RHS Wisley gardens

As discussed my project is turning in the direction of floral/botanical subject. Therefore I decided to take a trip to the nearest RHS gardens to speak to experts on the topic and also take some firsthand reference on the topic. There is a huge range of flower varieties from the passionfruit flower (top left) an all year round flower that thrives in heat, to the more recognisable flowers such as the dahlia (top right) and rose (right). The classic english rose is a popular flower used to be associated with so many different adverts, campaigns and can convey many messages, some of which I wish to research and analyse as the project progresses. After viewing the gardens I spoke to a member of staff named 'Jill' who was a self confessed horticultural expert and member of the RHS Wisely team. I wanted to discover what kind of flowers will relate to the season of 'Midsummer' as given in the Shakespeare title.
Jill suggested looking at the already discussed Rose, and also dahlia, along with sweet peas, lilies, large iris's and daisies along with many others. These flowers are all available in a huge variety of
colours which will not be available within
the time of year the project is due, therefore she suggested doing my homework early and ordering fake flowers, and then on the day incorporating some real ones for effect. Talking to a horticultural expert proved interesting and useful and the day was ideal to look at flowers first hand, even if the autumn season meant there were not as many flowers as summer.

18th Century wig influences [books]

 The most iconic image of 18th century wigs, and who I will always research and refer back to when looking at the era, is Marie Antoinette. Her tall, extravagant wigs were pioneering and also a complete new era of fashion in hair. The first book I used to research this was the book on the left 'Marie Antoinette's Head' which contained educational and useful information that I will be applying to my extravagant, tall cage wig. The book also covered the development and style of peri-wigs within the 18th century, and enclosed illustrations of the wigs, as well as information on the hygiene, illness and pests that would often inhabit a wig. The book was one I found very useful to recollect my knowledge on the 18th century and wig styling and below are some images from the pages I found particularly informative and appropriate to my body of work.

The next book I consulted to inform my studies on 18th century hair and to also give myself a visual reference from the era was 'Daring Do's'.
This book wasn't quite as comprehensive as the previous, as it was based on hairstyles around all era, not just the 18th century. I did however find some pages with sketched images of 18th century styles, similar to the style of Corsons illustrations.

The book was not as useful in gaining information as it only referenced the illustrations of her extravagant styles, however I have included it and referenced from the illustrated page.

 The final book I used for referencing was Corsons Fashions in Hair, which I believe is the 'go to' guide to historical hair styling. The book had a wealth of 18th century designs, although the mens section from this era was larger than the female styling section. I selected a few images below referencing the illustrations that inspired me. I am now hoping to combine height into one of my designs, knowing that it is appropriate for another era in history, but also appropriate for developing my mythological project. I do not want the wigs to be complete reconstructions from any era in history, however referencing style contributions from the historical hair, is something I would like to include.

Initial headpiece designs

                                     

Following on from my cage designs, I looked at headpiece designs which again will require some kind of cage for construction. As already mentioned the project is very much based around nature, and therefore I am looking at using these natural materials such as flowers to create a collection. The left hand side of the designs were all created as 'headbands' whereas the right are again cages, this time made solely of flowers and not hair which is something I had needed to distinguish prior to this process. The top and bottom left are very simplistic designs and I am worried these look too much like a standard fashion accessory seen in many shops and festivals. The middle left design was based around a crown and this links back to the royal theme of the storyline. This is made entirely of flowers and although it could work incredibly well, it could also fail if the shape is lost.

The right hand designs are very similar when looking back, however at the time looking at my mood boards and narrative they were appropriate. The top right design is meant more as a 'cap' almost such as a swimming hat concealing the hair and being covered in blooming flowers, however this is lost in the excessive height of the design and lack of definitive shape. The bottom right design enhances on the features from the top design but make it more appropriate to the kind of eye-catching yet simplistic naturalistic style I am looking for. The middle design is slightly too large and 'bold' for the dainty fairy based project, therefore I will be developing the bottom right design into a more detailed design now. 

*** As my photographer is looking for 8 different looks, I will also be creating a hairband from the bottom left design here, as she would like this incorporated into a simple 4th piece which will work with her own hair, and also a wig, so it will have two purposes - update on 5th November 2014 ***

Initial cage wig designs

  

Throughout my research process I have identified the techniques I would like to use to demonstrate and progress my skills as a wig maker. I believe making a cage wig as part of the collection of headpieces for my project will help me to achieve this. Specialist Practise is our 'last chance' to try a new technique essentially, as major project is where you demonstrate all your expertise thereafter this unit. The above designs are very simplistic small designs, almost sketches, just looking at relevant shapes and styles from what I have researched. The bottom right wig is made completely of flowers and after completing these designs I considered that and now would prefer this to be classed as a 'headpiece' as I want my cage wig to be made of hair, as well as flowers.

