Modern Elizabethan Hairstyles

To find some inspiration for my designs I had a look at other contemporary Elizabethan hairstyles. In the last few years designers have often used modern versions of Elizabethan hairstyles for their catwalk shows. For example Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Thom Browne. But you can find them in editorials as well.

CHANEL SS 2010

 http://laceandtea.com/2010/01/chanel-haute-couture-ss-2010/

 http://www.makeup4all.com/coral-lips-and-silver-nails-by-chanel-for-summer-2010/

 http://www.behindthescenesmakeup.com/runway/haute-couture-ss-2010/

http://modelnailfiles.com/2013/08/02/chanel-spring-haute-couture-2010/

http://modelnailfiles.com/2013/08/02/chanel-spring-haute-couture-2010/

What's so Elizabethan about this hairstyle is definitely the heart shape. As you can see in the last picture they used a lot of crepe hair  as padding to get this enormous heart shape. Modern about this hair design is the fringe, because in the Elizabethan era fringes were a no-no! Also the huge bow is a nice modern touch. As well as the single grey strand of hair and the bracelet going up in the middle from the neck. 

PARK SOO JOO FOR KOREAN VOGUE DECEMBER 2012

 http://md-management.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/soo-joo-park-vogue-korea.html

 http://md-management.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/soo-joo-park-vogue-korea.html

http://md-management.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/soo-joo-park-vogue-korea.html

When I looked at Park Soo Joo's pictures I immediately felt there was something Elizabethan about it:) The hair is very backcombed and pinned up in a kind of heart shape. You can see it the best in the last picture. Another detail that reminds you somewhat of the Elizabethans are the tight curls on the side. Being very messy and the backcombed fringe make it more modern.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SS 2007

 http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/spring-summer-2007/ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen

 http://www.nattstad.se/matilda.k.kallstrom/alexander-mcqueen-ss-2007-11055798

 https://artfashionandhim.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/alexander-mcqueen-remembered-an-ode-and-memoriam-for-the-artist/

You maybe wouldn't think of it as Elizabethan on the first sight but the shape of the hair is somewhat heart shaped. A big extra is of course the blocked out eyebrows.

http://www.vogue.it/en/shows/show/ss-2007-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen/details/gallery/150541

Again it's the heart shape that makes it Elizabethan, By making the hair big, messy and unsymmetrical it makes it very modern.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN FW 2013

http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/experience/en/alexandermcqueen/archive/womens-autumnwinter-2013-2/

 http://www.inspirationbycolor.com/alexander-mcqueen-rtw-fall-winter-2013-white-and-gold-dress/

 http://loveisspeed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2013-14-fall-winter-alexander-mcqueen.html

http://www.bookiblog.com/blog/karlie-at-alexander-mcqueen-fall-winter-2013-pfw.html

This time it's definitely the pearls.

The cage around the head with those many pearls make it very Elizabethan as well as the pin curls underneath it. 

THOM BROWNE SS 2014

 http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/09/7-wonders-things-that-made-us-lol-at-nyfw/

 http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/model-walks-the-runway-at-thom-browne-womens-ready-to-wear-news-photo/180212205

 http://bangtheblitz.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/nyfw-thom-browne-ss14.html

 http://www.canyoudress.com/2013/09/thom-browne-ss14.html

http://www.manrepeller.com/2013/10/get-the-look-thom-browne.html

http://mobilecatwalk.com/3924/the-crazy-and-terrifying-collection-of-thom-browne-ss14/

Apart from the makeup which already looks very contemporary the hair has a modern Elizabethan feel as well. The hair was backcombed quite a lot and at the back of the head some of the hair is being hold by a red with pearls covered hair net. Which reminds you of the Elizabethan Caul.

Elizabethan Hairstyle on Ruby Part 2

Create an Elizabethan hairstyle- Part 2

--> has to be a full had 

-->do a bun at the back of head

-->it must be heart shaped

You will need:

• sectioning clips
• kirby gribs
• hair pins
• pin tail comb
• paddle brush
• crimping iron
• hair straightener 
• padding 
• elastics

Again start with brushing the hair and divide it in 3 sections. I did frizzing at the front , then you have your crimping bit and the hair at the back would go into a bun this time. Crimp the hair first and do the padding as usual. To avoid the messy hair behind the padding this time ,I rolled the leftover hair in and then tucked it in with hair pins. Make sure both sides are symmetrical. My problem was that the padding I used was uneven so I had quite a gab between them. I moved one side a bit more up but there was still a bit of a gab left. I would then do the frizzing at the front with hair pins. Make several equal sections and wind the hair in an eight motion around the hair pin and secure it by heating it up with the hair straightener. While you leave it to cool down start doing the back. Comb the hair again and make into a neatly ponytail . Secure it with an elastic and divide the ponytail in four same sized sections. Backcomb from underneath each section. Take the hair and wind it around your fingers (hold them like a scissor so you get the hair out easily) and then when you have the size you want secure it with a kirby grib. Do this with all 4 sections and then take a hair pin and connect all of the 4 section with it at the bottom to get a nice bun. Make sure all of the section have the same height.

Go back to the front and take out the hair pins. At first I just took the frizzing as it was and put it over the padding but it didn't look that good and also we were supposed to create an 'actual' Elizabethan look. 

So I took the frizzing, pulled it apart and spread it all over the padding. It instantly looked more Elizabethan.

 This naughty gab between the two paddings^^

 The bun is slightly uneven. 

