Bibliography

Alchin, L.K. Elizabethan Era, e.g. Retrieved May 16 2012 from www.elizabethan-era.org.uk 

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm 

 Alchin, L.K. Elizabethan Era, e.g. Retrieved May 16 2012 from www.elizabethan-era.org.uk -

 http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/famous-elizabethan-women.htm  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNboYbgYjo - Elizabeth: The Golden Age Official Trailer (2007)

Bri Emery, 2013, Visited "2nd December 2015" -

http://thebeautydepartment.com/2013/09/texture-tool/

Films:

Elizabeth Film (1998) Directed by Shekhar Kapur.

Evaluation

When I started this project, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it. But now that it is over, I am so happy with everything I’ve learnt and produced. I know I can work to brief and still explore my own ideas. I know I enjoyed working on different types of hair and learning all the techniques needed to create my final look. I’ve gone into great depth with my research and I’ve felt like I’ve learnt so many new facts about Elizabethan and also comparing to 21t Century. I did struggle to keep up with my blogs because I thought I had more time but I now know how to manage my time better for my future units.

So overall I am very pleased with my Elizabethan hair design. I think I found the right balance of historical and modern day look. This has made me realise hair might not be my strongest point but I still really enjoyed learning the techniques.

Final photos of my design

Here are my final shots of my design that Molly did for her assessment. I am so happy with the final results and could't have done it any better. The only thing I would change if I needed to is I would have either found a different necklace to place round the head or stronger glue. We struggled to get it to stick for a while till eventually we found a small part of the necklace that stayed. Big thanks to Molly who put up with me changing my mind when we practised it!

front 

side

back

Accessories for Elizabethan hair

In this blog I wanted to talk about just accessories than would be used during Elizabethan times and how it is adapted in 21st Century.

So let's start with Elizabethan era! We can start with our standard pearls and other gems. It's safe to say Queen Elizabeth 1 loved showing off her wealth and honestly, I don't blame her because I would too. The first image shows off her stunning crown and droplets of either pearls or maybe even diamonds? Either way it's a stunning head piece and we all know pearls and diamonds are a girls best friend. The second image you can see she has crown on but looks like a necklace is placed just in front of it. Whilst other pieces of jewels are in the hair around. Not as big as the first image but again it is beautiful how small things can make the hair look so different. The fourth is very simple for Elizabeth and looking at her youthful face, might suggest she had just recently got into power and didn't want to show off her wealth. With only three pearls place in hair, it is very tamed for her.

Another popular thing used in Elizabethan era was a snood. So what is a snood you must be asking? 
"A bag typically made of net fabric that is worn at the back of the head to keep a woman's hair in place".

I am a very big fan of the snood as it is only a simple piece of net but can create a stunning design. 

21st Century accessories:

So here are some of the latest accessories people put in their hair today. The first image is a bridal look and I like this look because of the way they have been place. I'm a sucker for anything like that and I honestly think it can finish all looks. The second image would be pretty awesome to add to Elizabethan design. Having feather always suggest something a little bit different, it stand out more. If you pick the right kind of feather, I think it would be an elegant look. The third image I am a big fan of head bands like these, it takes you back summer festivals but at the same time it is linked back to Elizabethan. In many portraits Queen Elizabeth is seen with headbands placed on the middle of her head.

The chosen one (final design to give to partner)

So deciding my final design was a lot harder than I thought because I kept changing small things in my mind and then going back to my original ideas. 

Then eventually I decided design 2 (previous post), was the one I wanted to pick for my final. It had loads of techniques and was easy enough that if I could do it, I know Molly could (or make it look even better)!

So to refresh your memory, here is the design and brief example of what it is:

I have no worries about this design as I think it has a great mixture of 21st century and Elizabethan. I just hope Lottie and Helen like it too! 

three designs (3)

Here is my final design for my hair assessment. I started the design with a chunky french plait across the front of the hair. The rest of the hair I would curl then pull back into a messy bun, with small pieces flicking out. 




I would then add pined peals to make it look more Elizabethan. To finish the look I would pull out two strands of hair and curl them so it would soften the face. This look is more modern than historical.

