Elizabethan Hair Styles
Elizabethan Hair StylesElizabethan
Hair Styles for the court were led by Queen Elizabeth. Upper class
fashion, which included hairstyles, was highly elaborate - and necessary
to achieve attention and success at court. It was referred to as the
Peacock age as the Upper class Elizabethan men were often more
elaborately dressed than the women and their hair and beards received a
similar amount of attention!
Elizabethan Hair ColorIt
was important for Queen Elizabeth to maintain her image and the beauty
of a 'Virgin Queen'. The Elizabethan view of ideal beauty was a woman
with light hair and a snow white complexion complimented with red cheeks
and red lips. Queen Elizabeth achieved this picture of ideal beauty by
using white make-up. This explains the odd white face make-up seen in
many of her portraits. Queen Elizabeth had a natural red color hair.
This red hair look was emulated by many of the nobility of the
Elizabethan era, as was the fair hair ideal of an ideal woman! An Upper
Class Elizabethan woman followed this fashion further and might even dye
her hair yellow with a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and
oil! Wigs were also commonly used - Queen Elizabeth had a wide variety
of wigs and hair pieces - believed to number over eighty! These were
often referred to as Periwigs.
Elizabethan Hair Styles for WomenElizabethan
Hair Styles for women were designed to compliment the upper class
fashions of the day. Ruffs, or ruffles, were in high fashion and during
the Elizabethan era these became more elaborate and were constructed on
gauze wings which were raised at the back of the head. The ruffs, or
collars, framed the face and dictated the hairstyles of the age which
were generally short for men ( at the beginning of the Elizabethan era)
and swept up look was required for women. A frizzy hairstyle was also
one of the required styles for women! Women kept their hair long and the
full natural beauty of their long hair was displayed by the young women
of the era. The long hair flowing hair of a young girl was a sign of a
virgin and the favoured hairstyle for a bride on her wedding day. An
Elizabethan bride would adorn her hair with fresh flowers. Once a woman
achieved the married status she wore her hair swept up. Much of the hair
was covered by some form of head covering. Long hair was generally
dressed in a bun to which the variety of head coverings could be pinned.
The front and sides of the hair received great attention as this was
the area that was most displayed. Fringes were not in fashion -
hairstyle fashion dictated that hair was combed way from the forehead.
The hairstyle was usually designed to compliment the style of the hat.
Frizzed hair was favoured by the Queen and therefore followed by ladies
of the court although straight hair was favoured with a centre parting
which especially complimented the french hood.
Head Coverings for Women
The
Elizabethan fashion dictated that the head was adorned with a hat,
veil, coif or caul. This fashion therefore ensured that much of the hair
was hidden by some form of head coverings. The style of the head
covering dictated the hairstyle. Many of the hats were adorned with
feathers, pearls, glass jewels, spangles, gold thread, embroidery and
lace.
The
Coif - The coif ( commonly referred to as the 'biggin' ) worn by all
children. Material was plain white linen, a close fitting cap tied under
the chin. Coifs were often worn as caps to keep hair in place under
more elaborate hats
The
French hood - Introduced from the French court by Anne Boleyn, the
mother of Queen Elizabeth I. A half moon, or crescent, style band or
brim sloping away from the face. The edges were often adorned with
pearls or glass jewels, called bilaments, and a veil covered the back of
the hair
The
Atifet - Similar to the French hood style but with a heart shaped
crescent - favoured in white by Mary Queen of Scots. Lace trimmnigs were
added
The
Caul - Cauls were the Elizabethan hair net! A Caul covered the hair at
the back of the head and was made of fabric, or fabric covered by netted
cord which was sometimes adorned with spangles.
The Pillbox style of hat - often had a veil attached to the back
Elizabethan Hair Style - a comment dating back to 1583!During
the Elizabethan era pamphlets were printed and distributed commenting
on life in Elizabethan England. A writer of one such pamphlet was a well
travelled Londoner called Philip Stubbes. He was believed to have been
born c1555 and died c1610. He was well educated and attended both Oxford
and Cambridge University. He was also a strict Elizabethan Puritan and
held firm views on any social practices which, in his view were,
unfitting true Christians. He named his work " The Anatomie of Abuses "
in which he strongly criticised many of the fashions of the Elizabethan
era. It was entered in the Stationers' Register on 1 March 1583. This
pamphlet includes his view and some valuable information about
Elizabethan hair styles:
"Then
followeth the trimming and tricking of their heds in laying out their
hair to the show, which of force must be curled, frizled and crisped,
laid out on wreathes & borders from one eare to an other. And lest
it should fall down, it is underpropped with forks, wyres, & I can
not tel what, rather like grim stern monsters, than chaste christian
matrones. Then on the edges of their bolstered heir (for it standeth
crested round about their frontiers, & hanging over their faces like
pendices or vails with glasse windows on every side) there is layd
great wreathes of gold and silver, curiously wrought & cunningly
applied to the temples of their heads. And for feare of lacking any
thing to set foorth their pride withal, at their heyre, thus wreathed
and crested, are hanged bugles, ouches, rings, gold, silver, glasses ,
& such other gewgawes and trinckets besides, which, for that they be
innumerable, and I unskilfull in wemens terms, I cannot easily
recount."
Elizabethan Hair Styles for MenElizabethan
Hair Styles for men were just as important as they were for women. The
length of hair varied during the Elizabethan era. It started as short
closely cropped hairstyles and increased in length during the period.
Considerable time was spent grooming the hair, especially when it was
fashionable to sport a longer length. Long hair was required to be
curly! Men had their hair curled with hot irons. To keep the hair in
place wax or gum was applied to the hair!
Elizabethan Beards
It
was fashionable for men to sport beards during the Elizabethan era. The
styles and cut of beards changed with the fashion of the day. The
beards could be cut in various styles including pointed ( van-dyke style
), square, round or oblong. Starch was applied to keep the beards in
place. Beards were also kept long and so required no help from the
barber. Philip Stubbes also had comments about Elizabethan barbers and
the cuts of beards available:
"...have
invented such strange fashions and monstrous maners of cuttings,
trimmings, shavings and washings, that you would wonder to see. They
have one maner of cut called the French cut, another the Spanish cut,
one the Dutch cut, another the Italian, one the newe cut, another the
old, one of the bravado fashion, another of the meane fashion. One a
gentlemans cut, another the common cut, one cut of the court, an other
of the country..."
Another
description of Elizabethan England was written by William Harrison
between 1577 - 1587 who described how the vanity of Elizabethan men was
pandered to by their barbers
"if
a man have a lean and straight face, a Marquess Otton’s cut will make
it broad and large; if it be platter-like, a long, slender beard will
make it seem the narrower; if he be weasel-becked, then much hair left
on the cheeks will make the owner look big like a bowdled hen, and as
grim as a goose, if Cornelis of Chelmersford say true. Many old men do
wear no beards at all."