Elizabethan Hairstyle on Ruby Part 1

Create an Elizabethan hairstyle - Part 1

You need:

• pin tail comb
• brush
• kirby gribs
• hair pins
• padding
• sectioning clips
• barrel tong
• crimping iron

Start by brushing the hair and get rid of any knots. Then section the hair in 3 parts. Front part is for curling, second for crimping and then you have the back part leftover. My curling section was a bit bigger this time because I wanted to have two rows of curling. Also made the crimping section bigger as well so you can use crimped hair to do the plait ( I changed from using a french plait to a normal plait->it's just quicker)to secure your padding on. The crimping gives it more texture and that's better to secure it. Start with crimping the hair. Do the plait and secure the padding on it. I went for a heart shape so try to get both sides symmetrical. After you crimped and did the padding, do two rows of curling at the front. While I left the curls to cool down I started with the back. I wasn't really sure what exactly to do with the back hair so I just curled it and plaited it in a french plait. I actually just wanted to curl the hair and have all the curls to one side but it looked boring. But I wasn't really satisfied with the french plait either. Then I went back to the front and decorated the padding with one layer of curly hair and the front layer with pin curls. I am always quite satisfied with the front so I should really think more about what to do with back. It would be good to actually think about it before I do the hairstyle :) Otherwise my time management was good again which makes me feel quite confident for the timed assessment^^

 NOTE: I noticed that the hair behind the padding is still messy and I have problems tucking it all in so I have to work on it!

Frizzing

Frizzing

You can also do frizzy hair with just a hair pin.

You need a hair pin, straightener, pin tail comb ,(optional kirby grib-I didn't use it).

Take a small section of hair and put a hair pin around it. Then wind the hair in an eight motion around the hair pin. Do this until all of the hair is wound around the hair pin. Then you can secure the end with a kirby grib and heat it up with the hair straightener . You can see how the hair gets flatter. Leave the hair pin in until the hair is cooled down. So I didn't secure the end bit with a kirby grib. I just started with straightening at the end bit and then it won't get loose either. After the hair cooled down take the hair pin out and you will have a nice defined curl. If you use this technique for creating an Elizabethan hairstyle you could do tendrils with it or do it on the forehead hairline and put single curls over the padding as well.

After I heated the hair around the hair pin up

And now after i took the hair pin out.

Nice curls:)

Here some modern versions

(source: http://www.polyvore.com/2008_crimped_updo_hair_style/thing?id=28851316)

(source: http://www.ukhairdressers.com/style/index2.asp?r1=11898)

Historical Elizabethan look


http://www.closetcapers.com/elizabethan.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England

Creating an Elizabethan hairstyle

After we learned how to curl, crimp and do the padding we were trying to do an Elizabethan hairstyle in the last lesson. This time a full head. We could choose between doing a round or heart shape.I decided to go for the heart shape. Try your best to have everything symmetrical. As you can maybe see in the pictures I wasn't able to finish my hairstyle.Reason for that is possibly that I was doing the crimping quite slowly because I thought 'yeah I have enough time:)' which I actually had if I wouldn't have been so slow^^. I did the padding the same way like I already explained in a previous post. But this time I did 2 rows of curling. I used the second layer to put the curls over the padding and the did tight curls at the front. But I also wanted to use the new hair pin frizzing technique so I did some single curls with that at the front. I planned on laying them over the padding as well but I didn't have time to do it. But I think you can see the heart shape :)

Padding Hair

Padding

With padding you can achieve the typical heart and round shape you can see a lot in Elizabethan hairtstyles. To make your own padding just cut off a piece from some cheap tights and fill it with couch roll. If you want to create a heart shape make sure the padding are the same size. Elizabethan hairstyles were symmetrical so try to do everything you do on one side, on the other side as well.

You will need:

• Hair pins
• sectioning gribs
• kirby gribs
• pin tail comb
• brush
• hair crimper
• barrel tong
• padding

Just a quick note, I only did half of the head in our first lesson about padding but as I said just do the same you did on one side on the other one as well and you will get the heart shape. If you want a round shape use a bigger padding and place place it over the head(like you would wear an Alice band) Before you start think about the hair color you are working with so you can match your padding. After brushing the hair part it in the middle. Then prepare 2 sections on each side. One smaller one at the forehead for the curls and behind it a bigger one for the crimping. I started with crimping first. Make sure you crimp enough hair to cover the padding later. When you are done with crimping do a small plait (normal or french)behind the crimped section. Secure it tightly because now you will place the padding on it and secure the padding tightly on the plait. You don't want it to move when you place the crimped hair over it. Secure the padding on the plait with a kirby grib in the middle, top and bottom of it. Cover the padding with the crimped hair and tuck leftover hair neatly under the padding. To secure the hair use mostly hair pins and kirby gribs if needed.

Curl the hair in the front(as you can see in the pictures above) and leave the kirby gribs in until curls have cooled down. Then take out the kirby gribs and place the curls over the padding. But you can do different variations like leave some curls tight and fix them at the front.

As you can see in the pictures I took the outer curls and placed them over the padding and left the middle ones tight and secured them in the front. But it does look a bit boring , so either you do 2 rows of curling or if you didn't like me, separate every curl into two and put the second layer over the padding and with the first row do tight curls. That will male it look more Elizabethan.

       You can see that the 2 layers now make already a difference compared to only having one row.

 And some close ups of the curls