The Handlebar Club Forum

For the benefit of all readers: the official description of the Imperial moustache category, and that which was used by The Handlebar Club when it hosted 2007 WBMC Brighton, may be found here, and the winners images here. The third place Imperial finisher was HBC member and this Forum's very own, GbH.

From that description :

"The hairs are only allowed to start growing up to the end of the upper lip."

Does this mean no hair allowed beyond a vertical line intersecting the very corner of the mouth?

Cheers,

Bob

If you are referring to the growing area - exactly correct.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are saying, Schnauzer, I disagree. The very corners of the mouth, where the upper and lower lips meet, should be ideally the LOWER limit of the moustache, not the outer limit. The moustache growth area is above the corners of the mouth but can extend out to the smile lines, and most men do have moustache hair growing out beyond a vertical line up from the corners of the mouth. The smile lines I interpret to be the creases that form when smiling and which are usually outside the area of moustache hair growth and angle up toward the sides of the nose.

So, no, I say it does NOT mean "no hair allowed beyond a VERTICAL line intersecting the very corner of the mouth" but rather none growing on skin BELOW a HORIZONTAL line, as if you were biting a ruler.

I however would allow for as much as a quarter to a half inch of extra territory south of the mouth corners, as I have some growth there but none below that reach, and include it for now in my hungarian/western style moustache growth.

EricJT - I may be mistaken, but I interpret those rules to mean east and west. This, with the benefit of interpreting all the moustache categories together, rather than one (in this instance, Imperial) description in isolation of the whole. Having said that, let's look at these two:

The Hungarian/Wildwest
"Big and bushy, beginning from the middle of the upper lip and pulled to the side. The hairs are allowed to start growing from up to a maximum of 1.5cm beyond the end of the upper lip."

They don't state 'below' the end of the upper lip, they state 'beyond'; thus, encouraging span width, I believe.

The Imperial
"Small and bushy with tips arching up. The hairs are only allowed to start growing up to the end of the upper lip."

Recent winners notwithstanding. If the intention is to provide a category for the 'small and bushy' handlebar, it would make sense for growth to stop at the ends of the lips, as if an imaginary vertical line is draw; and from there, arched upward. In this instance, I believe they are discouraging span width in favour of upward pointing ends - I'm thinking, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Incidentally, they also use that same second sentence from the Imperial description to also describe the Dali - again, ending at the commissure of the lips.

The very fact that there is any discussion about this seemingly simple concept must mean that it's not well articulated. Why don't they do some simple diagrams?

Cheers,

Bob

Agreed M'Bob. I also believe it begins to make more sense when you interpret the categories together, rather than the Imperial description in isolation.

I've been looking at pics of imperial style on the web, including many of Kaiser Wilhelm II and even he has had a variety of lip coverage and styles. Some photos and other pictures clearly show him with hair growing from the area beyond the side corners of the mouth. Mostly his style looked like a normal full moustache that was merely waxed to go more or less straight up at the ends.

Other images of modern day imperial "moustaches" show men including cheek hair from beyond the smile lines, which I think brings it to partial beard status and I would disqualify as being purely moustache.

In the end, do what gets you in the contest you want to be in, or otherwise do what you want.

Even if we can't achieve a definitive interpretation on those rules, I am in full agreement with EricJT on his last statement.

And I'm wondering where they get these rules? Says who? Imperial is based on the Kaiser's, but who has had a close look at his stache to say how it should look? Several of the pics show him using the full growth above the lip and out as far as the Kaiser damn pleases, thank you very much. lol.

To me, imperial is merely unwaxed/fuzzy and combed/styled radically upwards at the ends, no cheek hair or any from below the corners of the mouth. If I try an imperial (aided by my faithful glue stick) my natural curls give it a rather curious inward arc. I'll try to get a pic here if you hound me for one.

Agreed. I think I mooted the idea of using a diagram based on an average face as a basis for illustrating the permitted growth areas for various classes. Not that such matters bother me at all as I'm often to be found experimenting with allowing growth here or there and then trimming it back again. Of course I'm able to do this in the knowledge that my own participation in moustache competitions is about as likely as one of my dogs learning to juggle

Micawber, your mo looks awesome. You could win something if you competed.

Thanks for the compliment but to be honest I would rather sit on the side nursing a pint of Abbott or decent malt

Is there any restriction on the lip line and how close the trimming can be as opposed to having a walrus style combed to the sides? I am in the midst of growing mine out (again) because I have gone crazy with a wonderful new pair of scissors the past few weeks. The transition from short whiskers in front to long on the sides gets a bit subjective, and I find the sink full of trimmings before I get myself reined in. Yikes!

I'm not sure what the style is--Delta with handlebar tips?