Final Practise at my Partners Hair Design

In today hair session it was my last time to practise on my partners hair for her design. I had to make sure I could complete the whole design and that it was looking neat and secure. In each hair design iv'e practised on Beth Iv'e used the same padding in the hair. The padding is a circle shape and is filled with couch roll, we was going to fill it with something a little softer so its easier for me to put the grips in however if the padding is softer where Beths hair is so long and heavy we thought nothing else would hold the weight of her hair up, after this decision we decided to keep the same padding. 


I started with sectioning the hair off, I left hair at the front to create the wiggle plaits and also hair to cover the final bit at the front of the beehive. In Beths design she wants averagely 8 wiggle plaits all together at the front, this was 3 plaits going up the beehive each side (6 all together going up) and 2 crossing over framing the front of the face. Once this section was out of the way at the front I then started on creating the beehive. Most of my time is spend on creating and structuring the beehive as there is so much hair and its so hair I have to make sure its all secure and gripped down. I placed the beehive directly behind the parting of the front section and starting pull strands over one by one to secure the bottom layer to the head and the padding. I then gathered larger sections of hair and gripped it all into place and just left 4 strands at bottom.



I then separated the bit at the front that I left when I sectioned the hair at the beginning and started building that up at the front of the beehive, this was just to cover the front and make sure it looked neat and the padding wasn't showing. I then took down the next layer I separated which was for the wiggle plaits and I started grouping them into threes to create the plait. I started with the middle 6 and created all the wiggle plaits and gripped them to the top of the beehive. With the 2 outer plaits I brought them both across to meet at the middle and gripped them in place. 


When I put the wiggle plaits on the beehive I was left will a few strands left hanging over the back, normally I just clip them in and in Beths design they are just gripped to the back. However I asked her opinion if I could change the design slightly and plait the strands and grip it to the back so it looks more interesting and elaborate at the back. 

Next was working on the final 4 strands at the back of the head. Like the previous design I wrapped the strand around my finger and gripped it to the hair, this looked like flat curls on the head, Quite similar if I was using curling tongs. I created the 2 outer ones at the bottom and the 2 middle ones a little higher. Finally the last Elizabethan touch to the hair design was pearls, we bought some pearls with holes in them this way we could put a grip through the hole and grip it into the hair. I placed the pearls in the 2 front wiggle plaits that met in the middle, this gave the final touch to the design. 

side/back

top/front

front

RSide

Back

Selfie with my partner

Overall I'm very pleased with the outcome of this design as I definitely think its the best one iv'e created so far. Each piece of hair went perfectly well and each technique went to plan. The beehive is the hardest thing to tackle as It needs so much structure and work to keep it up. The hardest this is getting the pins in the hair as that is a little bit of a struggle because I have to put so many grips in and the hairs so thick and layered up its hard to put them in the hair. The rest of the design went really well and I think for a complete hair design the outcome came out really well. My timing for creating this was 1 hour and 30 minutes, I need to cut my time down slightly however hopefully on the day If I just work at a faster pace then it should all go to plan.

 Historical Elizabethan Hair comparisons to the design I'm creating

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/83598136803406647/
I think this 16th century beehive represents the historical hair design that I have created from Beths Design.This beehive has a similar hight to the hair which is incorporated into this design. Beth hair throughout will always look contemporary because of the texture and type of hair she has. Each individual plait gives a texture to hair with black, purple and brown running through the hair.

https://ndla.no/en/node/98522?fag=42&meny=101439
The flat pin curls at the front of the hair are very similar to the 4 pin curls I created the the bottom back of the hair. The technique is very Elizabethan however the hair style and type makes it very contemporary. This design also contains pearls placed on the top of the hair design and framing the front of the hair, again this element is in the hair design I created.

http://ladiesof2318.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/thumper-elizabethan-research/
This historical hairstyle has been re-created in modern day however has completely created a tradition Elizabethan hair design. The pearls and pin curls are a comparison to this historical design and my contemporary Elizabethan design.

