Upper
class fashion women and men had very elaborate hairstyles which were used to
archive attention and success in court. Queen Elizabeth had a natural red
colour hair. This red hair look was copied 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! Men gave their
hair and beard similar attention.
Wigs were
commonly used in the Elizabethan time. Queen Elizabeth 1 has been believed to
have over 80 wigs which were called periwigs. Ruffs, or ruffles, were in high
fashion and during the Elizabethan era these became more elaborate in size and
style. 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 got married, 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.
Hair was
always combed back and away from the face because a high forehead was considered
to be a sigh of beauty; therefor women would pluck the front hair from the scalp
to achieve the desired look. (Ouch)
Women used a
number of accessories for their hair, those included; the coif (which is also
known as the biggin and I used for children. It was plane white and women used
it to keep the hair in place under the elaborate hats). The French hood (a half
moon, or crescent, style band or brim sloping away from the face. The edges
were often adorned with pearls or glass jewels, and a veil covered the back of
the hair). The Atifet (a lot like the French hood but with a heart shaped crescent)
and the caul (which was the Elizabethan hair net)
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