Tutorial - 1920s-inspired hair and makeup

The image of the 1920s ‘flapper girl’ is iconic; we love the idea of the sequins, the feathers, the jazz, the parties… It’s also around the time when women started to wear makeup on a regular basis, as before this point, it was mainly worn by actresses and prostitutes. Makeup came back into fashion partly because of the improvement in the economy after the first world war, which meant that more companies were able to manufacture makeup in greater quantities. Another factor was that department stores such as Woolworths were becoming more prominent, meaning that it was easier for women to try and buy a wider variety of makeup. Third, films, and particularly magazines, made it possible for women to copy the makeup and styles of film stars, although they could only see the general shape and style of the makeup, and not the colour at this point.

I used various sources to try out a 1920s-inspired look on myself, and share the experience on this blog!

Here is my face and hair pre-makeover:

First, I applied foundation, concealer and powder. Complexion was an important aspect of beauty at the time, so an even base is crucial.

Rimmel Match Perfection foundation

Natural Collection CoverUp Cream concealer

Rimmel pressed powder

Dark, smoky eyeshadow was favoured in the '20s, so I applied the medium brown shade all over my eyelids, then applied the darkest brown shade at the outer corners of my eyelids. Finally, I applied brown eyeliner on my lower eyelids.

Revlon brown eyeshadow palette
Rimmel soft kohl eyeliner in Sable Brown

Then, I applied a thin line of black liquid eyeliner on my upper eyelids, with a small flick out to the side, and applied mascara to my upper and lower eyelashes.

Maybelline Great Lash mascara
Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner in 003 Black

(I know this photo looks like I'm crying, 

but I just had a cold)

Finally, I applied a dark red lipstick; red was the most popular colour of lipstick at that time.

Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in 024 Red Diva

Maybelline matte lipstick in 975 Divine Wine

To complete the look, I curled my hair using heated rollers.

I don't own one of the classic feathered headbands, but I tied a piece of black lace ribbon around my head, and pinned my hair around it to give the appearance of short hair, as this was fashionable at the time.

Here is the final (heavily filtered) version that ended up on my Instagram:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial: I'm not an expert in hair or makeup, so it's a little slapdash, but I think it turned out quite well! 

Bibliography:

http://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1920s-makeup/

http://glamourdaze.com/history-of-makeup/1920s

http://www.artdecosociety.org/gatsby/f_hair-makeup.htm

Colourful Clothing- The Use of Purple

When I do my washing, I have noticed rather than split my clothes into lights and darks like most people, I split it into purples and non-purples. Purple is one of my favourite colours, however had I been born a few centuries earlier, I would never have been allowed to wear the colour. For millennia, purple was only accessible to the exceedingly wealthly. This post is the first in a series of colour in clothing, and will provide a whistle stop tour of how purple has been used throughout history.

Some of the aarliest references to the colour purple used in clothing are from Mesopotamia. The Assyrian King Ashurnirsirpal II lists getting ‘red-purple wool’ in his tribute from neighbouring kingdoms. This red-purple dye came from the coast of the Mediterranean, and was harvested from a type of sea snail native to the levantine coast, particularly Tyre, giving it it's name 'Tyrian Purple'. It took 9,000 snails to produce just one gram of dye, and so the colour purple was incredibly expensive. It was only really affordable to the very wealthy or royalty, which is the beginnings of its association with royalty even today. At this point, the colour purple and red are hard to distinguish, due to the similarlities in the dye colours. The Spartans would wear red-purple cloaks, to intimidate their enemies, as the cost of Laconia (the region of Greece Sparta is in) also had the sea snails, and wearing expensive red cloaks was seen as a display of wealth and power to their enemies.

