Elizabeth (1998) & Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Elizabeth (1998) is a film about Queen Elizabeth's life and depicts how she became to be seen as 'the virgin queen'. I am really interested in the hairstyles that you see in this film as I believe that even though they are just an interpretation of what Elizabethan hairstyles are like, I believe they are pretty accurate as they have been based on Elizabethan portraiture. I have included images here from the film Elizabeth (1998) and also Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). I have simply included images of Elizabeth's hair, but throughout the films you can see the hairstyles that her ladies in waiting wore. I found it really interesting to watch this film as you get a full 360 view of the hairstyles that you cannot get from looking at portraiture, so watching both of these films was a great source of research for me, you can see all of the elaborate plaiting and rich adornment.

The Ermine Portrait, William Segar, 1585, Elizabeth as Pax

 

A huge inspiration of my hair designs will come from the Ermine portrait, I knew that this was my favourite portrait before I went to the National portrait gallery because of how striking it is, it is something that would be really inspiring to see in person but unfortunately it wasn't in the gallery.

 

This image is heavily symbolic the sword of justice is laid next to her, she is holding an olive branch to represent peace and she also wears the three brothers jewels she is dressed in all black to reinforce the seriousness of the portrait as it is connected to the proposed truce with Scotland it shows that she wants to be seen as peaceful, loyal, pure and truly regal.

 

The reason I find this image so inspiring is how powerful it is, it is almost like a warning in disguise, Elizabeth is flaunting her power and status but overshadowing it with peaceful undertones, you can see the extent of her wealth and status with her elaborate garments, hair and embellishments, she is completely adorned with precious jewels, a small ermine is by her arm which is a symbol of the nobility because of their pure white fur. The sheer size of her sleeves look almost masculine and intimidating like she is demanding surrender, approval or her way, and the black In the gown shows how deadly serious she is. I want to play around the colour scheme of this image, using black, gold, silvers with pops of red and orange, and also the textures, the fur of the ermine or by imagining the different textures or decedent fabrics that would have been imported to make this dress.

 

I really like the fact that her skin is whiter than the ermine's it almost shows that she is more pure than the animal even though they are represented to be the height of purity, its almost screaming her perception of self worth and her influential power over the people..

Elizabethan Society

The Elizabethan society was a clearly defined hierarchy that people were born into, there was constant re enforcement about where a person is in society and they knew the clear roles of what was expected of you in regards to your place. The structure was arranged like a pyramid with the queen at the top and mass peasantry and the working class at the bottom.

 



The nobility and gentry constituted of only a small proportion of Elizabethan society. The titled nobility - dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barrons accounted to a group of 57 men at the start of queen Elizabeh's reign, she was also very cautious about adding to the ranks of nobility. Nobility was something that could only be conferred by birth. The gentry were a great deal more difficult to define, the term itself consisted of three social gradiations: knights, esquires and gentlemen.

 

The peasantry was a large part of the hierarchy, if these people had skills such as carpentry or weaving they would be able to supplement the extra income necessary to survive but others just followed the harvest and endured harsh conditions, so the peasantry always worked. There was also some grey areas at the bottom of this hierarchy, some people did not fit into a niche and these included beggars and master less men.

 

During Elizabethan times we only say about men, as during this time a woman's worth or status was derived through her husband if she was married, or her farther if she was not. Women were regarded aas being one half step below her husband but of greater status than those who were of lesser status than her husband.

 

Fashion was viewed as a form of self - expression for all social ranks during Elizabethan times, Elizabethans made many efforts to wear their hair in fabulous styles that would take ages to do, women would sit in parlours and men in barber shops to make sure that their hair looked fantastic. People of a lower class would not have been able to afford this luxury as they had to work to get money, so from hairstyles it would be obvious who was from a higher class.
 

Susan Doran and Norman Jones (2014). The Elizabethan World. London: Routledge. 271 - 316.

Walter Nelson. (). The Structure of Elizabethan Society. Available: http://walternelson.com/dr/node/246. Last accessed 11th October 2015.