Working Further on my Partners Hair design

In my recent hair studio lecture it was my turn to practise my partners design on her hair. By now I feel much more comfortable working with her hair and I'm picking up a much quicker pace. Beth hadn't got a final drawing of the hairstyle she wanted me to create however she had a collaboration of photo to show me. As in the previous lesson we experimented with the technique 'wiggle plait' and Beth really liked the technique and how it looked in the hair. Beth described to me how she wanted it too told and said it was pretty similar to the previous design I created on her. 

I started off with using the rat in the hair, this is exactly the same padding that was used in my previous design for the wiggle plait. Its just a ball of couch roll which has been put in a pair of tights. In the practise session the tights were a tan colour however on the day of the assessment I want it to be black so it matches the hair and blends in more in the design. I started with sectioning the front area were the wiggle plaits would be, each wiggle plait needs three strands of hair so I sectioned it off in three's. I then sectioned another area which I will use to cover the front of the padding. Once the front sections were out the way I placed the rat on the top of the head and started building up the hair over the rat and gripping it through the padding and securing it to the hair closest to the scalp for security. 

After I placed a decent amount of hair over the padding I realised I placed the rat to far back on the head and it was leaning back. I then had to go back and un grip all the pieces of hair that I had already gripped up and start again. This time I moved it up slightly and started to grip all the pieces of hairs up again. I start with stand by stand to secure it to the head and the padding and then I started grabbing three strands of hair at a time and bringing it all over and building it up. I've learnt from the first time I worked with Beths hair as I tried to put too many pieces of hair up at once and eventually its too heavy and not secure so it just falls. I've learnt from this mistake and realised I have to build the beehive up bit by bit to make sure its secure. Once al the hair was up in a beehive I left four strands of hair at the bottom and I still had the strands at the front to create the wiggle plaits. For the this I grabbed the three stands of hair, plaited it loosely and with the two strands on one side, I pulled them upwards to the roots of the hair to create the wiggle effect.

I created five main wiggle plaits in the centre which were gripped up at the top and two on each side by the ear which were brought around to the middle of head and gripped in the centre to the other wiggle plait. All the plaits and beehive were gripped with black bobby pins and wide set black grips as well. 

With the final 4 strands I left at the bottom, I wrapped the hair around my two fingers and gripped them to the roots of the hair. I did this with each strand so it created four twists at the back of the bottom of the hair. This wasn't originally in Beth design however instead of leaving the bottom bit down like in the last design we decided to add another technique to the design. I think this makes the hair look more Elizabethan as when the hairs down it looks very contemporary.

Overall I'm very happy with the design and I think it came out very well, the part that takes the longest in the hair design is creating the beehive this is because it takes structure and time to place each bit of hair up. Iv'e definitely become quicker at working with the hair which is good progress and I've become more confident. On the final assessment I think I need to present the wiggle plaits a little bit neater and try and get them the same size, however this is hard because each strand of braid in Beths hair varies. I think with the twists at the bottom of the hair could be neater and more secure as they felt a little loose. And of course the padding to be black to match the hair, overall I'm very hair with the hair design and it look me 1 hour and 10 minutes to create the final hair design so I do feel confident for the assessment as long as everything goes smoothly. 

Mood Board of Hair Design for my Assessment Partner

Here I have a variety of inspirational Images that make up my final hair design which my partner will create on me. I have included photos that show similar techniques that will need to be used to complete my hair design and also similar style and shape. My photos contain images from Historical Elizabethan hair designs as well as ones from recent high end fashion runways and also contemporary Elizabethan hair designs. This show my variety in the historical and modern designs and also the variety in my use of technique and style. 

http://careforhair.co.uk/hairstyle/braids-plait

http://www.hji.co.uk/hair/14-springsummer-2015-braids-copy-catwalks/

http://www.itslavida.com/the-return-of-the-plait/

http://beautyhigh.com/chanel-prefall-2013-hair-heights/

http://www.pinterest.com/zitong/fashion-chanel-pre-fall-2013-edinburgh/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0y5cvYMZ-amGOJO73O1Clxt3IgiobX1MwxyXump2K9EXZZ46FRbTPfK6ZGbw-Ic5CYwcTTuBfJ1nY_eVfiEnASBGD1-uJ46BzxHnhr2H8bg1JwICA6qq38-fB1l-6w9LArG00elsulnLo/s1600/heart-shaped-funny-vampire-hair-styles-girls.jpg