Not that I am saying the film 300 was accurate, but at least they wore red cloaks

In the Roman empire, the colour purple was still associated with royalty in clothing. In Rome itself, only the emperor was allowed to wear a robe in purple, though senators tunics had a purple border. Purple worn by the royal family in Rome continued for hundreds of years, the Emperor Justinian is depicted in Tyrian purple nearly a century after the fall of the Roman empire. In Rome's successor, the Byzantine empire, purple became symnonmous with the royal family, with Princes and Princesses born in the Blachernae palace receiving the title 'Porphryogennetos' meaning ‘born in the purple’

The fall of Rome did disrupt the transportation of purple dye throughout Europe. After the 600s, when the Arabians conquered the Levantine coast, Constantinople became the last center of Tyrian purple production in Europe, meaning it only became more expensive and prized. There were alternatives, by mixing wode and red dye a purple could be produced for clothing, and some Sacndinvian lichen was also used to create a similar colour. Tyrian purple was by far the preferred dye however, as it did not fade, but grew brighter in the sun. When Constantinople was conquered in 1453, Europe was cut off from the dye, only increasing its value when it could be bought.

The Early Byzantine Emperor Justinian in a purple cloak

The association between purple clothing and wealth is particularly highlighted by the Elizabethan sumptuary laws. Elizabeth I banned purple to be worn by anyone except the royal family themselves, in an attempt to codify the rules governing social class. The British monarchy also adopted purple as a mourning colour, Elizabeth herself owning a purple dress lined with ermine to be worn when in mourning. Purple was much more striking than the traditional black, and so further separated the monarchy from the populace. In 1660, Samuel Pepys recorded seeing the seeing ‘the king in purple mourning’ after the death of his brother.

Tudor King Henry VIII in red-purple clothing, from circa 1520.

Over the next few centuries, it did become more acceptable for the masses to wear purple, though price was still an issue. Perhaps mimicking the monarchy, purple was adopted as a colour of half-mourning, to be worn after black but before the grieving party returned to full colour clothing. One ladies magazine from 1837 lists ‘black for mourning and purple for half mourning’ as the correct colours to wear. The greatest innovation which introduced purple to the wider market was the discovery of a synthetic purple dye by William Henry Perkin in 1856. Perkin had been attempting to create a cure for malaria, but accidentally discovered the purple dye. No longer having to rely on expensive natural dyes has resulted in the colour being used far more frequently in clothing throughout Europe.

An 1874 portrait named 'Lady in Violet' by the Hungarian Artist Pal Syzinei Merse

So that is my brief history of the colour purple. It doesn't necessarily include every scenario it was used it (particularly for cultures outside Europe) but I hope it was enough for a brief overview. I will be back in a few weeks- though I haven't decided on a new colour yet- red or blue?

-Rachael. 

Sources:
Taylor, L. Mourning Dress: A Social and Cultural History
Glick, T. Livesy, S.J and Wallis, F. (eds.) Medieval Science, Technology and Medicine: An Encyclopedia
Condra, J. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History: Prehistory to 1500 CE

http://www.livescience.com/33324-purple-royal-color.html

http://elizabethan.org/sumptuary/who-wears-what.html

Netherton, R. Medieval Clothing and Textiles.Vol.11
Ladies Home Magazine Vol. 9 (1837)
Woodward, J. The Theatre of Death: The Ritual Management of Royal Funerals in Renaissance England 1570-1625

1920's - Everyday Dresses Overview

Everyday Dresses from 1928

Examples of 1920s Day Dresses

The 1920s was in many ways a decade of drastic change, and this was reflected in a sweeping change in women’s fashions. The majority of this change is attributed to the lingering repercussions of the 1^st World War. During the war women were forced to work in many jobs that had previously belonged solely to men and once the war was over they were reluctant to return to the role of housewife. Film stars and other celebrities were also gaining in popularity and influence and there was a greater demand for looks imitating the latest stars amongst the lower classes. As a result, there was a huge rise in popularity for the newly created ‘La garconne’ look, peaking 1926 and popularised by many including Coco Chanel, where a boyish figure was preferable to the more traditional feminine curves. Hairstyles also reflected the youthful and androgynous ‘la garconne’ style, with bobbed and shingled hairstyles becoming the norm by 1926, whilst longer hair was worn up. Hats were still a requirement of female respectability, and in the 1920s the cloche hat dominated, worn low over the brow.

