LIP-TICKLER, soup-strainer, misplaced eyebrow and 'tache - all alternative names for the once-popular moustache, which has strangely grown out of fashion during the past 20 years.

But could there be a revival of men's face furniture?

Celebrities recently spotted out and about with the facial fuzz include James Nesbitt, Johnny Depp, Jonathan Ross and Brandon Flowers from The Killers.

A new book - The Decline and Fall of the British Empire by Piers Brendon - has revealed the strategic role of the moustache in the way that Britain unfurled its influence during the 19th century.

And male cancer charity campaign Tacheback last month urged members of the public (usually men) to raise sponsorship money by growing their own moustaches and keeping them for a month.

So surely the law of averages dictates that the moustache is due for a comeback?

But if you still need convincing about throwing your razors away for good, then think of the perks that come with a moustache.

You can join the prestigious Handlebar Club, co-founded by comedian Jimmy Edwards in 1947 for people with moustaches such as his own, that twirled dramatically at the edges. Members meet on the first Friday of every month at the Windsor Castle pub off London's Edgware Road.

Or why not compete against the world's bearded elite by entering the biennial World Beard and Moustache Championships?

Held last month in Brighton, it had prizes for moustaches in six categories.

There is a strict set of rules - hairs must not be allowed to grow further than one and a half centimetres from the end of the upper lip, for instance, and may be styled, but without products.

Look back through the history books and you'll see a wealth of famous moustachioed men that have sprouted up over time, such as Confucius, John Lennon, Lord Kitchener, Tom Selleck, Hercule Poirot, Freddie Mercury, Charles Bronson, David Seaman and, not least, the Chuckle Brothers.

Infamous moustache wearers include Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Robert Mugabe, Fu Manchu, Vlad the Impaler and Dick Dastardly.

Apart from the last bunch of bad apples, it looks as if moustache wearers are planning on taking over the world.

So why not add a new sophisticated dimension to your face and keep your nose warm this winter with a moustache!

  • Piers Brendon's book The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire is published by Jonathan Cape on October 18.