Plaits

‘A plait is a single length of hair made up of three or more interlaced strands. There are many different types of plaits, all of which are unique to their own.

The hair styles worn by Elizabethan men and women were not anywhere near as complicated as today’s hairdos that require special shampoo, gel, and spray.  Instead, they usually pinned up their hair in order to sport as many jewels, tiaras, scarves, or plumes they could cram into the space.  The richer you were, the more decoration your hair would sport.  Since the clothing of the time tended to be quite large as well, the size of hair was exaggerated to its maximum length.  The ruff, or high collar that surrounded the neck, had to be kept out of the way of hair, making it important to keep it pinned up and back.

‘While plaits have been part of pretty much every historical hair style, they were briefly popular in the Elizabethan period after an Italian style.  These plaits would often be wrapped around the top of the head, earning the name ‘crown braids’.  This kept the hair neat and in place for several days.  A style known as the French hood brought together dual braids back from a centre part to form a chignon bun at the back of the neck.’

Elizabethan hair styles for women (2013) Available at: http://www.evergreenbeauty.edu/blog/elizabethan-hair-styles-for-women/ (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Modern plaits:

Image 1 – the following images are some modern plaits that reminded me of Elizabethan hairstyles. For example, this image resembles Elizabeth’s hair before she became queen. It’s a very soft hairstyle, with loose curls and small plaits, adorned with pearls. I like this hairstyle as it’s very delicate yet extreme. Even though it looks quite ‘simple’, I believe a lot of work has been put into this hairstyle.

Costume (2013) Available at: 
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/471752129688224425/ (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Image 2 – this hairstyle reminds me of the ‘crown braid’ as there’s a French plait wrapped around the head with a decretive ribbon. Also the colour is quite reddish-ginger which again resembles Elizabeth’s hair. What I like about this hairstyle is the use of colours in the ribbon incorporated into the plait, which was a very common accessory with Elizabethan women. During the Elizabethan era, crown braids were very popular as they were neat, elegant and most importantly kept the hair off the face.

(2014) Available at: 
http://www.nanhunnvjia.com/show/show_3155.html (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Image 3 – in this hairstyle we see a lot of detail and use of accessories, in this case white flowers which looks very appealing. I think this would be a sort of hairstyle Elizabeth would have worn before her crowning, maybe adorned with pearls or jewels instead of flowers. I like this hairstyle as it’s very exquisite and something I’d use for inspiration if I was doing bridal hair.

pinterest.com (2013) With this ring I thee wed.. Available at: 

https://www.pinterest.com/simplycsmith/with-this-ring-i-thee-wed/ (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Image 4 – in this hairstyle, we see a combination of two heart shaped buns with French plaits. This is something Elizabeth would have worn after her crowing as there is a lot of detail and height to it. The hair is also completely away from the face which brings out the forehead more, very Elizabethan like. I like this hairstyle, as it’s sort of incorporated two designs into one. In order to achieve the body (the heart shape) I think padding or crepe hair has possibly been used as it’s very big and extravagant. 

Elizabethan plaits:

This is a portrait of Isabela of Portugal (1503-1539, The Queen of Germany, Italy, Spain, Naples and Duchess of Burgundy etc.) Surprisingly I was able to find two images of Elizabethan woman wearing plaits as based on my research, it was said that plaits wore more often worn by the lower class in order for them to be able to work comfortably and not so much by the wealthy.

In this hairstyle, there are two buns on the side of the hair wrapped around with plaits. There are also two plaits, one on the crown, and one more towards the back of the head. Right in the centre parting, there is an adornment/jewel if I’m correct however I’m not so sure on exactly what it is. The buns on the sides of the head seem to have a frizzy texture to it which was very popular in the Elizabethan era.  I like this hairstyle as it looks very sophisticated. It’s also very neat and seems as if it was done by a perfectionist.

Portrait of the Empress Isabella of Portugal, 1548 Giclee print by Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) at AllPosters.com (no date) Available at: 
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Portrait-of-the-Empress-Isabella-of-Portugal-1548-Posters_i1348821_.htm (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

This hairstyle is called the ‘crown braid’ which has become very popular in the past few years. The plait is wrapped around the crown of the head, forming a circle shape. This was worn by girls of the Elizabethan era as it kept the hair off the face and could be worn for a few days or so. Some liked to adorn their crown braids with threads or ribbons. I like this hairstyle as it was something that could be worn by both classes (upper and lower class). It’s also a time saver as it’s quite easy to do yet very intricate.

(no date) Available at: https://lhresources.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/detail-the-way-to-calvary-bassono-cropped.jpeg (Accessed: 3 December 2015).