Elizabethan Hair Quote -

  

So, as a small class assignment, we were told to find a quote based on the content of Elizabethan Hair and depict what the key words of the quote was. The typical quote that I’m assuming everyone used is the Philip Stubbes quote that approaches Elizabethan Hairstyles with Elizabethan language. I however,  used a quote that I found on Google Search engine that has no fame to it, but does in fact speak sense of Elizabethan hair. The words that stuck out most when reading over this quote were definitely, “Elegantly Up-Kept, Bold and Decorative”. Once I started to research Elizabethan hair, I quickly realised that this quote was perfect for this assignment because it is an exact depiction of the hairstyles in which men and women of the era wore.

If you refer back to my previous post on Elizabethan Hair Experimentation; you will see the awful but reflective sketch I created to sum up the keywords in this Quote in my own way :

http://hairbynini.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/elizabethan-hair-experimentation.html

So,  because I spoke about the details of my sketch in my other post, here I’m just going to look over some modern interpretations of these keywords that could be used to create a modern Elizabethan Hairstyle.

• I chose this image for the “Elegantly Up-Kept” aspect of my quote because I really love the shape and textures created in the up-do; especially the front of the hair where it looks like an effortless crimped hairstyle but was probably curled. To me the texture created through the curls almost imitates the hairstyles and textures used in Elizabethan times, but more specifically the paintings that I have researched of Queen Elizabeth I. I think it looks more modern (to me) because it has that beach-salt type tousle to it and although it is elegant, it definitely is messy and effortless at the same time. This picture is also a very good example of how something has been made elegant; because the hair is slightly messy looking the overall look has been completed with a sapphire stone pair of earrings and a necklace. This shows that accessories and props have a major impact on an overall image.

•  With this modern photograph I thought it represented the “bold” aspect of the quote really well because the top spiral of hair is very bold in contrast to the shorter shaved sides of the models head. Also; again with textures I really like the fluffy but wisped texture in the hair style because of the textures seen in Elizabethan hair. I think that this image also appears abstract because of the weight of the hair at the front of the models head.

• For the “Decorative” aspect of the quote I found this elegant yet sophisticated hairstyle that almost seems bridal, but in an Elizabethan interpretation; could be seen as royal. What I really enjoyed about this image was the french plait embedded with what seems to be strings of small pearls i think that plaits in general are a very safe yet historic way to add a certain je ne sais que to any Medieval/Elizabethan hair-do. I feel like the decor added and used in a hairstyle should be very reflective of the overall styling on a model; accessories and hair decor can tell a story of a character; as can a prop in a photograph e.g. Queen Elizabeth I with her pet rat.

What do you think about this quote? What sort of modern styles would you attach to these keywords? – XO