Old Beautiful Styles!

[LongForLife]

I have always loved the old fancy styles that used to be done. Here is an example of one I love. Does anyone know how to do any styles like this? :)

ETA: Photo removed because of possible copyright violations. Please post a link instead. Thanks ~ harpgal

[hurricane_gia]

It probably requires a rat or a form.

I remember hearing once that these styles were achieved by pinning a wire form to the scalp and then brushing and pinning the hair to it. Probably very similar to a Gibson girl pompadour, but bigger. However, the person who was telling me about it was not a professional historian, so it is uncertain how accurate their information was. It would be different if an anthropologist from Colonial Williamsburg had said it . . .

ETA: Check out this website, for Elizabethan hair-styling: http://www.extremecostuming.com/articles/twoelizabethanhairstyles.html

[LongForLife]

Wow, I never even thought of something like that! lol

I don't like the Elizabethan styles at all...

[LongForLife]

I like the romantic sweeping styles of a century or 2 later. :)

[flapjack]

I think they're unbelievably gorgeous but I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them in daily living.

[Isilya]

An old member (don't know if she still comes here) has a site about how to do movie-hairstyles and she has this one too. It's this site (http://imaginary-styles.iwarp.com/), under "Other Movie Styles" --> "Other Styles".

[LongForLife]

An old member (don't know if she still comes here) has a site about how to do movie-hairstyles and she has this one too. It's this site (http://imaginary-styles.iwarp.com/), under "Other Movie Styles" --> "Other Styles".

Oh, great!! Thank you so much!

[Isilya]

You're welcome :) I'm glad I could help.

[LongForLife]

I think they're unbelievably gorgeous but I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them in daily living.

LOL Ok, yeah, I would not walk around wearing them everyday. But it is something I would wear to a wedding or other formal event... not to mention a costume party. :)

[Moiraine]

I have an old picture somewhere that was used for my passport when I went 16. My hair was put up something like that but without the "speedbump":D My hair was waist length so they were able to make nice clusters of curls. That was in 1971 when hairdressers actually worked on long hair. I had the side curls as well. The hairdressers back in the day washed your hair, put setting lotion on it and rolled your hair on magnetic rollers and stuck you under a hairdryer. My hair was long so I had large rollers (not the coke-can size because I needed enough curl to hold the style).

When my hair was dry as a bone the rollers were carefully taken out and the curls were all "crispy" from the setting lotion. The hairdresser carefully brushed them out (they had lots of body!) Now you have to remember a lot of backcombing (or ratting) was done back then for height and your style was sprayed rock-hard so it would stay a long time. They make the curl-clusters bu dividing your hair across your head three ways and secure with elastic bands then they formed the curls and held everything together with long hair pins. When it was all finished you held a thing in front of your face and the hairdresser went all around your head with the hairspray again and you were done.

Also back then people used a lot of hairpieces to make their hair thicker and for height. I never needed any because my hair was long. Also when you went in the hairdressers you might see some wig-heads with wigs either washed and set or needing to be worked on. The also had fake clusters of curls set on s small wig pieces that could be attached to the head if your hair was too short for the style...

Needless to say there was no LHC to show you how to be kind and gentle to your hair. But then these very elaborate styles were usually reserved for special occasions because of the time involved. And I made mine last for almost a week by wrapping toilet paper around it and pin-curling the side curls. I was so happy to show off my hair-do in school, where everyday otherwise I only had two braids with ribbons on the ends. My mother finally told me to take it all down it was looking nasty so there went my one and only elaborate hairdo in my life:blossom:

[hurricane_gia]

I don't like the Elizabethan styles at all...

Well, I suppose they are an acquired taste. :) You just need to hang out at more Ren Faires or SCA events . . .

[Melisande]

I think the picture doesn't show an original hairstyle of the 19th century but a movie-compatible version.

I own a very informative book (albeit not totally new ;-) ) called "History and Hollywood (http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-History-Costume-Design-Film/dp/0500014221)" which explains quite nicely how make up and costume designers balance between historical recreation and catering to contemporary tastes. For many years, they went for "generic Holleywood beauty queen upsweeps" and there is no difference in the leading lady's hairstyle in medieval movies or the 19th century. Slowly, this began to change.

Neverthless, nearly all costume dramas show the men and ladies in layered hairstyles or use modern styling means. No modern audience could be reconciled with the authentic look of the let's say 18th century.

I remember seeing Barry Lyndon as a young girl, and for many years I felt that this film had the authentic look. Watching it again nowadays, the 70s esthetics really jump at you. Peter Greenaway's Draughtsman's Contract looks still very authentic to me.

But the OP picture is probably recent, with make up and soft hair. It is evocative of "past styles" of a style like this (http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/victorian-hair-styles/images/victorian-hair-styles-6.jpg) Victorian one, but the esthetic ideal is totally modern.

I recommend the book for history freaks, movie freaks and hairstyle freaks.

[frizzinator]

I agree that style looks like it has a form underneath it to provide support and it's probably backcombed as well. Some old bun styles achieve heigth on top without a form or backcombing by making loopy-looking pin curls out of small sections of hair on top, then you can wrap sections of the length from the back around the outside of the group of loopy pin curls to make it look more substantial on top.

[LongForLife]

Well, I suppose they are an acquired taste. :) You just need to hang out at more Ren Faires or SCA events . . .
:) And I shouldn't really say that I don't like any of them, but I didn't like the styles on that link, for me anyway.