Practise of my Final Design- Assessment Partner creating my design on me

Since my assessment partner last created my hair design, I have decided to stick with that same design as I like it the best out of the three final design I drew up. I think is has the most potential out of my three designs and contains a variety of elements that are techniques that were used or represent the era of the Elizabethans. My design contains a variety of skills we have learnt and practised on each other over the past few weeks. My design has frizzing/crimping, plaiting/French plaiting, heart shaped beehive with padding and a bun. Most of these are elements and techniques the Elizabethans would of used and I created a contemporary design from the era that shows history and modern influences to the design. 

In our assessment practise lesson today my partner, Beth, yet again created the hair style with the improvements added in. Beth started with crimping the hair which still took 45 minutes to do the whole head. She then started sectioning the hair and created all the plaits making sure they were all sectioned equally and were plaited neat. After the crimping, she brushed through the crimping and started with the plaits, from the moment of brushing my crimped hair to sectioning and plaiting all the head this took her again 20 minutes. Beth did not rush creating the design we tried to time everything perfectly at a good pace so the design was neat and accurate. This time she added the rats in, this was one on each side of the head to create the heart shape. She tried to get the padding equal and symmetrical on each side and for them to be the same height. Once the beehive was done she had to create the bun which this time I wanted it larger than before. She started with putting all the hair up in a pony tail and then back combing it from the roots, she sectioned the hair in fours, rolled the hair over and gripped it to the base of the hair, then spread the four parts to blend into one large bun and gripped it in place. Overall the beehive and the bun took 25 minutes to complete. Overall the design took Beth 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. On the day of the assessment we don't want to rush the design, because sometimes rushing can potentially ruin the hair design itself. Therefore when asked by our lecturer if we wanted any time before the assessment to prepare the hair we said yes, before the assessment Beth is going to crimp my hair in preparation to create the rest of the design. This means when completing the design on the day, created the plaits, bun and beehive should take Beth her normal 45 minutes to create the rest of the design, this will then give her plenty of time to achieve neat cornrow and the perfect symmetrical heart shaped beehive.

After Beth created my design I was very happy with the overall look of it, it felt very secure on my heat and was very neat. The bun was a much better size and I preferred it bigger and the same for the beehive. When thinking about my design during the creation I was thinking about including some pearls to the hair design, I thought it would look nice if there were a few pearls pinned into the bun at the back of the hair just to give the design a slight more of an Elizabethan feel and also using an accessory.

On the day of the assessment I need to make sure to bring pearls for the design that will create on me, I will bring my own rats for the beehive. The grips, hairspray, hair band and crimpers will be in the studio on the day we just need to ask the lecturer to supply them for us before the assessment begins so we are prepared. On the day I will need to bring in my drawn up design of the hair style, a step to step guide of how to create it and maybe additional photo showing the design I want in case the drawing isn't clear enough. Apart from that the combs and brushes will be supplied from Beths hair kit that she will need to bring on the day. 

Overall I'm very happy with the outcome of the design I think Beths matched it up very well to my drawing and its exactly what I wanted it to look like. I think the assessment day will go to plan as we have practised it once, created the final thing once as well and she has already seen my design plans before hand and the explanation of the design

Assessment Partners First attempt at One of my Hair Designs

 

This was design two from my last blog post, this design had some extreme plaiting incorporated into this contemporary Elizabethan hair design. The basics for this design was two cornrows parting the middle of the hair at the front, braided all the way down to the front of the forehead, down the side of the head and up to the bun. At the would be 4 cornrows separate that would be braided to meet the bun in the middle, so when looking at the back all together there should be 6 plaits and on the top would a heart shaped beehive. 


