Category: 18th century wigs

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18th c. Hair & Wig Styling Book — PRE-ORDERS ARE LIVE!

So why haven’t I been sewing or blogging much the past six months or so?  Because I’ve been working my butt off on the 18th Century Hair & Wig Styling book!  I’ve done tons of research and found some things that I think will surprise everyone, and I’ve been making wigs and styling hair up the wazoo.  The book is mostly written, and I’ve done about 3/4 of the styles/modeling sessions.  What’s next?  Finishing up the styles/modeling, finishing up the book, and raising money to get it printed!

Want to Know More About the Book?

You can read a summary and table of contents, and see some images of some of the styles, on the book website!  I’ll be posting here and on Facebook as well with more photos and information.

Why Should I Pre-Order a Copy?

You can save $5 off the finished price, opt for some nice perks (like a custom wig, or a personalized styling session) — and most importantly, you’ll help make the book as fabulous as it can be.  If I reach my funding goal during the month of January, I’ll be able to publish the book I envision — about 250 pages, tons of history and research, and 25 hairstyles, all with quality paper and binding.  If I don’t reach my funding goal, I’ll still be printing the book, but I’ll probably have to do one or more of the following:  shorten the page count, which means cutting some of the history/research and/or one or more hairstyle; and/or use less quality paper and/or binding.

If I go OVER my funding goal, then I’ll be able to license some really fabulous images of artworks from museums, which will add some really useful info to the book — especially those elusive back views of hair!

How Do I Pre-Order?

At my Indiegogo project page:

http://igg.me/at/18thCenturyHair

Help Me Get the Word Out There!

Share this blog post!  Post one or more of these images!  Link to the book website, Facebook page, and/or Indiegogo page!  I need your help to get the word out there and make this book happen fabulously!

 

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Speaking of Wigs…

I still have at least two more posts to write about France, so I really should get busy!  And speaking of wigs, I wanted to post about the wig I made for France.

Luckily, somehow, all of the projects to which I was drawn were right around 1780, so that made it easy — one wig to rule them all!  I did contemplate making a grey wig for a more historically accurate look, but realized that a big trip like this wasn’t the time to take a risk — if I was going to have only one wig, I wanted to know the color would work on me.

Here’s my inspiration board, which I had up while I was making the wig:

My first try needed rework, which seems to always happen (yes, that advice is going in the book!), as it was TWICE as high as the final version.  I almost went with it, then reminded myself that that wasn’t the era I was going for.  Here’s how the wig turned out:

I have a vintage 1960s hatbox that I use for my wigs when I travel.  The wig block never fits, so I stuff the head portion of the wig with plastic bags or newspaper or whatever is on hand, and if the wig isn’t as tall as the box, I do the same with any empty space.  This wig was wide enough that I had to take off the rolls to pack it, but part of my plan was that I could move the rolls around for different looks, so that was fine.  The other thing I planned was different ways to style the chignon (the back hair) and various hair accessories, to mix things up… didn’t want to get bored of wearing the same wig over and over!

Here’s the many ways I wore it:

First day with redingote, no hair accessories finished so nada, cadogan in back:

Kendra

Kendra

Evening look, with fake flowers pilfered from my room at the château (and returned), chignon looped up:

Kendra

Kendra

With purple ribbon and feather:

Kendra

With ridiculous hat — I love the “floating hat” you get in this era!

Kendra

With an organdy pouf, feather spray, and brooch for redingote rewears:

Kendra & Leia

The rolls were looking a little shabby by the end of the trip (note to self, fix those up before CoCo!) but otherwise the thing made it through the whole trip!

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18th Century Hair & Wig Styling – The Book!

It’s really really happening — the 18th Century Hair & Wig Styling:  History & Step-by-Step Techniques book project is really starting to take shape!  About half of the text is written, all of the historical images have been sourced, and I’m starting to line up models and buy supplies.

Here’s the blurb I’ve written up that summarizes the project:

18th Century Hair & Wig Styling: History & Step-by-Step Techniques is a book that combines meticulous research with easy to follow instructions that will help you create historically accurate hairstyles of the 18th century.  The book includes a detailed history of men’s and women’s hair from 1700 to 1799:  which styles were worn when, as well as how hair and wigs were styled.  It provides practical techniques for styling hair and wigs that will be useful to anyone who wants to learn more about historical hairstyling, from beginners to advanced users.  Step-by-step instructions show how to create 25 individual hairstyles — 22 for women, and 3 for men — that span the century, and suggestions are included for ways to vary the different styles.

The historical overview provides equal, in-depth coverage of men’s and women’s hairstyles and wigs from 1700 to 1799, focusing on France, Great Britain, and the American colonies/United States.  The techniques will similarly be useful for both men’s and women’s styles.  While a good deal of historical styling information is included, the emphasis is on modern methods and products that will achieve a historically accurate look.

This book is perfect for historical costumers and theater/film designers and craftspeople who want to create authentic-looking 18th century hairstyles and wigs.  It will also provide a solid foundation and fun jumping-off point for anyone who wants to create historically-influenced fantasy styles!

I’ll be posting lots of info here, but the best way to keep up to date on the project is to follow the Facebook page and website:

18th Century Hair & Wig Styling — website

18th Century Hair & Wig Styling — Facebook page

Please help me get the word out about the project and share these links!