The Elizabethans - Elizabethan Symbolism

Elizabethan symbolism was very important.  In all of Queen Elizabeth's portraits, she was shown with various different objects or animals that represented different ideas and meanings.  Below is a list of the most frequently portrayed symbols in the queens portraits and their meanings.

http://www.pov.bc.ca/mariastuarda-production.html

ROSE - a rose was the Tudor dynasty, it also represented the idea of the Virgin Mary, or in Elizabeth's case, the Virgin Queen.

PELICAN - pelicans symbolise the idea of motherly love, charity and selflessness

PHOENIX - a phoenix is the symbol of endurance, uniqueness and longevity

ERMINE - an ermine is a small rat like mammal that symbolises purity and royalty

SIEVE - representing virginity and purity and also associated with the Roman Empire

MOONS and PEARLS - these represent purity and also show wealth

CELESTIAL GLOBE - this shows wisdom and power

DOGS - a dog symbolises faithfulness

These symbols were important to Queen Elizabeth, as they reflected different elements of her personality that she wanted to portray to her country.

The Hair Studio - HAIR CONSULTATIONS, WASH AND BLAST DRY

Equipment used:

Gown

Towel

Shampoo

Conditioner

Wide tooth comb

Hair dryer

How to make a HAIR CONSULTATION

Looking at the natural hair state of your model, check for dandruff, alopecia (when hair is missing), head lice (usually sit at the nape of the neck and behind the ears), type of hair and the condition of the hair

Ask if they are on any medication, as this would affect the way that the hair is and ask if they have any allergies

How to WASH and BLAST DRY hair

Begin by putting a gown on your model and a towel around their neck

Ensure that all hair is in the sink basin and then turn the tap on, checking the water temperature on your wrist

Rinse the hair with water, being careful not to drip it on the face

Put shampoo into your hands and massage into the head using our fingertips

NOTE: with fine hair use less shampoo and with think hair use more shampoo and do not scrub the hair with shampoo

Repeat the shampooing process twice

Rinse the hair clean of shampoo.  The hair will squeak when it is fully rinsed

Turn off the water after shampooing

Put conditioner into your hands and onto the hair, not putting too much at the roots

Comb through the hair at the basin using a wide tooth comb whilst the conditioner is on

Rinse the comb of all conditioner and rinse the hair thoroughly

Squeeze the hair to get rid of any excess water and wrap the hair in a towel, squeezing once more – do not rub.

Using the wide tooth comb again, comb through the hair in sections

NOTE: never brush wet hair, always use a comb

Place the nozzle on the hairdryer and ensure that there are no knots in the lead

Begin to dry the hair, moving the hairdryer around from root to tip, running your fingers through the hair to make sure that you get every section

NOTE: the thicker the hair the higher the heat and the finer the hair the lower the heat

The Elizabethans - Who were they?

The Elizabethans were the people that lived during the Elizabethan era, which was the time period  of 1558-1603, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  The Elizabethans were a group of people whose looks meant everything to them, and some would go to extreme lengths to achieve their desired look.

How the Elizabethans dressed was used to determine what social hierarchy that they belonged to.  People had to dress in atire that would reflect, and not exceed your wealth and rank in society.  This meant that others could look at you once and they'd instantly know that you were either an upper of lower class citizen.  Wealthier Elizabethans would usually wear colours such as red, purple, black and white, as these were the most expensive colours to produce in fabric.  The lower classes would wear colours such as blue, green, orange, brown and yellow.

Throughout Elizabeth's reign, the style of the era changed and evolved.  Shapes became a lot rounder; sleeves become puffier and neck ruffs became bigger.  The Elizabethans used to pluck their foreheads in order to make their hairline receed and their foreheads appear higher.  They would also pluck their eyebrows really thin and shape them so that they appeared high on their foreheads.