My assessment partner; Beth was able to have a look at the designs I drew for the assessment, we eventually chose to go with the one that has the cornrows coming up the back which two of them originally started in the middle of the head and framed the hairline all the way round. When practising hair designs with Beth I noticed that she was very good at cornrows, therefore I definitely  wanted to add a hair design around it. In the Elizabethan era plaiting the hair was very popular and today the modern twist of a plait is probably the French plait as its a little more difficult to do. 


As soon as the studio lesson started we go right into the design where I briefly told her what I wanted it to look like and showing her my design I drew and also the photos that gave me inspiration to create the design. We wanted to use this session to find out how long each section of the hair took and what could be improved in my design, including feedback from the teacher. Beth started with setting up our work station and  began with crimping my hair, after this was completed she sectioned the line of where the cornrow would be at the front and clipped the rest of the hair back. She started on one side and plaited from the middle, down and all the way round. 

Then she started at the back where the cornrow would be going upwards, I had to sit with my head facing the ground so she could plait them all upwards. We realised we were coming close to the end of our lesson when Beth started creating the heart shaped beehive. Therefore when creating the beehive she didn't get enough time to put in the rats to give height and volume to the beehive. Instead we proceeded on without the padding this time just to see the overall design. Finally, she pulled the rest of the left over hair all together and put it into a bun. 

Overall the crimping of the whole head took 45 minutes, the cornrow took 20 minutes, and the bun and beehive took 20 minutes. However next time we need to include the padding to the beehive. During the real assessment we will have around 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete the whole design, however on the hair before hand you can prep the hair ready for the assessment to cut down on timing. Improvements I would do to this hair design for next time is I would want the bun to be a little bit bigger and voluminous. We will definitely make more time in next lesson to include the padding in the hair so that the beehive is bigger and more secure. Next attempt we definitely need to time each area properly so that on the day we are completed in good time and also see what hair preparation we want to complete before the assessment. Overall I think Beth executed the Elizabethan hair design I drew very well and came out how I wanted it to look. We have a few things to tweak on the design however overall I'm very satisfied with the outcome.

My Three Hair Designs for my Assessment Partner to create on me

Three Potential Final Hair Designs for my Partner to Create-

 Design 1-
In this contemporary Elizabethan hair design I was sure that I wanted to incorporate some kind of French plait into my design. I started with how I wanted the back of the hair, which was the cornrow coming up the back of the head and then pulled into the bun. For the middle section of the top of the hair I wanted one singular braid going through the middle and joining the bun from the top. Both of the inspiration for the braids were from the Chanel catwalk as they go all out for the braids on the runway.

 Firstly I want the hair to be completely crimped, this is because I know my hair is thin and crimping it will give it that extra volume to work with and also will give the frizzy, curly effect the Elizabethan tended to have in the era. For the beehive on top I wanted it to be a heart shape and this would separate in the middle were the braid would be. All the hair from the rest of the beehive and the ends of the plaits would be all brought together and put into a frizzy bun. In the hair style I have incorporated contemporary and historical hair techniques that would of been used in the era and the modern day. The equipment needed to complete this hair design is, crimpers, bobbi pins, wide side grips, rat, hairspray, hair band, hair brush and a pin tail comb. 

Design 2-
 For this design I went a little harder with the cornrow design just to give my partner a little challenge with the hair. For this design, you start with crimping the whole head to give it volume and thickness. Then in the middle I have included two cornrows that separate to create a parting, the plait starts from the middle of the hair, braided down forwards to the forehead, down and around the ear and up to meet the back. This is on both sides of the head and the plait in the middle of the scalp is in two so it creates a middle parting. At the back of the hair again is the cornrow which starts at the bottom of the hair and works its way up to meet up to the bun, at the back all together there should be 6 plaits. At the top of the hair I want a heart shaped beehive again this to be separated by the two plaits in the middle of the head, each beehive will stand on each side of the head. The left over hair from the beehive and the ends of the braids will all come together in a frizzy bun. The equipment needed to complete this hair design is, crimpers, bobbi pins, wide side grips, rat, hairspray, hair band, hair brush and a pin tail comb. 







