Initial Responses To The Brief

We were asked to create 3 designs in response to the brief (Elizabethan mixed with contemporary hairstyles) - they did not have to be final designs, just an idea. 

The first design I came up with was this... 

The Elizabethan inspiration is the use of padding to create the bouffant and the curls at the front for decoration (exactly like we have been learning), and the contemporary attributes are the fish tail plaits (essentially acting like Elizabethan tendrils). I would say fish tail plaits have definitely come back into fashion lately and that is why I have chosen to use them. 

beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/

The image to the left shows the kind of style I have took my inspiration from - the hair is all back off of the face (to leave a defined hairline) and the hair looks like it has a lot of volume (which will be created with the padding). 

http://galleryhip.com/elizabethan-hairstyles.html

This is where I got the inspiration from about the fish tail plaits - I want to use them to create almost the tendrils which are created in this image by curls.

This is where the modern/contemporary side of the hair will be incorporated into the design; as shown below, even celebrities are sporting the style on the red carpet, as well as for a more casual look in the day. 

Vanessa Hudgens wearing a fishtail plait

Blake Lively at the Savages premiere 

My second design was this...

The Elizabethan part of the style is the heart-shaped padding - this was very popular in the Elizabethan period and is a well-known design. However, I felt it was almost too well-known and would not be seen as contemporary, therefore I wanted to backcomb the hair and make it quite big and almost messy (similar to as shown below). 

http://www.pinterest.com

The other aspect of my design was to incorporate a french plait across the front of the hair to create a very sharp and defined hairline. The reason I chose a french plait is because this style has fairly recently been a trend and has been used in the fashion industry and by celebrities, so I thought this would help the style become more contemporary. Below shows Lauren Conrad (who arguably helped make this style a recent trend) wearing the look. 

http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/gallery/0,,20215149_20432295,00.html

My third and final design was this...

The Elizabethan part of the design is the style and use of tendrils for the half-down section of the hair - I will create this by using the frizzing technique (described in another post), but I will not brush the curls out, I will leave them quite rigid. Also, the use of the bun is quite Elizabethan-inspired because they would have had their hair in a bun, just it would have been covered by an accessory, however, in my design I want to leave the bun on show and push pearls into the bun (also another Elizabethan aspect). 

The modern part of the style is the use of a half-up, half-down look, since this has been very popular over the years, and still is today. Also, the use of the bun is fairly contemporary because often females wear their hair like this (but normally containing all of the hair), whether it be using a doughnut to create the style, or the way explained in a previous post. 

Kim Kardashian wearing a sock bun

Overall, I am actually quite satisfied with the designs I came up with and would be willing to move forward with any of the three styles, but I must choose one...

My least favourite out of the three is my second design because I feel like it is almost too obvious, and that once the style is created, it would just scream Elizabethan, and not appear contemporary in any way. 

After carefully assessing the other two designs, and considering all other factors (such as time, and the fact that it has to be created on my own hair), I have decided to go for the third design. The reason I have eliminated the first design is because I feel my hair will not create the desired look I am imagining - I want the fishtail plaits to be quite long and go around the front and rest quite far past the shoulders to really create the feel of tendrils, however, I feel my hair will not be long enough to achieve this, so for that reason, I have chosen the third design.