Technical - Being the model.

 It was a strange task for my partner do do the same with my hair as it is very short and the bun at the back couldn't be achieved, however I thought my partner did well and created the round and frizzed effect.

I was quite comfortable with being the model, my hair is the same condition as my partners, i.e. being bleached so I let her know and we used less heat so I was happy about that and that my partner took it into account.
From the other side it was strange to go from asking questions to answering them in the same way and also communicating as a model and not a stylist. I find it particularly hard to not comment and allow someone to do their own design. I was a little bit of a backseat driver but I have to commend my partner for making sure I didn't interfere and I didn't mind at all being reminded not to do this.

I thought she did really well and i was pleased with the outcome, we both actually walked home with our designs still in place.

I also took the opportunity to have some fun with my partner and take a few selfies whilst the transformation was happening, I think this helped my partner be more at ease because it was the first time she had done anyone's hair and was a bit nervous so to make sure she was feeling okay about it and not stress too much.

Communication and camaraderie is important between model and stylist to keep each other at ease and it relieves any tension you may have too.

Technical - Live Model technique practice.

For this practical we had to recreate an Elizabethan style using the techniques we've learnt on a live model, The brief of the Elizabethan look was that the front must be curled or frizzed and the back must be a bun either plaited or twisted. I chose to go with a heart shape using rats and a plaited bun at the back of the hair, I added a small roll at the front of the hair just to add something extra to the look.

I began with a consultation on my Model's hair because it's very different to working on the Katie head, you can get away with certain things on your block that you cant otherwise on a real person so it's important to take care of them whilst styling. Health and safety is a big issue.
Heated styling equipment can really cause some nasty burns so getting close to the roots without burning your model is tricky especially with steam from the hair and even burning the hair itself, the block head has chemically treated hair and can withstand a lot more heat than natural hair it's important to gauge the thickness and density of your models hair and also the condition. In my case my model had heavily bleached hair and it was fairly fine, but thick.
This caused me to work in smaller sections with less heat to make sure I didn't have to keep too much heat on the hair at any one time to create the effect I wanted.

I began by sectioning the hair that I did't need out of the way, so from the middle of the head to the back of the ears on both sides and clipped the back away and crimped horizontally from the ears up to the parting on both sides. 

I then sectioned again leaving myself an inch at the front to create a roll across the forehead and an inch of crimped hair I could use to wrap over my rat.
I then plaited a small section underneath where my rat was going to sit and secured it into place with grips.

 

I brushed out the hair covering the rat and slightly backcombed for texture before distributing it over the rat and gripping into place. I now have my heart shape.
The hair at the front I left in more of the crimped texture and created small sausages from one temple to the other and blended these together to create one roll across the forehead.

At the back of the hair I took one more small section of hair and crimped this and clipped it away to use later to lay over the top of the bun.
I plaited the remaining hair and twisted into place to create the plaited bun at the back which I preferred to the sleek one because the rest of the style was very textured and felt it needed more at the back.
I then took the crimped sections I left out earlier and placed them around the top of the bun just to again add more texture over the back of the hair and secured the ends around the underneath of my bun to hide any grips.

I really enjoyed creating this look and feel I had good control over what I wanted from beginning to end, I didn't find I had any huge problems with any aspect of the technical side of it in terms of using styling tools and backcombing etc. What I need to practice is moulding the crimped hair, because it has so much texture I did find myself with a lot of flyaways due to the crimping shortening the length of my models hair slightly, I simply used hairspray to keep these down but even in the final images you can see a few strays that still haven't been tamed.
I think time wise I did okay, I managed to finish the look within the time given of an hour and half. Preperation takes a lot of the time up as crimping is time consuming, keeping small sections helps with this because you don't have to heat as much hair at once and can move swiftly to the next section.
Working on real hair was a lot better than the katie head, I feel like I had a lot more control over it and as well you get feedback from the model so you can always check if they are okay with what you are doing. 

Research - Contemporary plaits

[1]

This is a contemporary image I found that includes plaits and I think it is very Elizabethan looking when considering the shape and texture of the hair. 

[2]

According to the source the hair was tightly braided in small sections and then this was pinned in a criss-cross pattern over the head. I like how this isn't ridiculously neat too and there are flyaway hairs over top, giving more of a likeness to Elizabethan through frizz. 