Design 3-
For this design I created it quite elaborate at the bottom and simple Elizabethan at the top. For back of the hair I want the braids coming up the back, this time a little higher than the other designs because there wont be a bun there this time. The whole head will be crimped to give that frizzing Elizabethan feel, once all the back braids have been plaited upwards the the top of the head, its need to be held in place while the egg shaped beehive gets created. The beehive will be oval and quite large with the frizzy texture to it, the few ends of the plaits and the hairs at the back will have to be pulled up and put into the beehive as well as there is no hair left down in this design. I left the front a little simpler this time as its just one large crimper beehive that has a lot of height and texture. In this design I want pearls to be added to the front of the hair just to give an accessory to the hair and minor detail at the front of the hair to give an Elizabethan feel. The equipment needed to complete this hair design is, crimpers, bobbi pins, wide side grips, rat, hairspray, hair brush, pearls and a pin tail comb

Inspiration for Contemporary Plaits

THE PLAITS OF 2014

Whats in this year on the catwalks.. plaits of every shape and size. 

Say goodbye to bad hair days, and hello to your go-to quick hair fix – the plait. Featured on the Aw14 shows of Jean Pierre Braganza, Marc Jacobs, Marchesa and Alexander McQueen, the plait is back! Usually associated with school-girl hair, the classic style has received a grown-up make-over and is the saviour to your last minute hair stresses.

From dishevelled styles at Jean Pierre Braganza, neat braids in centre parted hair at Marc Jacobs and rows of French plaits on the crown at Marchesa and McQueen. Whether you opt for a French braid, pigtail plaits, or an up-do, a quick braid is the easiest way to give your hair an AW update. A look that’s low maintenance, quick and easy and won’t heat damage your hair, sounds like AW hair perfection!

The beautiful bohemian braid. Created by Darren Ambrose and the Wella Professionals team, this matte textured look shows that catwalk plaits can be pretty and wearable. The braids part down the middle of the hairline and forms down the side of the head and is then put into the messy bun which contains another large plait.

The pristine-section-plait at Teatum Jones. Inspired by Nina Simone and created by Bianca Tuovi, this style sees intricate sections of thick braids that pulls up together into a bun.

The 360° braid. At Bibhu Mohapatra, Amit Abraham created braids with a bit of everything for appeal at every angle. Leather bands were woven through the top sections, a swirling bun took pride of place at the back, sleek sides provided contrast and a headband made an impact at the front. This particluar plaited hair style I feel is very contemporary elizabethan. The way the plait parts down the middle of the hair and incorporates into the bun, this style contain many influnces and techniques used in the Elizabethan era.

The post-tornado fishtail by Orlando Pita for Michael Kors. Session stylist Orlando described it as how hair would like after a tornado. In reality, volumising spray and a big fat tong were used to achieve the grunge texture.

The chain-link look by Eugene Souleiman for Wella Professionals at Donna Karan has been a social media sensation.The four-strand style required two hands, twisting and crossing each length in the style of a 90s friendship band.



Plaits can be very easy and a great way to get your locks off your face. However some types of plaits or braids can be quite elaborate and look very sophisticated. In relation to plaits and the Elizabethan era, plaits were very common in the hair and were easy to do. If I wanted to incorporate a plait into my design and make it contemporary I could create a French plait in the hair and this could be worn anyway and plaited in any direction. Here I did a mini study on looking into contemporary plaits that have been used on the catwalk by many designer this year. I really like the different variety of French plaits, braids, fish tail and twist you can incorporate into a hair design. The main feature for my hair design I want it to be some kind of french plait that is incorporated into the contemporary Elizabethan hair style.










http://www.hji.co.uk/hair/14-springsummer-2015-braids-copy-catwalks/
http://www.itslavida.com/the-return-of-the-plait/