Three designs (2)

My second design is the same design as last time but I changed one of the design. I really love the the two french plaits at the back and the heart shaped front. I decided to take out the french plait at the front and just leave it with a fuller heart shape. I would also place a broken necklace or bracelet to the front, so it wouldn't look too boring at the front.
I also added a key chain to all designs to show my french plaits as my drawing skills are the best!!



The image below is a practise shot of the back of the hair: 

The final three (1)

So my first design I decided to add as many techniques as I could. I started with a french plait going all the way on the hair line to help create a round shape at the front of the hairline. I then wanted to add a heart shape nearer the back to give it more of a Elizabethan theme. To create the heart shape, I would crimp the hair, divide it into two so when you go to roll it back, its easier. I would then back comb it whilst spraying hairspray, so it creates more volume. When thats done I would roll the pieces into the shape and push hair grips in so it stays in place. I would then move pieces around to make sure the shape looked exactly how I would like it.

Whilst at the back I wanted to divide two sections at the back, french plait them and twist them into buns.

To help finish the look I wanted to add ribbon to the plaits at the back. 

Here is a picture of when I first attempted to create the love heart shape with stuffing. 

Curling research

In this blog I'll be researching curls that are 21 Century and Elizabethan:


Elizabethan: 

A lot of the time curls were placed into tight curls and shaped round. The first image is borderline crimped/curls but you can just see the outlines of the curls. I really like this photo because it has a great shape to the hair. Plus the accessories placed around the hair is great with feathers and flowers popping out. The second image is my favourite out of the images because it is a gorgeous style. The hair plaited with a lovely red snood placed on in the middle of it. Then ribbon is twirled round the curls whilst the curls fall down her back. It seems so simply but has such amazing detail. The third image is more modern but the way the curls are slightly tight. It is more modern but I like the fact it is a short cut rather than an up do style.

21st Century: The first image is a gorgeous ombre look with loose curls. I love this look because the ombre shows off how perfect the curls are. Curls isn't really seen as an Elizabethan look but you can curl the hair to help create the look you wanted. The second image I thought was slightly more related to Elizabethan because of the waterfall braid that falls into the curls. I think this would be great as you could add ribbon or pearls to give it more of an Elizabethan feel to it. Third image is more bridal but I liked how floral headband was placed on top of the plait. Now the last image is just an image to show how curling hair can go horribly wrong if it was for a modern day look. The curls are place too close together and are too tight.

Scary tale of working on someones actual hair...

Today's blog is me discussing what it felt like to work on someone's hair for the first time. I worked on Kathy's hair (which is possibly the longest hair I've worked on in class). I was skeptical about working on someones hair because I was so worried I would their head or even worse, their hair!

I was prepared for a challenge though and set off to work on someones actual hair for the first time. So I sectioned (lots of her hair) and wrapped her all the way round the ironing tong and curled it all the way to near the top of head. I left it wrapped round for 30 seconds or till I could feel the heat through the hair. 

I repeated this numerous times and after many burns to my fingers later, I had curled her entire hair.

Overall I really enjoyed curling someones hair and oddly felt relaxing. After a few minutes of failed attempts at curling her hair, I picked up on how to wrap the hair round the tong so the heat would get to it better. By the end I felt I had mastered the perfect curl with the tongs. In the pictures I know all the curls aren't the best but I felt like with my practise I will be able to do the practise curl straight away. I know I have no worries about working on someones actual hair in future.

Research on Elizabethan Society, who wore the same hairstyle?

This blog I will be discussing what the hairstyles were back in during the Elizabethan days and what kind of people wore it.

There is no doubt that only women who had wealth would be able to copy their fashionable Queen. With her fire red hair, ladies around England were keen to match Elizabeth. Sources say "An Upper Class Elizabethan woman followed this fashion further and might even dye her hair yellow with a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil" (http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm Page 1 'Elizabethan Hair colour' Alchin, L.K.

 Elizabethan Era e.g. Retrieved May 16 2012)
If you were a young virgin, ready to marry, you'd have your hair down to show your purity and innocence. 

Once you were married, your hair would swept back into a up do style. As we all know Queen Elizabeth 1 was married to her country and her country only. A famous scene that shows that is from 'Elizabeth' - 1998 in the last scene, she is seen walking in and approaches someone. Announces she is married to England. (click here to see the scene)

Now two of the highest women during Elizabethan times were Queen Elizabeth 1 and Bess of Hardwick. Both these women are known for having high authority in England during Elizabethan times. 
As you can see in both these portraits both ladies have their hair up and out of their faces. 