I looked at these further and found another which was tightly braided and he texture it gives is really interesting and definitely along the lines of Elizabethan.
More-so than a lot of other styles of braiding I have seen, I think even through this is through braiding the hair the texture is similar and mimics that of Elizabethan hair as well as the shape created. However the hair in the portraits is actually curled and not plaited at the front but I still think it looks similar.

[3]

[1] EAMES. J., 2011. Bright red hairstyle [digital image] [viewed 30th nov 2015]. Available from: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/rbi-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/07/2011-bright-red.jpg

[2]  O'TOOLE .A., 2012. Braids wrapped round head [digital image] [viewed 30th nov 2015] Available from: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/rbi-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/07/2012-braids-wrapped-round-head-womens-hairstyle.jpg

[3] GHEERAERTS .M., c.1580-85. Queen Elizabeth I [digital image] [viewed 3th nov 2015] Available from: http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizagheeraerts2.jpg

Research: Contemporary Curls and Frizz

[1]

When looking at contemporary versions of hairstyles that incorporate the methods we have been learning in the Technical sessions I have tried to think about the colour as well, this isn't overly important when looking at the structure and techniques used but I think overall it gives better impression of a style influenced by the era.

This image to the right stood out to me straight away due to different factors. It has all of the technique we've been using except buns. You can see the texture is frizzy and crimped with flyaway hair on the sides giving it a messy soft finish but the top is very high and would contain padding beneath to create this. Although it is not in a heart shape I still this this is relevant because if the overall height.
At the front of the hairline the hair has been plaited in sections and the hairline is high giving it the Elizabeth I feel.
The makeup is also interesting because the model has no eyebrows again reiterating the inspiration,

[2]

Although Elizabeth I didn't necessarily go as tall with her hair I found a portrait of Elizabeth Stuart painted in 1606, not long after Elizabeth's reign.
It has a taller hairstyle like the one above.
The texture isn't really that visible but I feel like it's definitely the historical equivalent and still relevant.
I would have thought that the hair would have needed a lot of texture to it to be able to old this style and that it wasn't really as smooth as this portrait would lead you to believe, unlike photography, it is hard to really decipher details from portraiture because it is at the artists and sitters discretion to alter the aspects whereas in photography it is a truer representation and editing would be more obvious too.

[3]

Another image I found which was really relevant to the Elizabethan era. This one is extremely similar to all those of Elizabeth I in terms of texture, shape and colour.
The hair is relatively rounded and all swept back, what I was looking at here was the use of Jewellery in her hair, it isn't quite as extravagant as the Elizabethan ones but I think it's a good example of incorporating some kind of adornment. The jewellery in the hair also matches the neck piece and clothing too.
It's like a darker version of Elizabeth if there was one, certain small things could be changed to increase the look of Elizabethan but it still looks very regal.
Like Elizabeth's hair this one is tightly pin curled and the texture is almost spot on what you see on her portraiture with some frizz in there too.

[4]

The Pelican portrait features Elizabeth's hair a lot smaller than usual like the contemporary image above and the curls are very defined in this image, this is why sometimes as I said before portraits can be misleading, I think the hair was an important part of this portrait unlike the one above of Elizabeth Stuart because it appears more time has been spent detailing the texture.
I chose this one to compare to the image above because she has a piece of jewellery coming down onto her forehead, in comparison to the contemporary image this isn't a lot but does show how it wasn't just all always up in the hair and how the inspiration for bringing it down onto the face has been used, but elaborated on.
Elizabeth however doesn't ever cover her entire forehead because it was fashionable to have a big one. If this wasn't so she very well might have worn her jewellery like the image above!
It is similar though in the sense of technique and structure with use of tight curls.





