Plaits and Ribbon

With this assignment we were instructed to experiment with ribbons, plaits and even twists! After all, hairstyles in the Elizabethan era were always decorative so with these images above I tried to maintain that. I started by separating the front and back halves of the head on my model, then backcombed the back section to add some mega volume, but to also add texture to my models straight hair. Texture (to me) is very important for recreating an Elizabethan look because the hair seen in paintings and research, always has a wispy/crimped type texture and appearance. Once the hair was backcombed, I then gathered all the back section to create a basic plait entwined with light blue satin ribbon. I think this worked well because the backcombing helped to structure the direction of the plait; it made the plait look natural and effortless but still elegant because of the ribbon. I think this would have worked even better if I had tried different techniques when putting the ribbon into my plait and maybe it would have looked even more professional if I had added some stud earrings into the folds of the plait so it looked like jewels. I also experimented a bit with adding some roses in the parting between the front and back sections of the hair; I really liked this spare of the moment idea because it not only decorative but also frames the head and shape of my model. I also parted the front section of the hair through the middle, and plaited each side into a bun-like shape; I think this would be an interesting idea for my final image if I added something inside (as strange as that sounds). This style to me added a very effortless Elizabethan aspect to the hair!

-XO