Finger waves were a popular hairstyle

Natalie Kingston Bob Hairstyle

A Selection of 1920s Cloche Hats

Fashion became dominated by straight-cut, chemise dresses, the line of which hung from the shoulders, whilst the waistline was lowered to hip level. In the early part of the decade, gathers at the waist created some embellishment, whilst later in the decade this changed to pleated skirts, which aided in freedom of movement. It was only during 1924-25 that the simple tublar shape was common for daywear. One advantage of this simple cut was that it allowed easy recreation by the less well off in their own homes. It only required two or three meters of fabric to make one dress, which could vary depending upon what the wearer could afford. Patterns were sold by magazines and pattern companies, allowing the average housewife to copy the latest haute couture from the comfort of her own home.

A Selection of 1920s Dresses

Examples of 1920s Skirts

Throughout the decade, hemlines remained higher than they had been for the previous few centuries. Although the fashionable length tended to vary between knee length and mid-calf, they dropped back towards ankle length in 1923 before peaking again in 1927 at the previously scandalous height of two inches above the knee. Hemlines dipped back towards the ankle in 1929, at the close of the decade, a move linked by some to the financial strife caused by the Wall Street Crash.

1920's Day Dresses Hemline Changes

 Another change was to necklines, with the Bateau or scoop neckline gaining popularity. This allowed the dress to be slipped over the head, without buttons or other fastenings being required. This made the dress easier to make and to wear as enhancing the more leisurely feel of fashion throughout the decade. The nautically themed square sailor necks and deep V necks with long ties was also popular throughout the 1920s. Later in the decade, more narrow V’s became popular whilst collars as a whole became smaller and daintier, sometimes even requiring buttons once more.

1920s Day Dress Collars

For day dresses, the sleeves proved to be a defining part of the 1920s feel. The majority of dresses for everyday wear were long sleeved, which can perhaps be attributed to lingering modesty of appearance, however ¾ and elbow length sleeves were also popular. There were three main styles of sleeve, fitted, bell and bishop. Fitted sleeves, were fitted to the arm’s shape and had a straight cut. Bell sleeves were fitted at the shoulder, then allowed to form a triangle or bell shape at the elbow. Bishop sleeves were gathered at the shoulder and wrist, but otherwise allowed to balloon around the arm.

1920s Day Dress Sleeve Styles

A variety of fabrics were used for dresses, including cotton, silk satin, chiffon and wool. Fabrics could be plain or elaborately decorated, often depending upon desired usage. Dresses for work tended towards plain block colours, predominantly black. Whereas, for both tea and evening dresses a variety of boldly patterned fabrics would be used. Patterns tended to reflect the popular Art-Deco movement of the time, or follow more traditional floral or abstract designs. Patterns could also have more international influences, such as Slavic at the start of the decade, brought over by Russian emigres, Egyptian following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 or Chinese later in the decade. Decoration could also take the form of beading or fringing, although this tended to be reserved for evening wear as the aim was to showcase the latest dance moves.

Selection of 1920s Day Dresses

Selection of 1920s Day Dresses

As hemlines rose, so the focus turned to stockings, with the introduction of artificial silk allowing the less well-off to imitate the latest trends as well as giving a more preferable sheen. For both day and evening wear plain colours such as black, beige and white were preferred, but paler colours of stocking became more popular than their black counterparts. On the whole, shoes were still a valuable commodity and therefore retained an air of practicality, with the most popular being Cuban heeled court shoes, or other similar styles with cross straps or T-bars. On the whole shoes were made from leather. Evening shoes could be more elaborate, the leather replaced with gilded kid or embroidered silk, whilst bejewelled or precious metal buckles could be used.

Example of Stockings

Examples of 1920s Shoes

1920s Shoe Detail

Following the trend of affordable fashion, costume jewellery became an acceptable accessory in the 1920s, following the ideals of Chanel who said that jewellery should be used to decorate, not to boast of wealth. This allowed the creation of pieces in colours and sizes impossible in nature as well as making fashion affordable for the less well off. The most common pieces were long ropes of beads, predominantly pearls that would be worn during the day, as well as in the evening.

Coco Chanel Style Outfit

Art Deco Fashion

The 1920s saw the introduction of clothing and shoes made to specific sizes that were manufactured en masse, as we know today. It was a decade in which fashion was made affordable and deliberately marketed at the general public. Women’s fashion became freer, with ease of movement and comfort being as much of a priority as appearance in many cases. Technological advances such as artificial silks, elasticated underwear and zips changed the way clothing was designed and made. The fashion of the 1920s was much more complicated than simply the flappers and bright young things. It was a decade of freedom and availability and exploration that continues to fascinate many to this day.

