- Men's cut
- Short
- Clean & classic
Ivy League
A short, classic men's cut with 1.5–2.5 in (4–6.5 cm) on top and a fringe, finished with a tapered neckline.
Also asked for as: ivy league haircut, harvard clip, princeton cut, long crew cut
- Top
- 1.5–2.5 in (4–6.5 cm)
- Best on
- 1A–2C
- Recut
- 4–5 wks
- Styling
- 3–5 min
Traditionally suggested for
Conservative workplaces, round or oval faces, a crooked nose (the side part helps).
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 1A–2C hair (straight and wavy).Hair physics
- Possible on 3A with adjustments; your results name the variant.Hair physics
- Medium to high density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 2 hairline.Barber consensus
- Scores higher if you have close-set eyes.Stylist convention
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 3B–4C hair (curly and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 2: at stage 3 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
- Scores lower if you have a front cowlick.Barber consensus
Barbers also flag: Hidden at hairline stage 3 and beyond; a strong front cowlick fights the part.
What to tell your barber
The catalog spec, in barber terms. Your own card adjusts it: part side from your crown whorl, curl notes for your texture, and a QR code your barber can open.
Read this to your barber
“Long crew: front 1.5–2.5 in so it side-parts; #3 sides scissor-blended; part on my natural part.”
Clipper guards in this spec (Wahl sizes)
- #310 mm
Side options that suit this cut
- Low taper
- Scissor-cut sides
- Sides
- #3 (10 mm), scissor-blended into the top
- Top
- 1.5–2.5 in (4–6.5 cm)
- Fringe
- Front long enough to side-part (1.5–2.5 in)
- Neckline
- Tapered (fades out naturally)
- Technique
- Scissor-over-comb; part on the natural part
- Product
- Light cream or pomade
- Recut
- Every 4–5 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 4–5 weeks
- Per year
- 10–13 cuts a year, about $300–$390 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 3–5 min a day
- Product
- Light product
- Heat tools
- Not needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the ivy league places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.
Related cuts
- French cropShort · 1A–2C
- Classic taper (short back & sides)Short · 1A–3A
- Side part / gentleman's cutShort · 1A–2B
- Crew cutShort · 1A–3B
See the ivy league on your own face before you sit down.
Free analysis first. Previews only change your hair, and if one doesn’t look like you, the redo is free.
Check it on my face