[1] BARRY .J., 2014. golden plaited texture updo [digital image] [Viewed on 30th nov 2015] Available from: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/rbi-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/05/2014-golden-plaited-texture-updo.jpg

[2] ROBERT PEAKE THE ELDER, 1606. Elizabeth Stuart [digital image] [Viewed on 30th nov 2015] Available from: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4c/4c/0b/4c4c0bf339fead12084d05f282e3ddd7.jpg

[3] YEE . A., 2015. redhead hairstyle with tight pincurls [digital image] [Viewed on 30th nov 2015] Available from: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/rbi-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/10/2015-redhead-hairstyle-with-tight-pin-curls.jpg

[4] NICHOLAS HILLIARD, 1575. 'Pelican' portrait [digital image] [Viewed on 30th nov 2015] Available from: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f5/e1/5f/f5e15f548a3ee7c0178d2b30e7754c4c.jpg

Technical - Rick-Racking technique!

A new technique that I'd seen before and never tried was I believe called Rick-Racking which involves weaving the hair over a pin in a figure of eight and applying heat to create a frizzing effect.

I liked this effect because I think it made a better frizz than the crimping although harder to achieve and more time consuming.
It's a good technique and after a few you get the hang of it relatively quickly you can also change the frizz with this one though, whether you wrap the hair tighter or looser and the size of your pins will make the frizz looser or tighter.

I did this just on the front section of my Katie head to test the technique, I found only a small amount was needed to add to the overall look. I crimped, backcombed and put up the rest of the hair and I used the very fine rick-racking from the front section to lay over the top and enhance the texture further. I don't think doing this all over is necessary if it is only a top layer of a hairstyle.
This technique did leave around half an inch at the hairline that wasn't frizzy, I think its easier to get closer with the crimpers.
For time management I think I will use the crimpers in my design if needed because I think it's just easier and quicker to create the effect. If I did use this I would only do it on specific areas of hair.

I looked one of Oscar De La Renta's photoshoots which incorporated rick-racking, it was interesting to see how this was used in modern fashion and in popular culture on a runway.

Rick-Racking in model's hair
Link

Finished result of Rick-racking, as you can see this was used all over the head and creates a very soft fine frizz effect whilst the roots remain straight.
Link

Technical - Crimping and creating shapes without padding.

Curling and crimping the hair is all about preparation for your desired outcome and helps with the overall outcome and makes the hair easier to work with.

Crimping hair is not something I have done a whole lot of because it's fallen way out of fashion, although  some celebrities have been seen with it from time to time but it never makes a comeback.
Crimping is a good method to get texture into the hair especially the course frizz that Elizabethan styles used.

Crimping wasn't that difficult to do, getting to the root was the hardest part as the tools are quite large and you risk burning the scalp. you can use a comb underneath your section at the root to help with this and create a barrier between your model and your styling tool.



I didn't get a photo of the crimping I did on the katie head before I brushed it out so here's a different image that I did on Billie my model in another session.

After crimping I brushed out all the hair and got a really large frizzy effect which I quite liked.
So after this prep it gave me a much easier texture of hair to work with for making the shape. The hair is a lot more mouldable with texture.

The next task was to create an Elizabethan hair shape without using padding so I sectioned off my block and backcombed it to create the volume I needed. It's important to backcomb correctly too, starting just above the roots and pushing your comb in and down on your section, repeating as you work up to the tips. Don't start at the ends of the hair because you won't get any stability and that is what backcombing is for, to create a foundation.

I like to really make the backcombing firm at the roots and this also helps gripping hair by providing a firm base for hold.

After backcombing the hair I was then able to mould the hair into the shape I wanted using my tailcomb to blend the sections together, create the shape I need and grip it into place.

I did this on both sides of the head and then with any hair at the back that was left we were free to do whatever with it, create a bun, plait it or just make it into a design, I chose to make a little vertical roll which I thought complemented the style.

 

 

 I really liked practicing with the crimpers and creating texture, it's something I haven't done before and i will probably use again to create volume underneath styles. I have done simple hair-ups and more modern styles but this was very new and different. I enjoyed how the hair was easier to manipulate into the style and it was interesting to see how the texture affected this. If this was done on hair that wasn't crimped it would have been more difficult.
A little bit of me felt like I was heating because the texture hides a lot of things, when something is supposed to look a bit messy it's easier to be finished. If this was on straight hair it would have been really difficult to smooth and create a nice sleek finish.

I didn't encounter any difficulties creating this look and I was happy with my finished outcome.
The backcombing and frizzing technique is definitely something to use in my own designs.

Technical - Curling

Practical session on curling hair.

