The impériale is the royale grown into authority: a fuller vertical growth beneath the lip, often flaring slightly, worn in Napoleon III's France as a mark of rank. Today it occupies the border between vintage costume and confident eccentricity, and pulling it off is mostly a matter of wearing it as if it were obvious. The chin stays otherwise bare, which keeps the silhouette unmistakably vertical.
Who does it suit?
Best on wide and angular faces that can spare the vertical pull. Round faces read even softer next to its formality.
How to maintain it
Comb and lightly wax the tuft daily, shave the surrounding chin and cheeks, trim shape with scissors, never a guard.
