My Model’s Hair
My model has very long hair with medium thickness, which is perfect for victorian hairstyles. It wasn’t popular to have bleach blonde hair in the victorian era, instead a more natural blonde, however I want my hairstyle to look more modern and doll-like. Her hair is very straight in this picture which would be perfect to start any victorian hairstyle, so I will make sure to straighten her hair before starting.
Designing the Hairstyle
My model has very light platinum blonde hair which could look very effective and bright; however I could always use this to my advantage and add very bright pastel colours to her hair. I did some research to find hair inspiration for the colour and style. I just need to make sure that I don’t go over the top and make her look messy. If I were to put coloured hair spray or powder in her hair then I would have gone for very light and fun colours, as shown below; however I think that colouring the hair would be more suitable for the hippie character and then I’ll do a less colourful look on the hippie’s face.
BUBBLEGOTHPRINCESS, 2014. 25 Gorgeous Mermaid Hair Colour Ideas. In: BuzzNet. 2 September 2014 [24 October 2015]. Available from: http://www.buzznet.com/2014/09/25-gorgeous-mermaid-hair-color/25-gorgeous-mermaid-hair-color-ideas-3/
BRENNEKE, Z., 2014. 9 BBQ-Approved Hair Ideas, In: Byrdie. 26 May 2014 [24 October 2015]. Available from: http://www.byrdie.co.uk/best-summer-hair-ideas-2014/
I have decided that I will keep her hair platinum blonde and put it in a very youthful and fun style. I initially looked at Victorian porcelain dolls for inspiration so I wanted to bring a victorian element into the hair design. I didn’t want to give this doll a very obvious modern look because I wanted to make it more abstract and free and I also feel like the ringlets and pretty decorations in the victorian hairstyles have a doll-like feel about them.
ELIZABETH, M., 2013. Victorian Makeup and Hair Styles. In: MegannElizabeth. 19 February 2013 [24 Octobers 2015]. Available from: http://meghannstevens.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/face-charts-for-estella.html
PRE-RAPHAELITE NEOVICTORIAN, 2013. The Victrian Human Hair Market. In: The Ramblings of a Pre-Raphaelite Neo-Victorian. 3 June 2013 [24 October 2015]. Available from: http://pre-raphaeliteramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-victorian-human-hair-market.html
The images above show two very popular hairstyles of the victorian era. The victorian women wore very glamorous and elegant hairstyles, ranging from very simple looks to very intricate designs. Almost all hairstyles from this era require very long hair because it was the fashion to grow your hair very long. The hairstyle on the left looks like it is done by sectioning off the front of the hair, putting that front section in a middle parting and then smoothing down the hair until you reach the ears. The bottom part of this section is tightly curled towards the face very neatly into ringlets. The back of the hair is then smoothed back into a bun and decorated with ribbon or flowers. This hairstyle is very neat and elegant, but also very girly and doll-like with the ringlets. The hairstyles on the right are a lot more complex, with many different sections and padding. It looks like the front middle section of hair has been curled coming down the forehead slightly. It looks like the sides of the hair have been pulled and twisted back in different sections towards the crown of the head. I think padding or hair pieces would have been used to create the volume in the back, with the hair either twisted or plaited over the top; the lower part of the hair was curled into ringlets and left to hang down the neck. I love how extravagant and feminine this hairstyle looks. I can really imagine a victorian porcelain doll having hair like this with all the flowers and ringlets.
SHING, W., 2012. Rococo – 9. In: Flickr. 15 January 2012 [24 October 2015]. Available from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wshing/6734404223/in/photostream/
This is a high fashion take on the victorian hairstyles above (the second one); it is very exaggerated with the heigh of the hair. The middle section of the hair looks like it has been heavily backcombed and smoothed over a some big padding. The very front looks like it has been curled and then pulled up and back over the padding. The victorians would have probably curled this section and flattened it along the head. The sides have been gently pulled back they’re not completely flat against the head but still adding volume to the look. The back of the hair has been loosely curled and then placed on one shoulder. The victorians would have made these curls tighter and more defined. A bird has then been added to the hair for a fun and modern decoration; whereas the victorians would have decorate their hair with pearls, ribbon or flowers.
