Experimentation with Contemporary Elizabethan hairstyles

As you can see I have been experimenting with the contemporary element of my Elizabethan hairstyle. I have taken inspiration from catwalk looks such as the Topshop Unique fashion show and have crimped and then back combed my hair in order to create the big puffy hair. I feel this still links to the historic element of my design as the texture of the hair resembles that of the texture from the historic hairstyles (coarse, frizzy and puffy) yet buy including the element of having the puffy texture down, I feel it adds a contemporary feel to the overall look and resembles that of the hairstyles that have been featured on the catwalk in the past few years. Here is the final outcome of this experimentation.

Contemporary Elizabethan hair texture

Both above images from Topshop unique ss11 

Above image from Marc Jacobs 11 

When adding the contemporary element to my Elizabethan hair style I think I will go for a look that resembles these above images. This is because I have long hair so I think creating this large texture on my hair will prove very successful and effective. However these looks still remind me of Elizabethan hair styles due to the colour on the Marc Jacobs look and the middle parting on the Topshop unique look. Therefore by keeping the middle parting and adding another element that resembles previous Elizabethan looks I will hopefully achieve something effective. 

Looking into contemporary Elizabethan hair styles.

Updo's. 

To me this Dolce and Gabbana look from fall 2013 feels Elizabethan. The middle parting in this hair style reminds me of an Elizabethan look. However I feel as though the look as a whole reminds me of being Elizabethan, for example the use of the crown as a head piece and the red lips all contribute to this look having an Elizabethan feel.

To me this look, again from Dolce and Gabbana gives me an Elizabethan impression. However again due to the use of an extravagant head piece used to decorate the style. I think when planning my designs I will try and incorporate a head piece into my style as I feel this gives it a royal and elegant feel to the overall look. 

This look from Valentino fall 2013 feels Elizabethan to me due to the colour of the hair and the slicked back middle parting. This fits with the typical look of an Elizabethan woman, however they have made the look contemporary by not having the hair in the frizzy style that was previously worn or in and by having the hair in a plait. 

This look to me feels Elizabethan purely due to the height and texture of the hair. However they have managed to put a contemporary twist on the look with the use of the fishtail plait and having the front of the hair loose.

Historic Elizabethan buns

Research into Historic Elizabethan buns.
As oart of our research for this week we were also asked to research historic Elizabethan buns. Here is what I have found.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

The first image I came across was this one. This image caught my eye due to the fact that there is so much going on in the hairstyle. They have used a snood to cover the padding which is in the shape of a doughnut. There is also a small plat around the around the snood and the hair at the front of the head is in a curly texture. This I feel is the epitome of an Elizabethan hairstyle as it includes many of the techniques that they would have used. It also feels like this to me because it screams luxury and extravagance. When thinking about how little technology and means to produce such hairstyles it really fascinates me with what the Elizabethan's came up with. 

How did class affect Elizabethan hairstyles?

Lower class:

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

As you can see from the above images, the lower class Elizabethan society had minimal decoration to the hair, they would usually wear some type of coif, probably in order to keep the hair away from the face when working. The hairstyles that the lower class of Elizabethan's would wear seem to be more for practicality than for the actual look of the hair. However, lower class Elizabethan girls would have some form of rope or ribbon through the hair in order to make it look prettier.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

As you can see from the above image, the middle/higher class Elizabethan woman would wear her hair very high, usually with some form of padding and frizzy texture. They would then use various jewellery or feathers to decorate the hair. The hairline would be far back and all the hair would be out of the face. The hairstyles of this class resemble that of what Queen Elizabeth herself would wear.

Royalty.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

As you can see from the above image, Queen Elizabeth would also wear her hair high, with a far back hairline. She would use pearls to decorate the padding as this represented a sense of purity and virginity. The above image shows Queen Elizabeth wearing a heart shaped padding also with a frizzy texture that is in the red colour associated with her. Queen Elizabeth would also wear extravagant head pieces, crowns and jewellery that would all decorate her hairstyle. 

Buns and plaits

Technical File (hair) Buns and plaits.

Equipment used: Section clips, tooth comb, hair grips.

French plait.

1     1)   Start with three sections

2     2)   Take a section over the top, into the middle and plait.

3     3)   Go to the opposite side and repeat this action.

4     4)   Repeat these steps until finished, remembering to add another section of hair each time you plait.

For a full head French plait add sections closer to the head and then further away in turn to stop the hair from gapping in the process.

Fishtail plait.

1   1)   Start with two sections of hair both the same size.

2   2)   Take a section from the right hand side and wrap it around the left

3   3)   Repeat until finished

Remember that when creating a fishtail plait it is best to use smaller sections of hair and to not create to much tension when plaiting so that it is easier to create a softer look.

Bun

1   1)   Take a clean section of hair and prep so that there are no knots by brushing the section into a ponytail.

2   2)   Separate the ponytail into 4 sections.

3   3)   Take the first section (at the front) and backcomb* then roll the section and pin in place.

4   4)   Repeat this process with the other three sections of hair.

5   5)   Move the hair carefully as to not squish the sections so that they join the section on either side, pinch at the base and pin into place.

*Remember not to back comb hair that will be shown.

Contemporary Elizabethan plats

To kick off the brief we were asked to research contemporary and historic Elizabethan plats and buns, here is what I came up with: 

This first image feels quite Elizabethan to me due to the heart shaped padding on the top of the head. As you can see this has then been covered with plats. I like the idea of the plat right around the padding and not over the top as I think this looks very effective. I think the black of the hair against the white of the ruffles on the outfit look like a very complimentary colour difference. 

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

The second image I found was from Bora Asku 2014 show. This feels Elizabethan to me because of the middle parting. I really like the ribbon on this that's threaded through the back of the plat as I think it looks simplistic and elegant.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

The third image I found was this one. This feels Elizabethan to me because of the height of the rolls on the head. This also incorporates what looks to be a bun on the back of the head which has been styled in a relaxed way with pieces of the hair loose. Once again this hairstyle has a middle parting which also conveys an Elizabethan feel to the look.