John Edwards' former stylist says he first cut his hair in late 2003.

Joseph Torrenueva, whose $400 haircut spawned many a late-night Internet joke, said he's actually charged the former North Carolina senator as much as $1,250 for a haircut.

In a long interview with the Washington Post, the Beverly Hills hairstylist said his first few haircuts for Edwards were free because he is a Democrat.

But he said he's charged $300 to $500 for haircuts at least 16 times.

"He has nice hair," he said. "I try to make the man handsome, strong, more mature and these are the things, as an expert, that's what we do."

In late 2003, Torrenueva also came up with Edwards' new hairstyle, which then-N&O writer John Zebrowski described as his "big-boy cut" in a Jan. 27, 2004, article:

That boyish swoop of chestnut over his forehead, sometimes nearly touching his eyebrows or settling on his collar, is gone, replaced by a slight wave that leaves his forehead exposed. It's a subtle change, but an important one.

Normally it's a good thing when people notice your haircut, but not for John Edwards right now.

Reporters swarmed over the campaign finance report that showed he spent $400 at a Beverly Hills salon — twice — and $248 at another one in Iowa.

Celebrity stylist Joseph Torrenueva said one reason it cost more was because he made a house call on Edwards, instead of having him to come to the salon.

"I do cut his hair and I have cut it for quite a while," he said. (AP)

The New York Post adds, we think somewhat tongue in cheek, that Torrenueva "has sculpted the scalps of actors in films such as 'Cadence,' 'Stand-Ins' and the Charles Bronson classic 'Hard Times.'"

The campaign also reported spending $250 from Design Works Salon in Dubuque and $225 from the Pink Sapphire in Manchester, N.H.

Ariana Franggos, owner of the latter, said she was hired to apply makeup for a TV appearance, something she has done for "quite a few" other candidates. (N&O)

In a roundup on campaign filings, Slate asks two questions:

The first is: What can you get for a $400 haircut, anyway? The second is, given Edwards' past trouble of looking like he cares too much for his hair, couldn't he have put the trims on his personal account? And if you think haircuts don't matter as potent political symbols, remember that Montana Sen. John Tester ran his entire campaign on his flat-top haircut.

One news outlet is curiously silent on the flap, especially given its name: Salon.

John Edwards spent $400 for a haircut, according to campaign finance reports.

As the Los Angeles Times reports today, the campaign spent $400 at celebrity stylist Joseph Torrenueva's salon in Beverly Hills on Feb. 20 and again two weeks later. It also spent $248 at a salon in Dubuque, Iowa.

The story notes that Edwards is otherwise fairly frugal, flying on commercial airlines and staying in chain hotels. But it says the fancy haircut could come back to haunt him, just as a similar one did for President Clinton in 1993.

The piece ends with this mild scolding:

"In this day and age, particularly when you're a candidate positioning yourself as a spokesman for the middle class, the common person, it doesn't make any sense," said pundit Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, who teaches at USC.

The bigger question: Who knew you could get a $250 haircut in Dubuque?