My Hair Charts
I really like the plait detail going over the bee hive because it almost looks like a cage or rope which could represent that she feels like she’s trapped in a cage by the mystery old man. The plaits also add a pretty and girly decoration to the look. I made this bee hive quite smooth and neat, which I think would maybe be more suitable if she wasn’t stuck in a forrest; I made the other two more messy which I think would reflect the surroundings more accurately. I decided to secure the bee hive with a big flower as this would cover any imperfections and the hair grips holding it in place. I really like the very small and defined curls, however I want the hair to look slightly more modern and relaxed.
I made this bee hive slightly more messy and relaxed looking, but still keeping the height. I want the hair to look very backcombed, as if she has caught her hair on something and it has been made a bit static or messy. I decided to put flowers going round and under the bee hive to almost represent hands coming round the side of her face and pulling her back. I like that the flowers would add colour and different textures to the look, however I don’t like that it adds weight to the bottom of the bee hive, when the victorians would always make that part very smooth and flat against the head; I think it would look more flattering if the sides were more pulled in. I made the curls at the bottom a lot looser to give a more relaxed and romantic look. This would also suit the story line well as she would have been trapped in the forest long enough for her curls to have dropped.
This is my chosen hair design! I decided to keep the bee hive very messy and backcombed all over to give a more relaxed and modern look. I decided to put a french plait on either side of the head, just above the ears, to add a pretty detail, but also to pull in the sides. I will not do the french plaits really tight but I want them to be relatively flat for a more flattering and historically accurate look. I added some small flowers randomly all over her bee hive to give a very ethereal, girly and youthful look. This will also add colour to her very light hair, which I will match to the makeup colouring. I put a bigger flower at the back to help hide the hair grips used the secure the french plaits and bee hive; I also think it will add a very pretty detail. I decided to keep the curls very loose and relaxed as I think they would have fallen slightly whilst she was trapped in the forrest. The looser curls will also add a more relaxed and romantic feel to the hair design.
I will practice this look on my model’s hair to get it exactly how I want it. I will also decide on the exact colours and flowers used once I can see everything together.
Styling
I want this character to look like she has been kidnapped in the night when she was in bed sleeping so I therefore wanted her to be wearing a nightie. I want her to be wearing something very light and airy, possibly with frills. I was inspired by the blue dress that Wendy wears in Peter Pan because it is very young and girly looking. This very pretty and cute styling reflects well with her character because she is very girly and young minded and she is very timid and shocked when trapped in the forest.
ADAMS, T., 2011. The Wendy Darlings. In: Thelma Adams: Nothing But A Dame. 6 May 2011 [24 October 2015]. Available from: http://thelmadams.com/wordpress/fiction/playdate-excerpts/the-wendy-darlings/
I found some white night dresses in my grandma’s wardrobe that I could have used; however I prefer the light blue coloured dress, shown below. I think the dress on the left is too long and not flirty enough and it almost look frumpy. I then don’t think the one of the right would work well because it isn’t very girly or light looking, I think it would swamp my model.
Chosen Outfit
I looked through my grandma’s old night wear and found these which looks very Wendy-like. This would be my favourite dress because the frills and neckline remind me of the victorian style dresses and I think it looks really girly and pretty. I really like that it’s light blue because it will match with the light blue makeup on the eyes. The dress is short which means I can show off the character’s long legs to sexualise her very subtly. I think the layering of fabric adds a very feminine, soft and floaty detail and makes it look less structured.
I thought it would be effective if I had a teddy in the background with its head ripped off to give the impression that she loved it to start with but then she either ripped it apart through frustration and anger, or the mystery man snatched it off her and destroyed it.
Becky Mercer 