The curls we used were spiral curls and horizontal curls using a medium sized tong.

Sectioning the hair is important in tonging hair firstly to keep your style neat and clean and to be able to work methodically and it also helps with timing too, if you try to do a few very large sections your curls will not be to the standard that you want and will more than likely drop out.
A large section will heat the hair that is nearer to the tong itself and closer tot he heat and if the hair is too thick the heat wont be enough on the outside of your section. Heating the curl unevenly will result in a poor finish. Also on this note, the ends of the hair and the underneath of your section will have been in contact with the heat source for far too long and you risk burning the hair before it has all heated enough. To avoid this a small section will wrap around the tong more evenly and wont have to be in contact for as long to create your curl, preserving the condition of the hair and creating a longer lasting neater curl.

Also before applying any kind of heat to the hair you should carry out a consultation on the condition of the hair, some hair will require higher heat, whereas some will not need as much and will still curl well.

We practiced this on the Katie head and used on side for spiral curls and the other for the barrel curls.
The end result of this was that you will still get a similar effect on both sides but the horizontal curls allow you to add lift to the root of the hair and finish with a more voluminous style. Its important to change direction of your curls as well or you may end up with one big curl as they will all sit together.
For looser curls you can just let the hair drop and sit on its own and the hair will drop as its cooling but to preserve a tighter longer lasting curl we wrapped the hair around on itself whilst still hot and gripped it in place whilst it cooled. This is essentially a dry set, the hair structure isnt changed from wet to dry but it is heated and cooled in a certain shape.

This side of my katie head was the spiral curls and as you can see the hair lacks volume at the roots in comparison with the other side but the curls are still neat and hold up well.

  

This side of the katie head was the barrel curls and there is a definite difference to how the curls sit, they tend to stay in the barrel shape and lift up at the root.
I preferred this side to the other as I am a big fan of big hair to lift at the roots is important to me.











The same technique we used can be seen in the video below.

And this is what you shouldn't do...

Research - Elizabethan and Modern Hair with Accessories

The types of ornaments used in the Elizabethan hair seems to vary a lot, I think basically if they could put it in the hair an get it to stay there they would.
They would use necklaces draped over the hair and down onto the forehead which would create a widows peak, They would use any type of precious stone they had because it showed off their wealth to have it on display.

Wire structures were used to create the shape underneath the hair if it was more elaborate, padding wouldn't have been enough to hold the shape.
Other things added into the hair would be feathers, ribbons weaved through the hair.
Various types of hair coverings also had a place in the hairstyles so they didn't necessarily have to have such a grand design with the hair, they could cover quite a lot of it with one of the following;
The coif; also known as the 'biggin' and worn by children, made of plain white linen. It was used as a cap as well under elaborate hats to keep hair in place.
The French hood; introduced by the french court by Anne Boleyn. A half moon or crescent style band that slopes away from the face. The edges of these were often adorned with pearls or jewels and a veil covered the back of hair.
The Atifet; Similar to the French hood style but with a heart shaped crescent. Worn by Mary Queen of Scots, with lace trimmings.
The Caul; The Elizabethan hair net. Covering the hair at the back of the head and made of fabric and adorned with jewels.
Various types of plaiting were used for Elizabethan hairstyles and these would also have ribbons and jewels incorporated into them.

Link
Braiding with Netting and Jewellery

Link
Example of Renaissance Caul/ Hair Net with pearls.

Link
French hood with veil at the back (1540)

Link

This image is the best example of the most elaborate hair accessorising on Queen Elizabeth, 

She has every type and colour of jewel in her hair and a large fascinator type thing on top. Again like her dress which is heavily decorated the hair is done the same way.

I think the modern way of dressing up hair tends to just be for occasions now, rather than the wealthy doing it all the time, its more acceptable to have very done hair more for parties and big events like weddings, however, on the catwalk and in more fashion lead media influences are often taken from the Elizabethan era in terms of what is added into the hair,

It's certainly not the 'done thing' nowadays to wear anything elaborate in the hair on a day to day basis, I think with new and improved cutting techniques the hair has enough style by itself not to have to dress it up so much.

Link
Wedding hair with necklace style jewellery.