Elizabethan women did not have access to the materials that we are lucky enough to take advantage of today.  They used to apply cosmetic products to their skin such as white lead, ceruse, kohl, vermilion and vinegar.  These, plus many more, would ruin a woman's complexion, however they would then disguise it by making a white paste out of another form of dangerous cosmetic, and a lot of women suffered from lead poisoning, scarring and other side effects that were caused by these products.  These harmful products were used to make a white paste that the women would then apply thickly to their skin, before using fuces (crushed bugs) as a blusher and lipstick to give them a bit of colour in their cheeks.  Other less harmful products that the Elizabethans used were things like egg whites, which were used to get rid of wrinkles.

Elizabethan men didn't like that the women wore a lot of make-up.  This was because if a woman then blushed, they wouldn't be able to tell because of all the make-up that they were wearing, and a woman blushing is apparently very desirable to a man.

As for their hair care, women would rinse their hair in sulphur and sit out in the sun to try and bleach it. When styling their hair, they would sweep it up and off of the face, decorating their hairstyles with delicate headwear, and adorning it with jewels and pearls.  For Elizabethan women to achieve the traditional red curly hair, it was very difficult.

Queen Elizabeth - the main, and possibly only, style icon for the women of the Elizabethan era.  She was viewed by the public and one step down from God, she always had a pale face applied (because this represented wealth and stability) and she often wore wigs to cover up the fact that she was actually going bald underneath.  Elizabeth loved her country, and part of the reason for her dressing the way that she did, was to represent this love, and to prove to others that she was serious about her role as leader of the country.

References:

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_era

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/makeup.html

Information from seminar

Hair Descriptions - WILD | SMART

http://punkglobe.com/prettypunkbeautyarticle0812.php

When I imagine what a 'wild' hairstyle might look like, I immediately think of punks and the crazy designs in which they style their hair.  Always daring and different, they manage to pull off these wild looks without them looking messy.  My interpretation of the word 'wild' when related to hair would be something that shows diversity and variety within the same hairstyle.

The image on the left is a perfect example of a wild hairstyle.  This is because the volume and styling of the hair is quite different from an every day 'normal' look.  The way that the hairstyle shows different textures and variety in the hair makes it a wild hairstyle for me.

http://www.twohairstyles.com/celebrity-hairstyles-2012.html/
braided-ponytail-hairstyle

When I think of what a 'smart' hairstyle may look like, I always imagine a style that you might find in an office or workplace, a style that someone might choose for their day ahead at work.  To me, a 'smart' hairstyle is one that looks neat and tidy, with just one texture or 'theme' running throughout the hairstyle.  Relating to this idea, I immediately think of a clean ponytail, that is pulled back neatly off the face without any wisps or strands escaping.

This image is a great example of a smart hairstyle, because the hair is neatly pulled back off of the face, having been braided at the sides before pulling back into a low ponytail.  The way that the hair has been plaited gives it a bit of quirkiness, although the hairstyle still looks very smart and professional.

Red Heads and Royalty

Red Heads and Royalty is the name of my first project at Southampton Solent for the Fundamentals of Hair and Postiche.  The aim of this project is to develop and produce a contemporary Elizabethan hair and make-up look within an allotted time of an hour and a half (45 minutes for hair, and 45 minutes for make-up), taking the Elizabethan era and making it more relatable to people living now in the 21st century.

Throughout the project we will be researching and learning about the Elizabethans, their iconic hairstyles and how they achieved this.  Through our research we will be looking at portraiture from the era, and how they composed their hair in order to reflect who they were and what their social hierarchy was.  We will also be learning how to recreate some of these traditional styles, in order to then take some of these techniques forward into our final designs.

We will also be looking at some contemporary versions of Elizabethan hair that may inspire us for our own work.  Finally we will be creating three contemporary Elizabethan hairstyles, of which we will choose one for another person to then create upon ourselves.

My initial reaction to the project brief was to look at up dos, as the Elizabethans rarely wore their hair down, and how I could modernise them.  Also, because I have ombred hair, I feel that that is quite a contemporary twist, so maybe a more Elizabethan hairstyle would suit.  We shall find out in the weeks to come, once I have researched and learnt a lot more about the Elizabethan era.

I am excited to begin this project and get stuck into learning.  I am looking forward to developing my ideas through research and developing my techniques to become a better hair stylist.