LOTS OF HAIR.

How we see Elizabethan hair....

I saw this in a magazine today and I thought it was a perfect way of showing a contemporary version of Elizabethan hair.

The quote I have chosen to base my ideas on is very in keeping with this image. Women were seen to have SO much hair or at least massive wigs.

I also find this image a little humorous because the man is having the climb a ladder just to fix this woman's wig.

Perfect inspiration.

The fishtail.

I got to try my luck with a beautiful dummy. This was my first ever attempt at a fishtail plait and I think it went really well.

I started but just using the end of the hair because I was practising the basic wrap around. But once someone shows you how to do it. It is so easy!

I then had a go at starting at the top of the head and gathering bits of hair as I went down, a bit like a French plait and again I was so pleased with result.

I now need to see if I can do it with ribbon as well!

Experimenting with ribbon.

I had so much fun doing this! I came into the session with the knowledge of how to do a French plait but I have never been very good on short hair. I tied the ribbon into the front section of the hair which I found a little tricky to keep in. I find it so odd thinking about how the Elizabethans didn't have access to bobby pins and hair ties... I would not be able to cope. 

Using just the ribbon as an accessory was quite fun because it was laced through the plait. I actually managed to make this French plait start at one side of the head and continue in a semi circle to the other side of the head. So I was so pleased with the result, especially as the hair was layered. 

I definitely fulfilled the Elizabethan look!

Something new

I came across this the other day and thought it reminded my a lot of what I have been learning in my hair sessions. I am not completely sure how this is done but I would love to try it, especially using the ribbon.

I think the style of this is very Elizabethan as they had lots of plaits but also they kept their hair of their faces in big interesting up-dos or wigs.

WORTH A TRY!

Practical- Wash and blow dry

Learning to understand a persons hair and how they treat it and that being able to wash and cry accordingly.

Georgie had short, blonde hair. It was dry and dead in areas from extensive colouring/bleaching and straightening. From this I knew to use extra conditioner on the ends of the hair when washing. But also a heat spray on the hair when drying it.

When blow drying her hair I used a round brush and because of her layers I found creating a layered volumed effect was easier. I grasped the blow drying concept well because I have done it before but I MUST NOT USE MY FINGERS... Only the brush!

ELIZABETH SHOWDOWN

Elizabeth 1 has been interpreted in so many different ways through fashion, film and television. Her hair was something that was very important and you can see how it is portrayed differently each time.

The original painting.

Elizabeth-The film

Also Elizabeth- the film. But you can see how her hair goes from tight curls to a wilder more Cruella DeVil look.

Elizabeth 1- TV Series played but Helen Mirren. Her hair is back to the tight curls which I think conveyed her stern personality because of the precision of her hair. 

Chic/Modern VS Elizabethan Era

Chic

The word chic can also be seen as elegance so I researched elegant hairstyles and most of the images that came up were up-dos or plaits. This seems like a fairly modern idea but if you look at the Elizabethan women, the ones of wealth or power are those who have their hair up in a crafted up-do.                 TRENDS REPEAT!

This image here shows a woman with all of her tucked up into an intricate net which was something that was very popular during the Elizabethan period. 

Modern

When researching the word 'modern' amongst hairstyles I found that most of them where short or at least choppy and obviously cut. Hair during the Elizabethan period seemed to be a big deal and most women had it curly or frizzy like Elizabeth herself but nowadays we have WAY more tools and remedies for our hair. One thing that has always stayed the same is the ability to colour or strip our hair of colour. Elizabeth had ginger hair and so many woman did things to their hair to make it ginger. Nowadays we have hair colour! Something you didn't see a lot of in women was short hairstyles because women would keep their hair up and hidden so they could carry out chores and duties.

Introduction to Hair and Postiche- Elizabethan Era

This unit will see us looking at how hair was important during the Elizabethan period in terms of wealth and power. Thinking about techniques that were used and hairstyles and trends that were prominent, then transforming and creating a contemporary version.

Taking the idea of not just using actual hair to create a hairstyle but using the materials that we bring or are given. Looking at the design concept of hair and how hair was and can be sculpted. In terms of creating contemporary versions of Elizabethan hairstyles we will take into consideration current trends and look at people that have created their own modern versions of hairstyles from different eras, i.e Paloma Faith.

We will have the chance to understand a brief and be able to work under the importance of a particular design brief. This will culminate in us design a complex contemporary hairstyle through thorough consideration and draw up a step-by-step instruction of what we want our hair to look like and give it to someone else to create.

We will gather inspiration through images and quotes from the Elizabethan era, as well as researching current fashion trends that might have incorporated an Elizabethan element. 

"There's many a man has more hair than wit"

"There's many a man has more hair than wit"

Converting my ideas about what hairstyle my quote evoked we then got into pairs and myself and Georgie had to create my hair design. I made extra emphasis on the fact I wanted my plait to be thick and really full. The fact that I used different materials to create my plait made it seem more interesting because there is so much going on. 

Georgie's version of my hair design

Head of hair

"A fine head of hair adds beauty to a good face, and terror"

Buns and plaits

Buns

Messy buns

Tight buns

Shaped buns

Sculpted buns

Plaits

Tight plaits

Fishtail plaits

French plaits

Side plaits

Messy plaits

Plaits pinned or twisted into a position 

LOVE magazine

This is a modernised version of an Elizabethan magazine that I found in LOVE magazine. It has the elements of an Elizabethan style woman because of the fair skin and strawberry blonde hair.

On top of the world, In the palm of my hand

I have chosen this Elizabethan image because of the voluptuousness of the dress and how it is mirrored in her hairstyle. Her dress is very extravagant and yet her hands and her face seem so insignificant in comparison. The dress is full of colour and shouts so many colours and shapes yet her hands are so dainty in this image.
The way Elizabethan women dressed during this period was very symbolic of their power but one element of symbolism that is in this image is the fact that her hand is on top of the world. This suggests that she is a powerful woman or a figure of power.
In the other hand is a rose which completely contrasts with the idea that the world under hand makes her seem powerful. A rose symbolises a delicate woman with an element of fragility.
I believe the reason why women wore big dresses with high collars was to seem bigger. If they could have more physical presence than men than that could be considered having actual power.
Everything is laced with detail and exciting colours and patterns and her head wear makes her seem regal.
Her make-up is very plain except for really rouged cheeks. This is a very feminine feature and stands out against her very pale face. She also has pink lips to enhance her femininity.
Her hair is very similar in style and colour to Elizabeth 1 who was seen as an idol for her style. Most women with money would have tightly curled hair and use chemical to make their hair a ginger colour, just like Elizabeth 1.
This image is a perfect example of the way fashion was depicted during the Elizabethan era and how Elizabeth 1 was an idol to the women. It also gives an idea of how make-up, hair and its importance originated.