Even men wanted to look the part. During the Elizabethan time the length of styles changed. It was known at the beginning of Elizabethans era that men use to keep their hair short. As time went on it was seen better to have longer, curly hair. 
In all the portraits of men during Elizabethan times, (nearly) all of them are seen with beards. The majority of the time they were kept nicely trimmed into almost a 'V' shape. The first image does have a slightly different moustache shape to the second image. 

Bibliography
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm - Alchin, L.K. Elizabethan Era, e.g. Retrieved May 16 2012 from www.elizabethan-era.org.uk

The end is near!

So here we are! The end is near, I've finally done my hair assessment. 

I was really happy to be paired with Molly as we both kept in contact over the last two months discussing our ideas and we would like them done. When I practised her design for the first time, I didn't really have any struggles other than the way of the order I did the sections of the hair. Instead of starting with the plaits at the front and ending at the back, when I did my assessment I started with crimping 3/4 of the hair from the back. This made it easier to make sure all parts of the back was crimped and leaving the plaits to last meant I could make it look nicer at the back when I clip them round. One part of Molly's design was to add pearls in certain parts of the hair. It was really hard to place the pearls casually in her hair even with glue. Eventually I just coated the pearls in eyelash glue and softly placed them on the hair. For the assessment they really helped complete the look.

The only thing I would change is the small gap at the back of the hair that you can see in the photos. I couldn't see it at the time and I would have sorted it if I had seen it. Part from that I'm really happy with the end result. Both Molly and I always aired any changes or found a way for both of us to do each others looks.

Here below are images of the final look!

Introduction to the wonderful world of Elizabethans

So a basic introduction to what I think Elizabethan hair is and what it is like:

I didn't really know anything about Elizabethan hair, it's not a subject I would have said I know anything about. I would have said red curly hair but that's as much as I could tell you. Looking at portraits of Elizabethans, you could tell instantly that the hairstyles were in tight curls/crimped hair. It looks like it would be a frizzy texture. The shape of the hair tends to be either oval or heart shaped. 

Quickly researching actresses that have played Queen Elizabeth 1, is Cate Blanchett. The stunning actress has played Elizabeth in two films.

Here is also a trailer of second film she was Queen Elizabeth 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNboYbgYjo 

I think it's going to be great to develop more knowledge of it and being able to research all the techniques that would be needed to help me create my final look. 

Practise Session of Mollys design

So today's blog I will be showing you how I practised my assessment partner (Molly) design. (In another post I have showed you her final design on a hair chart).

I started by section the top of her hair into two small pieces. From then I put a small side parting in and plaited the two sections into french plaits. I left these two plaits to dangle in front till I had done the next section of the hair.

After that I sectioned off a big chunk of hair and crimped it. I section it into two pieces and back combed each side then rolled till it made a round shape. It didn't have the perfect shape but with a fine hair grip, I placed it together and made a nice smooth round shape (As seen below).

So after that I was left with hair at the back. At first Molly decided she would leave it to give it a contemporary look but after I placed it altogether, we both decided it didn't look right with straight hair. So to finish the look I also crimped the last bit of her hair and pulled one side over her shoulders and the other part resting on her back.

For my first attempting at practising Molly's design, I'm really relieved at how easy and quickly I got it done. I am such a worrier, I kept asking Molly is she was happy with it. She said it was exactly how she wanted it and we discussed any changes whilst doing it. 

Practising own design.

In this blog post I will be showing you how I developed my hair design into my final design to give to my assessment partner. 


So I started by crimping the hair (photo's as seen in a previous blog).

I then decided I wanted the front to be placed into a high shape. In class we had small section of tights with tissues stuffed in them to help us add height for such styles. I'm not a big fan of them as at the back you can see them sticking out because they are very bulky. (See in images below)

It's sad to say but when you start actually bringing your design into reality (and it actually goes to plan), it makes you feel excited. I know I'm not the best at hair but I'll always do my hardest to achieve the best for myself and whoever I'm working with in the future.

I then decided I didn't like having the back of the hair down, so I divided the back of into two pieces. I then placed both sections into french plaits.

