual Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Competition set to take place on Aug.14 in North Hollywood.

Hosted by the Northern Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Club, assorted beardsmen and  'stache-thletes will compete in five categories: mustache, partial beard, business beard, full beard natural and freestyle (explained in detail on the competition's website), with trophies going to the top three competitors in each category.

Although barely a year old (the group was organized in June 2010), the NLABMC made an impressive showing with two silver medals at the recent World Beard and Moustache Championships in Trondheim, Norway, with its president, John Myatt, taking a second-place finish in the Verdi beard category and the appropriately named vice president, Jeffrey Moustache, taking second in the English mustache category. (The international event, held every other year, has a total of 18 categories.)

Apparently they won't be the only high-profile whiskered warriors headed to the North Hollywood event in the afterglow of that international competition. According to the event's Facebook page, beardsmen Phil Olsen (the controversial captain of Beard Team USA) and Aarne Bielefeldt -- both of whom are front-and-center in IFC's upcoming docu-comedy -- plan to attend.

Tickets are $12 (unless you're competing in the quest for grooming glory, in which case, it'll cost you $15) and available at labmcomp.bigcartel.com.

The 1st Annual Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Competition at the Federal Bar, 5303 Lankershim Blvd., Aug. 14, 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Spectator tickets $12, competitor tickets $15 (cash only at the door).

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Results of the 2011 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Trondheim, Norway

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Competitors at the first nationwide beard and mustache competition in Bend, Ore., on June 5, 2010. Credit: Adam Tschorn

Zafirro debuts a $100,000 iridium razor with sapphire blades

As a novel way of increasing face value, it's hard to beat a $100,000 limited-edition iridium and sapphire razor.

According to its website, the Zafirro Iridium, which went on sale June 20, has a handle crafted from 99.95% iridium, held together with custom-made hexagonal platinum and finished off with blades of solid white sapphire honed to an edge "5,000 times thinner than a human hair." The price tag includes a decade of professional cleaning and servicing.

While it's admittedly one of the most gorgeous pieces of grooming gadgetry porn ever made, even if one had the kind of disposable income needed to afford the world's least-disposable razor, how could you justify the purchase price -- and still be able to look at yourself in the shaving mirror every morning?

Here's one way: Assume a man shaves once a day from age 15 to age 85, that's roughly 25,550 shaves at about $3.91 a piece.

By comparison, the total cost of those shaves using Gillette Mach 3 cartridges -- changed once a week -- would be about $10,447, or about one-tenth the price. The Zafirro is certainly more expensive, but a cost factor of 10 is hardly an outrageous premium to pay in the world of the ultra-wealthy.

Still, it remains to be seen whether anyone will be willing to shell out luxury car prices for a lifetime of shaves. Five weeks after the Zafirro launched, a single one of the 99 limited-edition pieces has yet to change hands.

"While we have received hundreds of orders," a company representative told us Friday afternoon,"we are still combing through them to figure out which ones are legitimate."

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: The Zafirro Iridium razor, which was launched at retail June 20, is priced at $100,000. Credit: Zafirro

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A graphic display of tonsorial trust

 

IFC's 'Whisker Wars' starts Aug. 5: In pursuit of the hirsute

The battle of the beardsmen is chronicled in a new docu-comedy on IFC called "Whisker Wars," that begins airing on IFC on Aug. 5.

The series follows the path of several follicularly endowed fellows from last summer's first-ever national competition in Bend, Ore., through to the recent world championship in Trondheim, Norway.

The cast is heavy on Californians, including the whiskered wizard of Walnut Creek -- two-time full beard natural champion Jack Passion (whom we profiled in May 2009 in the run-up to the world championships in Anchorage, Alaska) -- Aarne Bielefeldt, who hails from Willits, Calif., and who took top honors in the full beard category in Bend, and Phil Olsen, who serves as the self-appointed captain of Beard Team USA (BTUSA). Rounding out the regulars are Myk O'Connor from New York City and the good old boys of the Austin [Texas] Facial Hair Club, a crew that includes Bryan Nelson, Allen Demling and Miletus Callahan-Barile.

Following around a pack of guys who want to grow the world's greatest whiskers could be dull as dishwater, and while the show isn't exactly adrenaline-pumping, the show manages to serve up enough behind-the-scenes drama to interest even those who couldn't care less who wins in the pursuit for hirsute bragging rights, including a budding romance (did you know there are beard groupies?), charges of favoritism, internecine intrigue (the Austin club mulls over secession from BTUSA) and everyone's love-him-or-hate-him obsession with Jack Passion who, with an ego seemingly as large as his beard, seems bent on parlaying his status as reigning champion into a full-time, well-paying profession, complete with endorsement deals. (In a way he already has; both Passion and Olsen are listed in the show credits as consulting producers.)

