Modern Elizabethans

With further research I found that a lot of stylists, photographers and designers were all inspired by the Elizabethan Era. Not only by the make up and the Fashion, but by the hair too. I’ve picked a selection of these Elizabethan inspired images that I find inspiring myself for when I do my own contemporary Elizabethan piece.

From Vogue Russia December 2010, Sharif Hamza created a shoot that was everything Elizabethan. With the ruffled collar, to the capes to the use of popular materials such as embroidery and lace. Even the make up took a creepy turn of realism, not only were the faces pale and the eyebrows bleached out, but they even blackened out the models teeth. This was true to the times as the Elizabethans teeth would often rot due to the amount of sugar they eat and all the poisonous makeup made their teeth decay. However I like how they kept the hair simple, yet true to the times. In My first image her hair has been crimped and brushed out to create a puffy look, I think its simple enough not to take away from the overall look, but dramatic enough to catch the viewers eye. In the second image they have used a classic bun, an Elizabethan look I hadn’t yet found replicated in contemporary times, I like how simple it is, but it still brings the outfit together.

Alexander McQueen has drawn inspiration from the Elizabethans throughout her work, I have found two separate catwalks that have elements of Elizabethan fashion in them. The first is her autumn/winter collection for Givenchy in 1997. The first image reminds me of an extravagant version of their padding technique, as the hair is about the width of her shoulders. The hair also looks like it has a slight crimped texture and it looks as if its being powdered white, as the preferred hair color was very light in this era. I like this interpretation as it is making it bigger and better and brings the whole look together. In the second image the hair looks very similar to a French hood, high up and decorated with what looks like plaits as the edge. The rest of the hair has tight curls fixed to the head as if pinned there, which was what many of the Elizabethans would do to keep the curls tight while they were cooling. I like how they have made the hair look like a hat rather than using the hair accessories of the Elizabethan times. I would presume they used wigs to create these looks.

In her second interpretation Alexander McQueen’s fall ’13 collection is a lot more about the Elizabethan accessories rather than the hair. She created a beautiful cage to cover the head, which instantly reminded me of the Caul that they used to wear. This is because these coils used to be decorated with jewels and pearls, lace and gold and that’s exactly what these headdresses have. To further connect with the Elizabethans, under these cages the models hair is plaited onto the head like a French braid, this sort of look would usually go hand in hand with something like the Caul therefore I feel this was a very interesting and successful adaption. I think the photos are just stunning and is my favorite of the two Elizabethan themed catwalks.

This Photo by Ellen Von Unwerth is a stunning adaption on “a sleeping beauty” yet I feel even within this image there is reference to the Elizabethan hairstyles. A middle parting was the preferred styling of hair in these times. The part that caught my eye was the ribbon, that has been plaited or sewed into both sides of the hair. This was a popular thing to do in Elizabethan times, as many Elizabethans had hair accessories to add to their looks. I really like how simple and elegant this look is and I want to try an incorporate a middle parting in one of my ideas.

Vivienne Westwood is another designer that takes inspiration from this famous era. You can especially see this in the hairstyles she has on the runway. For instance in this image the hair is brought up into a heart shape, this not only reminds me of the padding they used to use to achieve volume in the hair, but also the shape reminds me of the head cover, the attifet. I am a fan of the heart shape and do want to incorporate this into my own work.

My Final Designer who I feel interprets Elizabethan fashion into their work is Chanel. Particularly in the pre fall collection 2013, although the inspiration was said to be the Scots, I feel there are some elements of Elizabethan hairstyles. These two images in particular highlight what I’m saying. The first image has a lot of volume, and has been covered by plaits, this was a popular routine for Elizabethans. In the second image you can see that a lot of the models have light or red hair, the colors that were common in that era. The hair is also plaited to the head with volume on the top, a very modern twist on the Elizabethan style.

Finally I realized there were similarities of the Elizabethan Era in Kirsty Michell’s photography, someone I have previously studied during my A level for fantasy. The photos come from a collection called Wonderland, which was inspired by her mother who used to read wonderful story books to her students. It became a tribute to her mothers life. Teamed up with hair and make up artist Elbie Van Eeden they created these gorgeous photos. Kirsty previously was a fashion designer so created the costumes and props herself, and linked her training in art history with her looks. Although I loved all her creations this was my favorite. The whole shoot is royalty but it’s the hair that links to the Elizabethan Era. To start, the hair is in the shape of a heart, which links to the Attifet hair piece they used to wear in these times. As well as this the hair is accompanied by tight curls at the base, a look that Queen Elizabeth herself favored in many of her portraits. They even have a modern take on the plait by using a cross stitch method, this is quite an interesting interpretation that I would be willing to attempt in my own work.

Now that I have started to find modern interpretations of Elizabethan hairstyles I can start to consider my own contemporary look taking inspiration from what I have found.