 

 

Alexander McQueen Fall 2013

 

 

One of my main inspirations for this hair brief was Alexander McQueen's Fall 2013 collection this was a collection of 10 looks presented in Paris. The collection had a theme of hyper-detailed embellishment throughout and was heavily inspired by the virgin queen. The intricate details of the ruffed collars and sharp tailoring make the collection fit for royalty.

The reason I am so inspired by this collection is the masks that all the models are wearing, it is a truly modern tribute to Elizabethan head wear, I was inspired by this to plait the hair and adorn these little plaits with jewels or beads, or maybe to cover the face with the hair, this would suit perfectly to Elizabethan fashion as women often covered their face to keep their hair pale and supple. The round structure of the cage is also in good relation to how Elizabethan women often opted for their hair to be very round in shape and very controlled and structured.

It is also very interesting to me how the hair is pinned to the head, the pin curls almost look like roses, which makes me think of the English rose, and queen Elizabeth is the epiphany of this, with her pale skin and flushed cheeks, not one woman before has ever influenced fashion and cosmetics in a period.

I also believe it is symbolic the use of gold and white colours In this collection, queen Elizabeth herself dressed in light colours as she was a protestant, catholic queens before her tended to wear darker colours and dress in a reserved fashion, where as Elizabeth's new age fashion was very elaborate and demanded attention.

 

 

 

 Unknown. (2013). WOMEN'S AUTUMN/WINTER 2013. Available: http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/experience/en/alexandermcqueen/archive/womens-autumnwinter-2013-2/. Last accessed 5th Oct 2015.

Elizabethan Plaits & Buns Modern Interpretations

 

Image of Buns, plaits and adornments from Ages Of Elegance.

For Elizabethan plaits and buns I found this picture on the left in (insert book name). I absolutely love this image as the hair is not covered by a cowl or French hood, you can simply just see all of the intricate plaits, buns and adornments. I like how it is almost unimaginable how they could create such elaborate ties back in them times as they would not have had the luxury's of hair pins ect.





 I have chosen 3 images of modern plaits and buns that I find inspiring. I have found these styles from the runway and the red carpet, they are in no way intended to directly look like Elizabethan hairstyles but think they all have very close links.

The first image I found is of a milk maid braid, I love how intricate yet simplistic this look is. The only thing about this hairstyle that makes me think of the Elizabethans is the plait, as women's hair would often be plaited and sown around the back of their head, in this modern version it is platted round the circumference of her head and is slightly messy and wispy, I like how it isn't perfect, women in the Elizabethan times would spend hours making sure that every strand of hair was in place and I think this messy modern version would look beautiful with an embroided hair net attached to the back.

 I chose this braid because it is so ultra modern, the reason that it made me think of Elizabethan hair was because of queen Elizabeth's curls, when watching the film Elizabeth (1998) the curl in her hair is almost frizzy In some of the scenes as if the curl has been brushed out, so this braid really inspired me, it would look beautiful with some adornments in like ribbons and pearls, it would have an Elizabethan vibe but would be very subtle.



I chose this bun because all though it is a modern technique it  reminds me of how Elizabethan hair would have actually been, it is very controlled and neat and is obviously for a red carpet event. There is loads of intricate details that would have taken hours to create, because of this it reminds me of how only affluent women would have been able to afford having their hair done, this is because this isn't an every day style and probably would have cost a lot of time and money. The difference between this and Elizabethan styles is that this is probably beyond what they could have created as we have the luxuries of hair pins, and hairspray.


After looking at these images I had a little experiment with creating modern versions of these hairstyles, I played with using buns, plaits and ribbons to create modern versions of these hairstyles.

At first I started by creating a French braid, but instead of picking up a full section I only picked up a tiny section of the hair, this looked really effective and I wanted to play on this more by getting a needle and a ribbon and sewing it down the braid, then took it a step forward by weaving it in and out of the strands around the head, I wanted it to look like the beaded hair nets that they wore but incorporated into the hair, but instead I think it masked the effectiveness of the braid.

Instead of trying to tweak the braid to make me like it I had another idea, I wanted to try and re create the heart shape hairline that the Elizabethans love and I thought a good way to do this would be to use tiny braids. However to make this look more effective I would need to plait the hair around chicken wire to get the hold I want, I would also like to thread beads on top of the plaits. I really like this idea so I will be drawing it up into a design as I believe it is a good modern interpretation of Elizabethan hair.