I'm really happy at how it turned out. Even without accessories the hair gives off an Elizabethan theme to it. Plus it has few different techniques involved to create the look, it would show Lottie how well they could be done.

Hair practise - Crimping

So this will look like a slightly repeated post as the first time I did crimping, was the first time I practised my final design. But in this blog post I will be discussing how I found crimping hair in general.

The day Lottie went to show us how to crimp hair, I was unfortunately ill and missed it. But I did some research on youtube and soon realised it should hopefully not be too hard. The next day I go in to class, we are asked to work in pairs and told to practise working designs on our partners hair. Knowing I hadn't had the chance to crimp yet, this was a perfect chance for me. 

So the picture below shows Amelia's hair on the left crimped and her natural hair (she has a lot of naturally curly hair !!!!). I was very surprised at how easy it was to use the crimping tongs. The texture of the hair feels weird and clearly dries the hair out, so I would recommended conditioning the hair loads. 

Here is the finished look of Amelia's being crimped. The most I struggled with crimping is sectioning her hair but that was because her is naturally curly/big. If I was to work on Amelia's hair for crimping, I would have sectioned her hair into smaller pieces. But overall I am a big fan of crimping hair now!

The Three Plaits

Carrying on from my other post (The Three Buns), the second half of the lesson we started on plaits. We had another three to practise which were: French plait, fishtail and a normal plait.

So the first plait I started with was the easier one which was the normal plait. To do this look you divide your hair into three pieces. Then place them over each other and you then make a simple plait.

The second plait I did was a fish tail, this is my favourite plait out of the three plaits. To do a fish plait,you divide the hair into two sections. From one side you take a piece of hair from the side and place it onto the other section of hair. Repeating the same action with the other side, you repeat this till you run out of hair.
I really like how simple it is but you can see a to of detail with this plait. It would be great for bridal look.

The final plait was a french plait. Out of the three, this was my least favourite. To create this plait, you need to divide your hair into a section, then at the top of the section divide it into three sections and start it like a normal plait. Then from the left (or what side you started with) you pick up a section of hair and add it to the left strand of hair. You continue to do this on both sides till you run out of hair. 

When comparing all three plaits, I enjoy doing but found that (and still do after practising it) french plait is my least favourite. I found that I struggled trying to make the plait tight and ended up having parts hanging out. I personally enjoyed doing a fishtail because of the great detail you would get and how simple it was. With pieces of ribbon in it, it would be a great design for a wedding or Elizabethan look.

I wonder what's in her hair? (Shaped hair)

Today's blog I will be discussing the types of shaped Elizabethans wore their hair back in the day. I will also discuss recent characters/celebrities that have adapted similar looks. 

So let's start with 'Queen Elizabeth' characters: all three photos are of the talented Cate Blanchett who has starred as Queen Elizabeth 1 in two films. 

The first image I absolutely love the shape of this hair, as you can tell it is heart shaped but I love how they've added two pieces of accessories in the middle to help part the hair. It also might suggest to not mess with the Queen, as if you were to touch it (the hair) you might get cut. The second image I picked because of the curls you can see, I like how you can see every single curl perfectly. The higher the hair gets, the more spread out the curls get. I think it would be great base to start with a design because you could stick pearls or other things in between the curls. The final image is a very tight, compacted hairstyle. As the previous image is similar shape, the third image is slightly rounder and smoother. It's less messy than the second and has a nice sleek look to it. I also like how the stylist has placed the pearls at the front near the hairline. 

Moving onto characters/celebrities that have shaped hair; The first image is the well known singer Beyonce. In the photo she was promoting for her tour and as she is known as 'Queen Bee', it only seemed fitting that she went all out for her promo. I adore this look from B because the hair is essentially flawless. Her crimped hair pushed up high and slightly angled on one side where her crown is. It's a perfect example of 21st Century celebrity with Elizabethan themed hair. 

The second image of 'Queen of Hearts' from The famous Alice in Wonderland (played by the wonderful Helen Carter). Before you all say 'she's not Elizabethan', you are indeed correct. But when I first thought of loved shaped hair, Queen of Hearts seemed like an obvious idea to me. I am big fan of Alice in Wonderland anyway but this shot shows just how big the hair was for this. Yet again is perfectly shaped with no pieces of hair sticking out. The gorgeous red and curls are a great example of how you could link it back to Queen Elizabeth 1.