My Final Assessment of my partners design

These are the final images for my hair assessment. On the whole, I am pleased with the way my assessment went, I am not very confident in hair but through practice I feel I managed to pull off Charlottes design. The techniques this design features are curling, buns, backcombing, plaiting and padding. The thing I found most challenging about this design was that there are quite a few elements going on, so sectioning the hair correctly to ensure I had enough hair to work with for each element was very difficult! I wish that I could of gotten a smoother finish over the padding, so that the curled sections placed on top stood out more. This is something I would definitely work on for next time. The communication between Charlotte and I was really good, and she definitely took my skill level into consideration when planning her design.

PARTNERS FINAL DESIGN:

NEEDED:

Paddle Brush

Tail Comb

Large Curler

Small Curler

Padding

Hair tie

METHOD: 

1. Section off the front section of hair into two. Make one of the sections bigger than the other as this one needs to cover the padding, and the front section is to curl and use as decoration.
2. Create your plait to attach your padding to. French plait from one side of the head to the other. Pin down.
3. Attach padding to the plait (see Padding)
4. backcomb the middle section of hair at the root and pull back to cover the padding. 
5. Tuck the hair under and secure with pins. 
6. Curl the very first section with the small curler, and place the curls over the padding to create ringlets going back over the head. Pin down.
7. Take the top two thirds of the remaining hair and use it to create a bun. 
8. Take a small piece from the middle of the remaining hair and plait it. Wrap this around the base of the bun to conceal the hair tie. 
9. Curl the remaining hair with the large curler and leave loose. 

Evaluation

Overall I have enjoyed creating a contemporary Elizabethan hairstyle, researching hair from the time and developing this into a final design. I feel I have learned a lot about hair and become much more confident, as before starting the course I had very little experience.  At the beginning I really struggled as I felt very inexperienced, but due to practicing at home my confidence has grown. I enjoyed practicing basic hair techniques such as curling and creating buns, and techniques much more specific to the project such crimping and padding. The Elizabethans used gems and ribbons to decorate their hair and I have enjoyed being creative and working these elements into my designs. I think that early on in the project I could of been better organised, as unfortunately I now have a lack of pictures for my technical file. This is definitely something that I would improve upon for the next project, as it would be very beneficial to be able to track my progress more efficiently. I find research quite difficult, especially presenting it in a way that shows my thought processes. I feel like over the course of this project I have improved on this through the use of my blog, and now have a better understanding on how to present my ideas. I was very pleased with the communication between my partner and I, we discussed our ideas and made minor changes to our designs in order to make them achievable for our parter to create. Overall, I have enjoyed this project and feel that I have learned a lot, in the way of both practical skills and research techniques. 

Shapes and Structures

Elizabethan hair is very much about the high, padded structures and shapes. There are a couple of different shapes that are seen in hair from this period such as. Elizabethans would of used 'Rats' as padding to create these styles. These hair styles were associated with upper class women or royalty as women who had to work would not be able to afford or maintain such styles. 



HEART SHAPE:
This shape is shown frequently, and features two sets of padding, creating a 'heart' shape on top of the head. I think this is a style heavily associated with the queen as she is wearing it in a lot of her portraits. 






Adaptations of this shape are still seen in fashion today, for example on the Alexander Mcqueen Runway. 













CENTRAL PADDING:
This is also a very common Elizabethan style, padding would be placed in the centre of the head to create this tall, rounded structure. 

This is the method we were shown in class of how to create padded styles:

NEEDED:

Padding (Tights stuffed with tissue or bundles of felt hair) 

Sectioning comb

Bobby Pins

Geisha Pins

Paddle Brush

METHOD:

1. Section the hair so that all of the hair you want to cover the padding is in front.
2. Start a french plait from one side of the head to another. (See Plaits section)
3. Pin plait in place.
4. Choose your padding and check the size against the head. 
5. Begin to pin your padding with Geisha Pins, I do this by hooking them up through the padding and then pulling them down, hooking them into the plait to secure the padding.
6. Continue until the padding is fully secure.
7. Bring the hair you need to cover you padding back. Backcomb the hair at the root using your Sectioning comb, repeatedly bring the comb down to backcomb the hair creating lift at the root.
8. Pin the hair back over the padding, tucking it in as you go if necessary. 