D'Assailly G (1968). Ages of elegance : five thousand years of fashion and frivolity.. Paris: Hatchette. p1 - 30.

An Introduction to Elizabethan Hair

 

One of the main ideals for beauty during the Elizabethan times was a woman's hair. Women's hair during this time was hugely extravagant and they paid lavish attention to hair care this was because of Queen Elizabeth's reign who presented her hair immaculately and also was a big fan of wigs.

One of the most striking things about Elizabethan hair is the colour, because of queen Elizabeth she was blessed with auburn hair, however not every woman was blessed with this so they went to the extreme length of dying their hair, they often used a mixture of rhubarb juice and oil of vitol (sulphic acid) however this was highly corrosive and caused women's hair to fall out.

The texture of the hair widely varied during this period, when a woman was unmarried she wore her hair straight and loose this was seen as being virginal, so as a woman became close to the stage of being married they would pin their hair up in shorter styles and was also curled, these pinned up styles were often very elaborate and were tied to the head with ribbon on plaited then would be decorated with ornate jewels and pearls which would compliment the ornate outfits that they used to wear.

During this time a high hairline was very desirable, this was again inspired by the queen and was also emphasised by her use of wigs, some women would even pluck their hairline back an inch to achieve this look. Elizabethan hair was also very high, with rounded edges or sometimes was even moulded

into a heart shape using hair rats (pads made of hair to support the elaborate styles of the time.)

 

It is also important to understand that only affluent women of the time would be able to afford these hairstyles as they were highly elaborate and took a lengthily time to create.

 

 

 

Victoria Sherrow (2006). Encyclopedia of Hair - A Cultural History. London: Greenwood Press. p 116 - 117.

 



Curling Hair Using Tongs.

You will need...

• Curling tongs
• Pin tail comb
• Bobby Pins

During this technical session I learnt how to create a spiral curl and also a roller curl. The spiral curl is more modern and free, this creates a lot of curl but not much volume, for the roller curl this creates lift and volume.

 

Spiral Curl

For my spiral curl I started from the bottom of the hair at the nape of the neck, this is the easiest way to section the hair as you do not have to move curls out of the way. To spiral curl you have to use the tongs vertically, and choose the direction of the curl. To curl away from the face turn the tongs towards you, or to curl away from the face turn the tongs away from you. When curling, if it becomes baggy use your comb to direct the curl back around the barrel. Hold this curl for about 10 seconds, but vary the time depending on the hair. After releasing the curl, secure this to the head with a bobby pin, cooling the curl in this position will set the curl. When curling the hair, make sure you change directions as curling in the same direction will make all the curls merge together. After all the hair has set you need to take out all the pins and run through the curls with your fingers, this will separate them and make them fall naturally.

 

 

 

 

 

 In these pictures I am showing you how I sectioned the hair, how I pinned it and the finished product. I found it very hard to work with tongs and a comb at the same time, It took a lot to get the curls tight and not baggy. I also made the mistake of not moving with my curls, this flattened the curls as I was moving up the dolls head but this does not matter too much as they were still setting it just did not look as neat. I am pleased with the overall result of the hair, at the front you can see some really defined curls, however I forgot to change direction of the curls at the front, and this has merged into one curl and looks unusual compared to the rest of the hair.

 

 Roller Curls

To create roller curls you have to focus on getting the desired lift and volume into the curl, to do this you curl the hair using the wand horizontally, make sure you keep a good tension of the curlers and roll down the hair, keep the hair in position so is just under the sectioning line. Like the spiral curl you keep this on the hair for about 10 seconds. To make sure the curls don't merge together lay the curls in a brickwork formation, this will stop them merging into lines.

 

 

 

 

 

In these pictures I have shown how I have pinned my curls, the formation in which I have laid them and also my finished curls. I found it easier to get these pins in neater when I was doing them horizontally but found it hard to create a brickwork formation in the hair since I was only doing half a head. Some of the curls I have created I was really pleased with however it is blatant that I have not used adequate tension on the wand when doing the curls and this is vital to get the volume that is desired from this curl.

 



**HEALTH AND SAFETY**

• Make sure model Is covered over at all times.