 

1920s Women

Eleanor 

For more information:

 Vintagedancer.com - http://vintagedancer.com/

Mendes, Valerie D, Amy De La Haye, and Valerie D Mendes. Fashion Since 1900. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. Print.

Images:

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/557179785126317572/

http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-hairstyles.html

http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-hairstyles.html

http://whataboutbobbed.tumblr.com/post/3777171115/many-color-choices-in-each-of-these-charming

http://www.atelierdejojo.com/2015/10/1920-les-annees-folles.html

https://fascinationstreetvintage.wordpress.com/category/skirts/

https://fascinationstreetvintage.wordpress.com/category/skirts/

http://vintagedancer.com/1920s/1920s-day-dresses/

http://vintagedancer.com/1920s/1920s-day-dresses/

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/284008320226161221/ 

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/519743613224556798/

http://image.glamourdaze.com/2014/03/1920s-Fashion-Flappers-Look-to-your-Legs-posture.jpg 

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/406238828869418044/

http://www.atelierdejojo.com/2015/10/1920-les-annees-folles.html

http://cdn.vintagedancer.com/wp-content/uploads/1928-Simpsons_Page_062-fall-shoes-wm.jpg7

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/eleanor-fashion/

http://fashionableshenanigans.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/1920s-fashion.html

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/292522938270747992/

Fashions of Egypt- Hairy Pharoahs

This is my third (and final) post in the Egyptian fashions series. I finally get the chance to focus on something I have wanted to from the beginning- how the Egyptians wore their hair. Throughout history, how people have worn their hair has included clues to their gender, wealth and social class, something no less true for the ancient Egyptians. Alex wrote an absolutely fantastic post on wigs a few weeks ago, so this post will focus instead on how Egyptians dealt with their natural hair, and some of the seemingly strange practices involved in it.

Ancient Egypt was rife with disease, as the Nile floods only encouraged the spread of water-borne illness such as schistosomiasis and malaria. As such, grooming was incredibly important, as keeping clean was vital to a long life. Long hair, and beards, was sometimes seen as unclean, as it encouraged head lice and was a breeding ground for other diseases. This is where we reach the first hurdle in studying hair, as to prevent the spread of illness many Egyptians, and particularly men, shaved their head.

An Egyptian man with a shaved head

The first hairstyle any Egyptian wore, regardless of social class or gender, was a shaved head with a braided sidelock, or very occasionally in the New Kingdom several braids. This sidelock had a mythological importance, it was the hairstyle worn by the god Horus as a child, a form he was often represented in. It was due to the mythological significance of the sidelock that we also see it worn by various religious figures, notably ‘sem-priests’ who helped ensure the safe passage of the dead to the afterlife.

The Pharaoh Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti and their daughters

Evidence from mummies suggests wealthy women did sometimes wear their hair long, augmented by accessories made of ivory or gold. Unlike men, women were rarely depicted as bald, save as children or during the Amarna period. The positioning of some mummies suggests occasionally women wore their hair long beneath their wigs, and when they didn’t wear a wig at all may have styled their hair extravagantly to look like they were.

Egyptian women sporting a variety of different hairstyles

Men would wear their hair short, either closely cropped or completely shaven. The poor, servants and slaves are often depicted without any hair at all, a symbol of their low status. Short hair was also donned by elite men however, to make their wigs easier to wear. Men also shaved their beards, only allowing it to grow as a sign of mourning, and likely shaving again shortly after the funeral. The ‘false beard’, a plaited and curled accessory which jutted from the chin, was worn by the Pharaoh as early as 3,000 BCE however, and continued to be worn until the late period (664-332 BCE) by the Pharaoh and other elite citizens. Actual beards seem to have become more popular by Greek and Roman Egypt, where they appear on mummy portraits.

King Tutankhamun sporting a false beard

So that is it for my series on Egyptian fashions! I hope it proved interesting, and somewhat informative in places. I know I enjoyed to write it at least! Especially this last post, which I had the pleasure to write and research in Rome, which it absolutely glorious. I am still mulling over what I want my next series of posts to be- however whatever I decide on I hope proves to be as fun to write as this series has been!