And some pictures of some looks I created...

hji. (2012). 2012 rounded hairstyle. Available: http://www.hji.co.uk/hairstyle-gallery/2012-rounded-beehive-hair-hairstyle/. Last accessed 3rd December 2014.

goldderby.com. (2014). Oscars: Most successful film . Available: http://www.goldderby.com/photos/250/3310/shekhar-kapur's-'elizabeth'-films~-2-wins-9-nominations.html. Last accessed 3rd december 2014.

handbag.com. (2007). Spring Summer 07 hair trends. Available: http://www.handbag.com/beauty-bag/i448786/springsummer-07-hair-trends-step-back-in-time-alexander-mcqueen.html. Last accessed 3rd December 2014.

My Final Hair Design

 This is the final design I came up with for my assessment. I really like the way it looks modern and wearable but still has Elizabethan influences. I chose this design because it was a contemporary mixture of my other two designs, taking some elements from each of them. For example, both of my previous designs featured buns at the back, which I enjoyed as I think this allows the room for the rest of the style to be more relaxed, as you are still keeping quite a traditional feature. All of my designs also featured padding, but for this design I chose to use Rats instead of the usual padding, as I prefer the final look it gave as it is more subtle. This design used skills such as padding, curling, backcombing and making a bun. I feel that Charlotte carried out my design well, and within the time. I feel that next time I could possibly try to design something slightly   more complex now I am slightly more confident in hair. 

My 3 final designs

My first of the three designs is very classic Elizabethan. It features large padding on both sides to create a heart shaped structure, with the hair pulled back into a bun. On my design I drew some screw in pearls that I would of used if I chose this design as my final one, but I didn't use them in my practice. This design involves crimping, curling and padding, and I think the main challenge involved is ensuring the padding is in the correct place, and is well covered.

 When I practiced this design in class, I found the basic techniques fairly simple to pull off and I was pleased with the final result. I felt though that it was too traditional to use as my final design as the brief was for a contemporary Elizabethan hairstyle.

 For this next design, there is a lot going on. Crimping, Curls, Padding and a bun are involved in this style. Most of the elements are very classic once again, but leaving some curls loose at the front modernises it and keeps it looking slightly different. I also used a looser curl for the tendrils hanging down that what would of been used.









I asked my partner Charlotte to try this design out on me, as It would be done on my hair and I wanted to check if I had enough hair to pull it off. I was pleased with the look, but where as I have mid-long length hair, I felt it was quite difficult to cover the padding, create the bun and still have some pieces left out. I felt that the look ended up looking quite 1960's and that there was too much going on with all of the elements. The challenge with this look was definitely the sectioning, as there is so much going on you have to ensure you leave the right amount of hair to complete each element of the style.

 This is the design I chose for my final contemporary Elizabethan hair look. I liked some features from the last look such as the bun and padding, but wanted something slightly more simple but contemporary. I feel the look I have created is quite pretty and bridal with Elizabethan Influences. I wanted to include peals as they are often associated with Elizabeth as they signify purity and virginity (something which is also often associated with weddings). I used lower padding than in previous designs to keep the look wearable and contemporary, and had curls covering the padded area but kept them more loose and messy than in traditional styles.  The main challenge with this style was getting the padding even as Charlotte used 'Rats' which is a fake hair type of padding. This gives a more subtle effect, but can loose its shape if pinned incorrectly.

Curls and Frizz

Curlz and Frizzing were very popular in Elizabethan times and they have kept their popularity through the centuries. These are examples of some of the hairstyles you can create using these techniques.

get holistic health. (2014). How to tame frizzy hair. Available: http://www.getholistichealth.com/20511/how-to-tame-frizzy-hair/. Last accessed 4th December 2014.