Link
Plaited up do with adornements

As you can see the more modern hairstyles still encorporate braiding and curls like the Elizabethan ones but they are looser and more natural and the hair is not so desperately taken away from the face.
Any modern accessories unless avant garde are a lot smaller. Nothing looks too heavy or overdone.
Looking at Avant Garde however, in most there are always some kind of apparent influence from Elizabethan hair, whether it be the size or shape or the amount of accessories in the hair, I think because of the extravagance of the Elizabethans it's always a go-to era for inspiration.
I included the image below because it really incorporates everything, braids, frizz, size and chains and ribbons weaving throughout. However the flowers and butterflies don't relate but it shows how some staple influences can be added to.

Link

ref
ALCHIN .L.K., 2012. Elizabethan era  [online] [Viewed on 10th oct.2015] Available from:  http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm

Research - Who wears Elizabethan hair?

The Elizabethan Hairstyles we have been looking at and researching for the project brief have been mainly for the more wealthy Elizabethan woman.
Queen Elizabeth had naturally red hair and as the ideal of beauty this would be emulated by nobility, upper class ladies going as far as to colour their hair yellow with a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil.Whether dyed or natural the colouring seen in portraiture tends to be between copper and strawberry blondes.

They are usually curled in some manner whether it be small curls tight to the scalp or loose tendrils with a wave the texture also appears to be quite frizzy and course in a lot of the portraiture. This was mainly due to the large ruffs worn which would require the hair to be swept up.
However the young women of the era would wear their hair long and flowing as a sign of virginity.
The hair at the front of the forehead could be plucked as well to create a larger forehead.
and fringes were an absolute no.

The styles themselves are very structured and elaborate and appear to have a lot of fine detail and intricacy to them, usually being a wig this would be easier for someone to style as i would imagine it takes a lot of time to create the looks.
They tend to have a heart shape to them especially for the royals or ladies.
To add further detail the women would also adorn the hair with precious stones, jewellery and fascinators or hats which would often match their outfit and show off their wealth.

All basic elements of the ideal Elizabethan hairstyle can be see in the Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth 1.
The frizzy curls on top, tendrils coming down from the back, although this isn't hart shaped, its still symmetrical which is an important factor.
Here we can see that the pearls on her neck are incorporated into the hair and the red stones in the necklace can be seen also.
reiterating how the clothing and hair come together.

I found this portrait of a noble Elizabethan Woman to show how the Queens fashion was emulated by others, in this image we see the popular heart shaped hair in tight curls, the colour is interesting in this one because it looks yellow which would indicate dying.
and again we see the hair decorated similar to her clothing with white lace and pearls.













Ladies of the court and maids of honour would not necessarily always favour the grand curled up do's and they would favour plaiting in various styles with some simple accessories.


In this clip from Elizabeth you can see a lot of variation between the hairstyles of women, from Elizabeth's which is grand to the ladies of the court which are more understated, there's also a moment you can pause to see the back of their hair as well which is interesting.

ref
ALCHIN .L.K., 2012. Elizabethan era  [online] [Viewed on 10th oct.2015] Available from:  http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm

Elizabeth. 1998 [film] Directed by KAPUR .S.

Technical Buns and Plaits.

So the first introductory lesson to Hair and Postiche involved our brief and a practical session with some simple techniques. 

A standard bun, twist bun, plait bun, staffed plait, French plait and a fishtail plait. 
These were all quite simple but effective techniques which are used a lot within Elizabethan style hair.

This bun was done by creating 4 barrel curls, securing and then blending the sections together using a pin.

This bun was simply a ponytail twisted into position, this is a very easy and quick way to put hair up into a bun, especially if in a hurry.

This is the same as above but plaited beforehand.

Three strand French braid, something I find hard to do but after practicing I was absolutely fine. 

Fishtail braid.

I enjoyed actually doing some practical work and being the first session and it being hairdressing I felt comfortable with having the background. One thing I learnt I need to do is be a lot more gentle with the hair when dressing as opposed to being used to cutting hair where tension is key. 

This is something I will be working towards varying throughout my work and learning how heavy handed or how a softer touch affects the overall outcome of the final look. 

Although I have the previous experience with hair I feel the techniques I will learn will definitely be useful and as well it's always better to learn new ways to do things even if you already have a good idea of what you're doing.