The three screening episodes provided by IFC managed to capture much of the quirkiness of the competitive bearded bunch, as well as answer some of those nagging practical questions like how to eat sloppy barbecue (hair clips help pin back the beard) and how to coax your facial hair into a perfectly formed circle (a beer can and hair spray does the trick). And for those reasons alone it's worth tuning in to see where the rest of the season leads.

Oh, and there's one more reason: Aarne Bielefeldt ,who starts out as almost an accidental champion who stepped out of the woods of Northern California and onto the stage in Bend, Ore., and ends up becoming a kind of lederhosen- and feathered-hat-wearing heart, soul and spirit guide of the whole bearded bunch. 

"Whisker Wars" premieres Friday, Aug. 5 at 11 p.m./ 10 p.m. Central on IFC.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Two-time world champion beardsman Jack Passion, center, pictured in 2010 at a U.S. national competition in Bend, Ore., is one of the competitors at the center of  "Whisker Wars," a docu-comedy series that starts its run on IFC on Aug, 5. Credit: Karolina Wojtasik / IFC

RELATED:

[Spoiler Alert] Results of the 2011 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Trondheim, Norway

Full results of the 2010 National Beard & Moustache Championships

Full results of the 2009 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska

 

 

Spruce up for the Memorial Day weekend with a carefully considered manicure

Oh, boy. It's Saturday. Finally.

And to get ready for the long holiday weekend, I'm heading out first thing to spruce up. First the hair. Then the nails, which are in pretty pathetic shape right now: broken, uneven, with dried-out cuticles. One of the most restorative things about the weekend (for me, at least ) is the chance to soak my feet in a tub of warm water while someone else tends to my manicure and pedicure. And presto, I emerge with soft, polished fingers and toes and a new outlook.

The significant other doesn't get it. "Can't you just do that yourself," he says, "AND SAVE MONEY?"

Well, sure but where's the relaxation in that?

But I do take his point about saving money. So I consider carefully before giving in to the "up-sell." You know, when the nail technician brings up extras, like scrubs, callus removers, massages, hot wax and wraps.

Are they worth it? It can be confusing. Writer Alene Dawson thought so too, and asked some experts for advice about which mani/pedi extras are worthwhile and which are worthless. Read about it here.

I already did and one thing I know for sure: I will NOT say yes to any pedicure that involves live fish. Honest!

-- Susan Denley  

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Photo: Massaging foot with salt scrub. Credit: Mindee Choi / Getty Images.

Results of the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships in Norway

The results of the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships, held Sunday in Trondheim, Norway, are in, and the biggest surprise is the dethroning of two-time Full Beard Natural champ Jack Passion by fellow American Craig "Rooty" Lundvall, top right.

Passion, the whiskered wizard of Walnut Creek, Calif., author of "The Facial Hair Handbook", and subject of a 2009 profile in the Los Angeles Times, took second in the Trondheim competition. According to the World Beard and Moustache Championships website, the American delegation -- which is referred to en masse as Beard Team U.S.A. -- brought home a six gold medals.

In addition to Lundvall, Americans that took top honors were: Burke Kenny (in the Full Beard Styled Moustache category), Bruce Roe (Hungarian Moustache), Keith “Gandhi Jones” Haubrich (Freestyle Moustache), Bill Mitchell, left, (Partial Beard Freestyle), and Giovanni Dominice (Imperial Moustache).

The biannual beard-off's overall winner -- with a beard elaborately shaped into a reindeer at one end -- was Germany's Elmar Weisser, 47, top left, who is no stranger to the competition, having taken the top prize at the 2005 event held in Berlin with a beard sculpted to look like the Brandenburg Gate and at the 2007 England championships in which he showed up with a beard shaped to resemble the Tower Bridge. (He didn't attend the 2009 conclave, which gave the award to American David Travers for a snowshoe-shaped beard.)

The Norwegian Moustache Club was chosen as the host group at the last World Beard and Moustache Championship held in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 23, 2009. 

-- Adam Tschorn

Full results of the 2010 National Beard & Moustache Championships

Results of the 2009 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Anchorage

Read more Bearded & Tschorn: The World Beard and Moustache Championships 

 Photos, from top: Germany's Elmar Weisser, left, was the overall winner and American Craig Lundvall took the Full Beard Natural category, unseating two-time champion Jack Passion; American Bill Mitchell won the Partial Beard Freestyle category. Altogether, Beard Team U.S.A. took home six gold medals. Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP/Getty Images