This style really reminds me of Elizabeth because of the texture and colour of the hair. Elizabeth had red hair and she set the trend which many Elizabethan women copied. This frizzy, curly texture also reminds me of Elizabeth and was popular at the time. It looks like the frizzing technique could have been used to create this style. 

The curls and the way the hair has been tucked underneath reminds me of the Elizabethan period. These types of curls could of been used in Elizabethan times as decoration over a padded style, or to add texture.

We practiced the Curling and Frizzing techniques in class. I was already familiar with using a curling tong but the frizzing technique was new to me. These are the techniques we learned:

CRIMPING AND CURLING:

Curling is an essential technique to creating a variety of hairstyles and crimping works well for adding texture and volume and holding in backcombing. 

CURLING:

NEEDED: 

Tail Comb

Clips

Curler

METHOD:

. Divide the hair into small sections 

. Grip the hair in the clamp at the bottom of the tong

. roll the tong towards the head and hold for a few seconds. 

. When releasing the curl, gently clamp and release the clip to loosely shake out the curl so as not to pull it out of shape. 

CRIMPING:

NEEDED: 

Tail Comb

Clips

Crimper

METHOD:

.Section the Hair

. Whilst combing through, clamp the crimping iron and slowly move down the hair

. Repeat the process all round the head 

FRIZZING:

A technique where the hair is wrapped around a Geisha pin and heat is used to secure the crimp in place. 

NEEDED:

Geisha Pins

Straighteners

Tail Comb

METHOD:

1. Place the hook of your Geisha Pin at the route of the hair. 
2. Start to wrap the hair in a figure of eight shape around the pin until the pin is fully covered by hair.
3. Take your straighteners and hold down over the clip to secure the shape.
4. Remove the pin and you will be left with a tight zig zag shape. you can leave the hair like this, or for a big frizzy effect, tease the hair out. 

                             

                                             

This technique once pulled out really reminds of afro hair. It also really thickens the hair, adding more texture than crimping, so is great for adding a huge amount of volume for padded styles.

Elizabethan Hairstyles Part 2

Below are some examples of Elizabethan Hairstyles and decorations seen in classic portraits from the time. The Elizabethans used Pearls, Jewels and Ribbons to decorate their hair. They were often attached to a head dress or coifs. 

I have found some contemporary images that use similar accessories. Pearls are now very common in bridal hairstyles. I find this interesting as pearls were a sign of purity and virginity in Elizabethan times, which would link in to the idea that in the Christian religion brides are meant to be virgins on their wedding day. 

hair style trends for. (2014). 6 Bridal hairstyles. Available: http://hairstyletrendsfor.com/4947/6-bridal-hairstyles-from-backstage.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

This Picture is very contemporary as it uses pearls on a hair/head chain. These chains have some foreign influences and are often seen in Indian Weddings but it is unusual to see one featuring pearls. 

bootic.com. (2014). chain accessory . Available: http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/1392221/hair-chain-accessory-gold-chain-with-pearls-and-crystal-jh1004_1.jpg. Last accessed 5th decemeber 2014.

This next image really reminds me of the 'Crown' type accessories, as seen in picture number 2. 

The roses on this head piece remind me of the Elizabethan time and Elizabeth would hold or wear a red rose, as a sign of the tudor dynasty. The spikes in this headers remind me of the pointed head pieces often worn, and I feel the shape of the headpiece is very reminiscent of the heart shape of Elizabethan hair. 

Elizabethan Era . (2014). Elizabethan Hair. Available: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm. Last accessed 29th November 2014.

Plaits and Buns

Plaits and buns were very commonly used in the Elizabethan times, and still are today. in the 15th Century, ribbons and strings of pearls were often threaded through plaits. This is still a popular trend in modern times, but the current fashion is to accessorise with strings of flowers through the hair. 