Sources:

Robins G. Hair and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Egypt, c. 1480-1350 B.C

Robins G. Women in Ancient Egypt

Tyldesley J. Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt

Image Sources:

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl06e.shtml

http://portsmouthpoint.blogspot.it/2013/03/ides-of-march-lecture-ancient-egypt.html

http://me13in.tumblr.com/post/83802148271/pseudofailure-yowhosedogisthat

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/21/king-tuts-mask-damaged_n_6520910.html

Ancient Greek Fashion - The Classical Period

Acropolis of Athens

This post focuses on the Classical period of Ancient Greece. This is the main period that people think of when asked to think about the Ancient Greeks and is the period during which Athens and Sparta were at their heights. The Classical period is generally classed as beginning around 479BC, or the end of the Persian war, and ending in 323BC, the point at which Alexander the Great invaded mainland Greece. During this period Athens was initially the most powerful city state, but after the Peloponnesian War, Sparta became the dominant power. Yet the culture of Athens continued to flourish and it is from this polis that the majority of our information comes from.

A caryatid from the Erechtheion in Athens wearing a peplos

The end of the Persian war saw a shift in Greek culture that highlighted the similarities of the Greek peoples compared to the ‘barbarian’ Persians. This was echoed in fashion, where elaborate styles of dress were rejected in favour of the more simple Spartan influence, perhaps as a way of demonstrating the strength of the Greek compared to Persian softness. 

Odysseus wearing the pilos hat, an exomis and a chlamys

As a part of this, the peplos returned to favour, having remained popular in much of Western Greece, as it was seen as a more ‘Greek’ garment. However, it did undergo some changes, now being made of a lighter woollen fabric as well as having a longer overfold.  The chiton also remained popular, and the two garments were sometimes worn together. More variation in both garments also began to occur, such as having two overfolds or the girdle also being wrapped over the shoulders; but the fabric itself remained plain, only sometimes having any form of pattern. 

Roman copy of Eirene and Plutos , wearing a peplos

Example of chiton sleeve detailing

Women continued to wear cloaks, called himations, seemingly every time they left the house. These himations would traditionally be wrapped over the shoulders as a shawl, but in this period also started being worn pinned over one shoulder, with the upper edge folded down. Himation is a general term used for Ancient Greek cloaks, however there were many different varieties, such as the chlanis which was made from particularly fine wool, or the fine xystis which was used for special occasions. 

Illustration of women wearing peplos and himations

Male fashion was much more similar to women’s fashion in the Classical period. For the chiton, men worn either a knee, or ankle length version, the latter being for the older men or religious ceremonies and was known as the chiton orthostadios or syrma. The peplos was also worn, but without the overfold. It could also only be pinned at the left shoulder, known as the exomis, a style which was typically worn by them lower classes.  Men could also wear short sleeved sewn tunics, similar to those of medieval Europe. The zoma, or loincloth was still also worn, again primarily by the lower classes. In more rural parts of Greece, animal skins were used to make clothing, such as the dipthera, a goat skin jerkin, although this was seen as primitive by the residents as cities such as Athens. 

Illustration of a Spartan youth and a slave

Delphic Charioteer wearing an Ionic chiton

A statue of a man with a chiton

The fashion of the Classical period is similar to that of the Archaic period, fixing this style of dress in the minds of future generations. Whilst spheres such as art, architecture, philosophy and warfare underwent huge changes throughout this period, apart from some minor fluctuations, there was very little change in fashion.

Perseus, Medusa and Athena 460BC

 Eleanor

Pictures:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Caryatid-Erechtheum-British_Museum-3.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eirene_Ploutos_Glyptothek_Munich_219_n1.jpg 

http://warhammer40kfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Sparta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton_%28costume%29#/media/File:Young_man_exomis_Musei_Capitolini_MC892.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton_%28costume%29#/media/File:AurigaDelfi.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exomis#/media/File:Odysseus_Chiaramonti_Inv1901.jpg
http://www.fashion-era.com/ancient_costume/ancient-greek-fashion-hair.htm
www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/sleeves.jpg

http://www.travelpage.gr/greece/Athens.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/gods_and_heroes/