As the 90s style revival continues to influence a fresh, streetwear-adorned and TikTok-obsessed generation, we’re not just seeing trousers getting baggier around the sides. Middle parting hairstyles and the curtains haircut is back in a big way for men; offering a welcome change-up from the short, slick and faded hairstyles that have been in high demand for the last decade or so.
The centre partition hairstyles date back to the Edwardian era and have generally been worn in a straighter, more one-dimensional style – even through to the 90s when this look completely blew up. The curtains haircut is now synonymous with the decade. They shot to fame within indie and pop music scenes and reached their peak mainstream appeal via David Beckham, whose influence on men’s style was reaching unfathomable levels as the face of football, and Brylcreem.
Skip ahead to today and middle-parted hairstyles are back but with more creative flair. This is no longer a look to try and simply recreate, but one to put your own stamp on. Generally cut to mid-length, curtains look great on guys with square or more oval-shaped faces and jawlines. They bridge the gap nicely between a super-short hairstyle that can get quite boring quite quickly, and a distinctly longer hairstyle that can become frustrating to either grow or maintain.
14 Middle Parting Hairstyles For Men
Here’s a rundown of some middle parting hairstyles for men that showcase the benefits of more variety in length, freer-flowing texture and volumized finishes.
Tousled Curtains Haircut
Here’s a great example of letting the length really grow out on top while keeping the back and sides cut much neater. A very light, cream finishing product applied to damp hair will help draw out the sideways volume and slightly tousled texture.
Middle Parting Haircut With Volume
Bringing a bit more height to the middle parted look, this style thrives with finer hair. Use a sea salt primer and blow dry using a brush to increase the volume and really influence those waves. Again, keeping those sides nice and short adds extra definition to the hairstyle.
Bleached Blonde Curtains Hairstyle
A shorter, contemporary take on a curtains hairstyle, this look works great with slightly thicker hair where the weight on top can sit comfortably swept back, but also hang naturally over one side like this if desired. The bleached finish adds an extra layer of distinction while minimizing the need for any styling product.
Indie Curtains Haircut
Longer, wavier layers can bring a middle parting hairstyles like this to life for men. Working perfectly with finer hair, this creative shaping – a straighter top with textured ends – keeps the length off the shoulder while maintaining a clean and natural appearance.
Wavy, Natural Curtains
This is a great showing of curtains done right with thicker hair. A straight, lengthier back and sides provide the ideal template for those lifted, wavier curtains to thrive. Plenty of ruffled texture like this can be achieved by working through a styling paste or lighter clay from the roots upwards.
Longer Length Curtains
Bigger emphasis on the back and sides can add a whole new dimension to a curtains cut – particularly with longer, finer hair like this. On this look, the heavier-all-over bulking around the edges shapes the style brilliantly to complement a square face shape, while the fringe has a more subtle role due to being shaped to sit neatly around the eyes.
Middle Parted Dreadlocks
A middle-parted style can work wonders shaping afro-textured hair. Cut shorter along the front and on the top while weighing heavier across the back and sides creates this more rounded outline to the shape.
Keep on top of any dryness and frizz with a good quality shampoo and regular trimming will ensure you avoid split ends.
Leonardo Di Caprio Inspired Curtains
Nodding to Titanic-era Leonardo Di Caprio, this choppy middle-parted fringe dominates by hanging loose and heavy over the forehead.
Having the top cut more evenly in length will influence the quite natural and rounded shape of this look, while a light-hold, high-sheen finishing product will help craft those distinct arching curtains.
Middle Parted Asian Hair
This textured and flowing approach to a curtains hairstyle works nicely with thicker hair. By raising it away from the scalp you create a looser overall hanging shape and bouncy volume.
Directing the hair sideways naturally brings more width to the overall profile, which is signed off handsomely with the wavy ends that sit above and over the ears and around the eyes.
Johnny Depp Middle Parting Haircut
Johnny Depp almost disguises his middle parting here by keeping the heavier top lifted with so much wavy volume. The shorter fringe blends into the bulk, letting a few neat curls escape forwards, while the casually swept sides help frame this much taller, but less obvious approach to a curtains hairstyle.
A$AP Rocky Middle Parted Braids
Self-proclaimed (and long-established) ‘Fashion Killa’, A$AP Rocky fronts this sharp and subtle look with mid-length braids hanging loose from the scalp and curtaining over the sides. The middle parting helps shape the rest of the cut, guiding the direction of the hair sideways and backward away from the top.
Timothée Chalamet Curtains Haircut
Hollywood’s rising star Timothée Chalamet makes long hair look effortless but plenty of work has gone in to achieve this longer parted style. The off-center parting allows the natural waviness of his hair and the weight of those longer sides to thrive.
Sweeping those layers of not-so-straight texture over to each side bulks out the shape, whereas the neat, backward sweep on top brings further refinement to this signature middle parting hairstyle for men.
Short, Choppy Curtains
Shorter, choppier texture defines this curtains hairstyle. The middle part is styled harshly upwards and out from the fringe, while the bulk of the remaining texture has been scissor-cut and ruffled into place with a heavier styling product.
This achieves the wilder definition that sits heavy over the buzzed sides and gives this cut an unapologetically brash finish.
Cillian Murphy Long Middle Parting
Here, Cillian Murphy – famously associated with the bold, disconnected undercut of Peaky Blinders’ Tommy Shelby – once again exemplifies what so many guys are now aspiring to switch their style to. He has taken a more traditional approach to a middle-parted hairstyle in terms of shaping, but going this long really plays well to his fine and straight hair.
Sweeping the parting off-center and slightly heavier over to one side keeps the weight of the hair from sitting flat, while the bulkier section along the neck provides some welcome texture that breaks away from the straight and clean sweep.
Make sure you’re conditioning at least once a week to maintain that natural sheen.
