1963, Fashion: Beatles Mop Top Hair

In 1963 the British band 'The Beatles' appeared with a new hair cut. The Mop Top hairstyle was so named because it looked very much like the head of a string mop. The back and sides were cut to a medium length and the fringe was cut evenly across the forehead just above the eyebrows. It was inspired by the appearance of Jurgen Vollmer, as seen by John and Paul while hitch-hiking to Paris one day in 1961. At a press conference in the US George Harrison was asked what he called his hairstyle. His response was, 'Arthur'. Following that event, many Beatles fans began to refer to this hairstyle as 'the Arthur'. The scene was recreated in the movie 'A Hard Day's Night' with the reporter asking George Harrison, "What would you call that, uh, hairstyle you're wearing?" In 1964 and 1966 mop top hair became a fashion style for many youngsters.

The Beatles in 1963 with mop top hairstyle
left to right: John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr

Prior to the mop top, the Beatles sported the popular hairstyle of the day which was known as the Tony Curtis cut or the d.a (duck's arse) haircut.

The Beatles with Tony Curtis hairstyle in Hamburg, 1961
left to right: John Lennon, George Harrison, Pete Best, Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe

German photographer and artist Astrid Kirchherr is often credited with inventing 'The Beatles' mop top hair cut although she disagrees, saying: "All that rubbish people said, that I created their hairstyle, that's rubbish! Lots of German boys had that hairstyle. Stuart Sutcliffe had it for a long while and the others copied it. And my boyfriend then, Klaus Voormann, had this hairstyle, and Stuart liked it very very much. He was the first one who really got the nerve to get the Brylcreem out of his hair and asking me to cut his hair for him."

Interviews in 'A Hard Day's Night'