Category: 18th century wigs

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New Research Article: 18th Century Hair & Makeup

So, I do tons of research.  All the time.  And I realized that I don’t tend to post too much of it anymore!  In an effort to rectify that, I’m going to take some of my teaching materials and put them together into articles & get them online.

My first effort:  Women’s Hairstyles & Cosmetics of the 18th Century:  France & England, 1750-1790.  This discusses both what they did in the period, and the general looks of the era to aim for in reproduction.  I’m contemplating adding an image gallery with more examples of hair &  makeup looks from the period — let me know if anyone is interested.

Edited to add:  I found it particularly fascinating to find that women in the 18th century DIDN’T usually wear full wigs, as that’s what I’d always assumed, and in fact been told by Those Who Should Know.  Which explains why you don’t see obvious wig line in portraiture.  And will make me stop feeling non-period when I incorporate my own hair into my wigs!  I’m not giving up on the convenience of wigs, tho — they make getting ready for an event SO much easier.

If this seems useful, let me know and I’ll put up more!  Other things I could pull together easily are:  Venetian Renaissance (probably not needed, given the fabulous Realm of Venus site), and an overview of 1830s fashions.  I’d also like to do more research on 17th & 18th c. beauty patches and 18th c. court dress.  There’s lots more percolating in my brain/on my hard drive, but it’ll take a bit more time to pull those off!

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GBACG Petit Trianon Event

The GBACG Petit Trianon event was FAAAAAABULOUS!  The venue — the Bellevue Club, located on Lake Merritt in Oakland — was simply gorgeous.  The main room we were in was 2 stories tall, with pink walls, gilt accents, antique-esque furniture… one of the better venues I’ve been in here in California!

Many of us were cast as specific characters, so I had a fabulous time running around play the Duchesse de Polignac.  We had Marie-Antoinette, Count Fersen, the Duchess of Devonshire, M. Leonard the famous hairdresser, the evil aunts Victoire & Adelaide (ok they weren’t EVIL), and — most entertainingly for in-character play — du Barry!  I had a great time talking up how TACKY she was all night, and accusing her of stealing my feathers.

The champagne flowed, there were hors d’oevres and little desserts, the bartender was dressed in an 18th c. outfit, the conversation was fabulous, there were elegant ladies and dashing gentlemen.  Yay!

I had my 1787ish round gown and silly hat done in plenty of time, which was quite nice.  I added some vintage millinery flowers to the hat and safety pinned it to my wig!  I’m still waiting on a light colored wig (backordered), so I used one of my darker Bella Donna wigs, just to mix things up.

I put all of my photos on Flickr.

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Custom 18th Century Wigs Offered on Commission

I have decided to finally take the leap into offering custom 18th c. wigs, styled by me, on commission.  At this point, I am offering 1770s tall “pouf” wigs (like the one pictured below), and 1780s frizzy “hedgehog” wigs.

For more details, I’ve put together a page with some examples of my work and specifics on ordering.  Obviously, feel free to circulate this information to anyone you think might be interested!

Example of my work: 1770’s pouf
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Wig/Hair Color Advice Needed!

So I long ago decided to screw the 18th c. aesthetic of disliking red hair and wearing my super bright, very dyed hair color.  But lately I’ve been wanting to experiment with a more period look — specifically, powdering up the wazoo.

I did try a grey wig once, and it was TERRIBLE on me.  I’m a warm color person, and I just looked washed out.

So I thought I’d order a wig in a strawberry blond (my natural hair color when I was a kid) and try powdering over that, hoping that the warm color underneath might help.  I was particulary inspired by the nice results Jen Thompson of Festive Attyre got, and she has chestnut hair.  Also, I loved the super frizzy-ness of her wig, so I bought the same one!

However, the place I ordered from didn’t have strawberry blond in stock, so I got “auburn” instead, hoping it would just be a shade or two darker.  Well, it’s definitely more of a warm medium brown!

So what I’m wondering is, keep this wig and powder over it?  Or will the resulting color be too blah?  Should I instead order a warm blond wig?  I can’t picture myself as a blond… but at least it would be warmer than grey.  I’m worried the powder + medium brown will end up a grey-ish light brown.  I don’t know!  Counsel me!