Quiff

Elly Jackson of the electropop duo La Roux is also known by her quiff.

The quiff is a hairstyle that combines the 1950s pompadour hairstyle, the 50s flattop, and sometimes a mohawk. The etymology of the word is uncertain but may derive from the French word "coiffe" which can mean either a hairstyle or, going further back, the mail knights wore over their heads and under their helmets. The hairstyle was a staple in the British 'Teddy Boy' movement, but became popular again in Europe in the early 1980s and is currently facing a resurgence in popularity.

Popular figures sporting quiffs

Medieval coif as worn by Aaron of Sur

The modern-day quiff, which includes plenty of hair at the front of the top of the head, receding into shorter hair at the back with a trimmed back and sides, has become very popular with celebrities. Celebrities seen sporting quiffs include:

• Morten Harket, Lead singer of former Norweigen synthpop band a-ha
• David Beckham, Soccer star
• James Dean, Actor
• Paul Simonon, Musician
• Jesse Lacey of Brand New, musician
• Joe Strummer, Musician
• Janelle Monáe, Musician
• Elvis Presley, musician
• Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, musician
• Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys, musician
• Tom Meighan of Kasabian, musician
• Siva Kaneswaran of The Wanted, model and musician
• Eugene McGuinness
• Richard Hawley
• James Quigley
• Members of the English pop rock-band McFly
• Bruno Mars, musician
• Jedward
• Alex Trimble of Two Door Cinema Club, musician
• Imelda May Irish musician
• Mark Lamarr, DJ and Radio presenter
• Macklemore, rapper
• Mark Kermode, popular film critic and reviewer
• Leningrad Cowboys, Finnish band
• Aiden Grimshaw, of television program The X Factor
• Morrissey, from The Smiths
• Sean Smith, singer of The Blackout
• Fictional character Tintin from the series The Adventures of Tintin, a Belgian comic
• Fictional character Edward Cullen from the movie series The Twilight Saga, and was further made popular by actor Robert Pattinson
• One Direction frequent styled quiffs, most commonly Zayn Malik and recently, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

The Japanese punch perm, a favorite among Yakuza (organized criminal) and Bōsōzoku (biker gang), is similar to the quiff.

• Nick Grimshaw, DJ on Radio 1

Styles

There are two styles of quiff, hard and soft. A hard quiff is obtained by using Pomade and a fine comb to style the shape, whereas a soft quiff is obtained by using hair spray or styling irons to create the shape.^{[citation needed]}