Practice for the assessment: My partners design

This weekend I met with my partner Sammie to practice her hair design. The design included padding pointed upwards on each side of the head, with a french plat which leads into a fishtail plat directly down the middle of the head. The padding was the covered with layers of backcombed hair and the front layer was twisted against the padding to create a curl on the top of the padding. Above are the images we took after I had finished styling the hair. I think this design is very fun and looks Elizabethan with the padding, yet contemporary with the plat down the middle of the head. With a bit more practice I feel I will be able to execute this design to a good standard.

Practicing with ribbon and plats.

Recently I posted the initial designs for my New Elizabethan hairstyle. This included a bun and with a plat wrapped around it. Which can be seen below 

When looking into how to make this more modern, I looked at the Oscar De La Renta spring 2010 show which included the models styled with a milkmaid braid with ribbon threaded through it, situated on the top of the head. This links to the work we had previously been doing in our lesson in which we practiced incorporating ribbon into the plats. I feel this would add an elegant element to my design therefore I have recently been practicing with threading ribbon through plats. Here is the outcome.

I feel this worked quite well and with practice could be something I decide to use in my final design. 

A modern take on plats with ribbon: Oscar De La Renta spring 2010

When looking into how to make Elizabethan hairstyles modern, one particular look kept popping up in my research, this was the Oscar De La Renta spring 2010 show. This has a very Elizabethan vibe to the hair due to the fact that the hair has been milkmaid braided and threaded with various colours of ribbon. The hair has been styled all up with the milkmaid braid across the top of the head. I really like this look and I feel that this will be something to consider when finalising my own designs as I feel it gives the overall look an elegant, pretty feel. Here are some of my favourite images of the hair from this runway look.

Reference: All images sourced from google images, research and images originally from here

My partners final design.

Here is my partners final design sketches. For the final assessment I will be creating a look that has a french plat down the middle of the head, which then leads into a fishtail plat. Then there will be padding on the back of the head which is pointing upwards. This will then be covered with big, backcombed hair and the front section twisted against the hair to create a curl. 

How did Elizabethan's decorate their hair?

The coif:
This would usually be worn by women and children from the poorer background. This is because it would be used to protect the hair from the weather. The coif was usually made out of white linen and fit over the hair, tying under the chin.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

The caul:
The caul was usually made from netted rope, however could also be made from wire. This was the embroided with pearls, gems and more expensive decorations, therefore this would have been worn by the more wealthier members of society.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Reference: Research on the coif and coil from 

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/headwear/snood.html

The Pillow Box hat:                                                                           

You can infer from the name that this type of item the Elizabethan's used to decorate their hair resembled a box. These would usually sit at the back of the head, holding the hair.

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Ribbon, pearls and gems: 

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Ribbon, pearls and gems:

Once again, this method of decorating the hair was favoured by the wealthier members of Elizabethan England, particularly the royal. This was because it represented the status of wealth and having the means to afford luxurious fabrics and items that poorer people did not. This was also a very beautiful method of decorating the hair. As you can see in the image above the ribbon has been threaded through what seems to be a twist rather than a plat and has then been decorated with various pearls and gems.

Experimenting with padding for my design

 In todays lesson my partner and I experimented with the padding that I have included in my initial hair designs. I think this worked well and with a bit of practice could looks quite successful. Practicing this has also lead me to realise that due to the length of my hair, I could make the padding a lot higher and therefore adding a contemporary twist to the historical element of my design. 

Initial hair designs

Here are the initial designs for my take on a contemporary yet historical Elizabethan hairstyle. On the right I have drawn a bun with a plat wrapped around it to decorate, this would be the contemporary element of the design. The historical element of this design is the heart shaped padding with curls to decorate on the top of the head, with the curls left down at the sides. The left design is more contemporary than historical. This is because there would be a big crimped/frizzed texture to the hair. The only historical element to this hair design would be the pearls used along the hairline/through the hair to decorate and the middle parting. When looking at these designs I think it is important to now look into finding a way to incorporate both of the designs, remembering to keep the final design as much historical as it is contemporary.