Queen Victoria was a fashion icon in her own right. In the early years of her reign, she inspired the “Apollo Loop” in which a plain or coiled plait of false hair was attached onto wires to create eye-catching loops worn vertically on top of the head. But the use of elaborate wigs made way for cleaner, gentler looks. The Victorian period of fashion was about living more simply than the previous era. Hairstyles eventually became more natural and demure with hair parted in the middle, drawn into a bun or coil with curls allowed to fall loosely at the sides of the head. Hairstyles mirrored the aspirations and social changes occurring within society during this era. The Industrial Revolution saw the rise of the middle classes and brought new fashions for clothes and hair. By the 1850s women wore hairstyles incorporating hairpieces purchased from the new department stores. Additionally, women began using soaps to clean their hair, but this act would strip away oils, leaving the hair stringy and dry. Products to restore hair’s lustre included vegetable oil and even bear grease. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Marcell Wave invented by Marcel Grateau’s “curling iron,” became a popular hairstyle which enabled to create a more natural looking wave as opposed to a curl. Victorians associated hair with life and love, therefore, it was traditional for women to incorporate lockets of hair into mourning jewellery after the passing of a loved one. Also, after 1860, hair was off the face and hair decorations were popular (feathers, flowers). There was a lot of height and short curly fringes were worn by the most of the Victorian ladies. The wealthy ones used to buy hair pieces which were very expensive, but popular at the same time.
Source: http://chertseymuseum.org/hair
Below, there is my step-by-step hairstyle for the late Victorian period:
- I made a center part in the front using a comb.
- Then, using hot rollers, I rolled four pieces of hair each side.
- After that, I fixed the hair in two pony tails, living some pieces on the sides.
- I twisted the first pony tail in a bun, the using a curler, I started to curl the sides and the second pony tail. Then I fixed the curls in a loose way, using hair grips.
- I released then the front hair from the hot rollers and I fixed it as I did with the other ones. The fact that I used hot rollers in the front, gave the hair more volume.
- I also curled the hair from the back and I fixed it as I did with the other ones. The final result:
Elegant, simple and Victorian.
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