Katniss' Reaping Braids (The Hunger Games)

[florenonite]

I've been trying to work out how this style is done lately, and I must admit I'm rather stumped. In this (http://screencapped.net/movie/hungergames/displayimage.php?album=2&pid=37980#top_display_media) picture, it just looks like two English, or possibly Dutch, braids, crossed over and pinned. This is the stance most YouTube videos have taken, too. However, in this (http://screencapped.net/movie/hungergames/displayimage.php?album=2&pid=37923#top_display_media) picture you can't see a part at the back, and IMO it looks more like her regular diagonal Dutch braid has just been pinned across. In this (http://screencapped.net/movie/hungergames/displayimage.php?album=2&pid=38001#top_display_media) picture, you can see that the braiding starts a little above her ear, which would suggest Dutch braids, but ones that start quite far back.

From all of this, my best guess is that there are two Dutch lace braids, curving around from behind the ears towards the nape, then tied off and crossed over and pinned. I can't work out how they're crossed over, though, as they seem to be parallel along the back of her head.

Any other thoughts on how to do this style?

[meteor]

I think it's 2 Dutch braids crossed over and pinned. I think the braids start pretty low for dutch-braiding (around ear-level) and there is some texturizing done on her dark hair that makes the style a difficult to decipher.

[florenonite]

Okay, so I tried doing lace Dutch braids that curved along the nape (IMO it looks better without a parting), but then I ended up with far too much braid and I had trouble pinning it. I'm thinking maybe they were vertical Dutch lace braids, which would explain the discrepancy between different pictures (no doubt taken on different days).

[maybeinthemtns]

They look like vertical braids to me, too, started farther back on the head. The lack of the part in the second picture could be achieved by pulling some of the hair straight down into a half crown-braid-type thing on the bottom of the head, if that makes sense? So braiding some hair over into the vertical braids, but other hair down into the crossing-the-nape part of one of the braids, along the neck, and then pinning the other one over it. Her hair is so dark, it's really hard to tell if that's what's going on, so I am not sure at all. That's one way to account for the lack of part, though.

[florenonite]

That's what I tried, maybeinthemtns, but then my braids were too long to cross over properly. My hair's about the same length as hers (actually, probably shorter, as I'm shorter), and it's thicker, so the braids should be, at the very least, no longer than Katniss'. See why I'm so confused? :lol:

[Rosa Harris]

That's what I tried, maybeinthemtns, but then my braids were too long to cross over properly. My hair's about the same length as hers (actually, probably shorter, as I'm shorter), and it's thicker, so the braids should be, at the very least, no longer than Katniss'. See why I'm so confused? :lol:

may not be her hair. may be a fake bun with her hair tucked under it.

[florenonite]

may not be her hair. may be a fake bun with her hair tucked under it.

I've been mulling this over, because I can't work out how this works. Her hair is around BSL, so surely there'd be a big lump if her hair was tucked under a braid?

Whether or not it's a fake braid, though, surely there's a way to do a style like this without a parting at the back? I just think it looks so much nicer. The only thing I've thought of so far is to do Dutch lace braids that curve at the nape (like a semi-crown braid), but that left me with way too much braid afterwards. Maybe my hair's just too thick :(