I love how wearable this look above is, but still has a connection to Elizabethan Hair.

Another big difference is in the texture of the hair. In Elizabethan times the trend was rough looking curly, or frizzy hair. This added a lot of texture to hairstyles at the time, and added thickness to plaits and buns. Sleek, straight hair or natural waves are now far more in fashion, which gives styles which would usually appear quite similar to Elizabethan styles a modern look.

We learned in class how to create different types of plait and buns.

PLAITS:

In todays lesson we learned three different types of plait. I was already familiar with the classic plait, but the french plait and fishtail plait were new to me. 

FISHTAIL PLAIT: 

METHOD:

. Divide the hair into 3 sections

. Bring the outside strand from the left, over the other two strands.

.Repeat the process with the strand on the right hand side

.Continue this until a plait is formed, it will take a bit longer until you can see the shape of the plait with a fishtail but eventually the shape should form.  

FRENCH PLAIT:

NEEDED:

Sectioning clips

Brush

Tail Comb

METHOD:

. Divide the hair into 3 sections

. Plait the hair, but each time you cross the hair over, take a piece from the side, so as you plait the plait becomes tight to the head.

. When you run out of hair, continue to plait normally to finish off.

BUNS:

It is very useful to be able to create a bun without the help of a donut. 

METHOD:

1. Brush through the hair
2. Pull the hair back into a ponytail and secure with a tie
3. Divide the ponytail into four equal sections. 
4. Backcomb the underside of one of the sections
5. Roll the section up to create one quarter of the bun, pin in place.
6. Repeat with the other sections.
7. Use Geisha Pins to help create a rounded shape, using the pins to pull the bun together. 

Elizabethan Hairstyles

Wealthy women and royalty put a lot of effort into their hair in this time period. It was fashionable to have pale 'yellow' or strawberry blonde hair, and women that could afford to would use a die made of cumin seeds, saffron, celandine and oil. This first hairstyle is very elaborate, and was often worn by Elizabeth the 1st as it is seen often in portraits of her. The hair has been tightly curled (if the wearer didn't naturally have curls) and is slightly heart shaped which was fashionable at the time. Jewels have been used in the hair for decoration, and you can see some of the white lace fabric is peeking out the back which indicates that there would be some form of decoration from the back too. This hair style would only be worn by a wealthy or royal woman due to how expensive it would be for the jewels and other decoration.

Another hair style of this time was similar on top to the first, but had long tendrils coming down around the shoulders. From portraits of the time,  it seems that these were normally frizzy and curly looking. This was very common for the time as having curly, textured hair was very fashionable. We learned a technique in class on how to create crimpy waves which look very similar to this. 

Before marriage, women were able to wear their hair down. This was seen as a sign of purity and virginity, and often on their wedding day women would wear their hair down one last time before pinning it up as a married woman. 

Finally, this is an example of what a working Elizabethan woman's hair may of looked like. They could not afford the expensive jewels and headdresses that the royals wore, and hair needed to be practical for doing physical work all day. They would of most likely worn hair in a bun, with some kind of headscarf to hold it back out of their face. 

Introduction to Redheads and Royalty

Our first project this year is called the New Elizabethans. It is centred around Elizabethan hairstyles, and in our final assessment we will have to create a contemporary version of an Elizabethan style. To achieve our final design we must research traditional Elizabethan styles and use our research to help us create a final design, being aware of the techniques and shapes that Elizabethans themselves would have worn. I should also think when creating my style, which type of women would wear it (e.g queen or working woman).

It was fashionable at this time for hair to be very pale, often strawberry blonde. Lots of accessories were used to decorate the hair such as cauls, a hair net which were decorated with pearls, coifs embellished with jewels and lace and the attifet which was a heart shaped cap. Hair often had a frizzy, crimped sort of look about it, and lots of plaits and buns were used alongside the hair accessories to create elaborate up do's.