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manateelynn
July 15th, 2008, 03:47 PM
I am going to the museum gala at the end of Sept and will be wearing my 1890's dress. I need to know a good hairstyle for that era and how to do it. I was thinking a modified Gibson Girl, but I'm open to just about anything. My hair is around 25" long and all one lenght. Pictures, video, and how to do it would be WONDERFUL!!! I'm a hairstyle DUMMY!
I have hairsticks, a Ficcare, a beautiful Hairzing with blue beads that matches my dress and a black/dark brown snood. That is all I have to work with.
Thanks!

dukkelisa
July 15th, 2008, 05:38 PM
The timing is a bit off, the Gibson style was Edwardian (early 1900's), not Victorian. The 1890's styles were still high (meaning vertical) and they used fancy mantilla combs with tiny curled fringes on the forehead. What is the style of your dress? If it is more tailored and narrow with an S curve look, Gibson would work really well, if it is more feminine with ruffles and bows and a bustle, it would be appropriate to use large Spanish hair combs or make fancy twist and braids. Here is a good link to 1890's hairstyles (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vintagevictorian.com/images/90hair_sd_b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vintagevictorian.com/costume_1890_acc.html&h=536&w=480&sz=50&hl=en&start=27&tbnid=vR6io2bTWDwgUM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhair%2Bstyles%2B1890%2527s%26start%3D 18%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN).

Snoods were worn in the 1860's and again in the 1940's. Snoods were to protect the hair (and in public on windy days) and not worn to any social gathering that I am aware of. It would be wonderful if you could share your hairstyle and dress! I am extremely interested in Victorian and Edwardian hairstyles!

manateelynn
July 18th, 2008, 02:29 PM
It's very taylored, with no ruffles or bows. It's a blue taffeta with a high neck and a crinlien underneath. I could wear it with a bustle, but don't have one. The dress is pretty much late 1890's--early 1900's.

frizzinator
July 18th, 2008, 04:18 PM
The Hairzing will work no matter what. You don't even have to make an updo, just roll your hair up and the elastic will hold it securely to your head.


I've had to practice a lot with the Gibson tuck, because my hair is thin. 20 years ago I could easily make a Gibson style starting with a ponytail. The most secure version of the Gibson I've been able to do nowdays is to make 2 french twists (the openings face each other - in other words, the seams meet down the middle of the back of the head), held with 4 bunheads pins (U shaped pins), inserted at the seam openings like a flip stick. Technically, it's 2 french twists, but it has a "Gibson" look.


If you decide on the Gibson, will you need a barrette, comb, flower or something to fill the space above the tuck (and maybe even to hold the sides of the updo together)? Using the method I described above, I don't seem to need anything else on the back of my head, probably because the french twists mostly fill-up the space (the french twists make 2 deep vertical pockets whereas I made just one shallow horizontal pocket for a Gibson made with a ponytail).

Molster
July 22nd, 2008, 07:26 AM
If you reckon the dress is late 1890's, you shouldn't be wearing a crinoline at all. Crinolines had really fallen out of fashion by the 1870's in favour of bustles, and then bustles were disappearing by the 1890's. For late 1890's, skirts were more trumpet-shaped than bell-shaped.

Like Dukkelisa says, you need high hair. Is your dress day-wear or evening? Are you wearing hat (daytime) or not? Perhaps a French twist with some pin-curled tendrils piled on the top of your head might work well?