Contemporary Designers Influenced by the Elizabethan Era

Vivienne Westwood

Gian Paolo Barbieri – Vivienne Westwood – 1997
http://www.norestfortheobsessed.com/photo/2014/eduard-planting-presents-arte-e-eleganza/

Vivienne Westwood entire look in the photograph represents queen Elizabeth 1 herself. Her whole style in this photograph is very Elizabethan her hair is up in a round beehive which is styles with waves and curls going through the hair. This hair style completely shouts out Queen Elizabeth as she would often wear a hairstyle similar to this. Her clothing is obviously a modern interpretation of the era as she has a high collar at the back of her gown framing her hair and face, Queen Elizabeth would often have clothing similar to this such as large collars and ruffs around her neck. Her necklace is made from pearls which was a popular jewellery in the 16th century often worn by the riches and Queen Elizabeth herself. Her position and face expression looks similar to the portraits of Queen Elizabeth 1, this is because she's direct to the camera, her hands are held together in the middle, and she has a very straight forward plain face for the portrait. 


Alexander McQueen

https://kennydavisdesign.wordpress.com/category/fashion/

http://s2.hubimg.com/u/8062187_f260.jpg

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2013, Although this collection’s concept isn't by McQueen himself, it embodies his personal aesthetic and was created by Sarah Burton on the behalf on McQueen. Burton’s collection reflects eras of rich delicate fashion. The dresses seem to be influenced by the Elizabethan and Victorian Eras. In the first photo you can see under the highly decorated head cage of the model the hairstyle has techniques influenced of the 16th century. The beautiful dresses represent the colour of the riches of black, white and of course gold. The dresses were highly decorated with gold thread embroidered, pearls and ruffs around the neck. 

https://kennydavisdesign.wordpress.com/category/fashion/

Hair Inspiration development for my design for the Final Assessment

As our assessment is approaching in the next few weeks I have started thinking about gathering photos together that I would like to use as my design. I've recently be looking at post's ive blogged about and the artists and designers that have incorporated the Elizabethan era. Below I have posted a few hair designs that I really like, the majority of them are from Chanel catwalks and another design is from the film Elizabeth 1. When creating a hair design for the assessment, I have to draw/ mood board photos and write how to create the design, then with my assessment partner we have to swap designs and she will have to create the Elizabethan hairstyle I create on me. Recently me and my partner have been working together so we can get familiar with each others hair and our ability. I'm starting to gather ideas and thoughts of what I want to create, this will incorporate designer and photo inspiration and techniques we've learnt or created in our studio session.

http://www.pinterest.com/ekhamett/final-major-project-inspiration/
The french plaits incorporated into this Elizabethan hair design is just amazing, the plaits are sectioned amazing and so neat, it just looks to die for. This Chanel pre fall 2013 hairstyles was a big hit on the runway as all the models hair design who was created by the amazing Sam McKnight was based around the Elizabethan Era. In this photo the technique I like is the French plaits into the beehive at the top, this design has inspired me a lot and I would like to incorporate the French plait into my contemporary Elizabethan design. 

http://beautyhigh.com/chanel-prefall-2013-hair-heights/
I really like the height of this hair design and the beehive shape, I like how the beehive contains waves to give it volume. I could incorporate this style into my design, by designing a beehive that's potentially been crimped to create volume.

http://www.pinterest.com/zitong/fashion-chanel-pre-fall-2013-edinburgh/
I really like the French plait that comes up the side of the head and joins into the beehive, it gives a very contemporary Elizabethan feel to the hairstyle. 

http://selahdor.com/blog1/?p=908
I really like this extreme slick back contemporary heart shaped beehive with the French plait going through the middle of the hair. I like how strong the design looks however I would design more of a round heart shape on each side to make it a little more Elizabethan. (Chanel, spring, 2010) 

http://www.pinterest.com/daniellagitto/doro/
The above Chanel design then reminds me of this hairstyle worn by Queen Elizabeth in the film Elizabeth 1. This is slightly more of a historical design as the style was set for the time period of the 16th century. However I like the division between the hair in the middle as the style looks very different and looks similar to the Chanel 2010 catwalk.