The top and centre left designs are very similar. The top one was linked to the royalty of the plot of Shakespeare's AMSND, whereas the centre left looked very much at organic round shapes, almost more natural where flowers could fall onto it and rest. The natural theme was followed through to the top right wig where I clearly tried to replicate the flower shape, however this I feel has made the wig too predictable and floral, and also is made entirely of flowers with hair dressed into it. The centre right and bottom left wigs are very much based on the high fashion approach. The sweeping shape of the hair (which isn't too clear in these designs) is something I have tried to incorporate with nature, simply the way the hair falls around these unusual shapes. The flowers are placed in a high fashion arrangement but as if they are flowering out of the head. I think the key thing for myself in this design process is that I have figured out so far I want to create a cage with height and hair incorporated with the natural essence of flowers and shape. Therefore I am taking forward the centre right wig for further drawing and development as this wig is the one I can identify with most as being appropriate for my brief.

Texts on wig making - Cage wig research

Consulting the book 'Wig Making and Styling' I found some examples of structured wigs and also using different materials in wigs, below are some screenshots from this;

 The text didn't specifically cover what I was looking for, however did explain how to use hair alongside different materials or change the structure of an already made wig. The images were useful in showing the structuring of the cage, however the fact that it didn't look too secure a structure and also wasn't covered in the tutu net I have previously seen meant it wasn't going to be a book I followed, but was good to consider as alternate technique.

Also included was a gallery of alternate wig shapes which would be created for theatre. This is not the context I am working in but it was interesting to see the amount of shapes achievable with the structuring technique.

There are not many texts available on the construction of tall/cage wig structures only very incredible tutorials using alternate ideas of doughnuts and wire mesh, therefore I began to look at the history of high wigs instead - although this research is not appropriate to the era my project is based on it is still important to understand the origin of tall wigs - something briefly touched on in our first year History and Reality unit;

The seventeenth and eighteenth century was ages of elegance. Never in European history do we see men and women so elaborately artificial, so far removed from natural appearance. What could not be done with the natural hair was made with wigs. This epoch was an extravagant explosion of amazing hairstyles, a reaction completely opposed to the modesty and shyness of former centuries. The hair was in synchrony with the "Rococo" style, which was the most important one until the end of the century. It was an artistic style in which curves "s" shaped predominated, with asymmetries, emphasizing the contrast; a dynamic and brilliant style, where the forms played integrating a harmonious and elegant movement. A style according with an age of new philosophic ideas, like the Enlightenment, and according with the affluence of a powerful economic wealth arrived to Europe from the travels to the new continent, America. People at that time believed that they were living in the best of all possible worlds. At the end of the century, artistic and cultural styles changed; it appeared the "neo-classic" style, much more sober and conservative, with a return to the classic Greek and Roman esthetic.

The wear of wigs in men started to be very popular at the end of the 17th century, while the reign in France of Louis XIV, the Sun King. All his court began to use wigs, and as France was the pattern of the fashion for all Europe at that age, the use of wigs was spread to the rest of the courts of the continent. In 1680 Luis XIV had 40 wigmakers designing his wigs at the court of Versailles. 

From 1770, wigs were also extended to women. And, as the years were going on, women wigs were being made taller and more sophisticated, especially in France. Men's wigs were generally white, and women's wigs of pastel colors, like pink, light violet or blue. Depending on how wigs were ornamented, they could reveal a person's profession or social status. Wealthier people could cost expensive wig designers and better materials. They were made in general with human hair, but also with hair from horses or goats. The countess of Matignon, in France, paid to the famous hairdresser Baulard 24.000 livres a year to make her new headdresses every day of the week. 

Near 1715, wigs started to be powdered. Families had special rooms for "toilette", where they arranged and powdered their artificial hair. Wigs were powdered with starch or Cyprus powder. To powder wigs, people used special dressing gowns, and covered their faces with a cone of thick paper.

Images and text from History of Hairs.com

Wig Making Research (E-books)

 The first book: Wig Making and Styling for Film, TV and Theatre, is a comprehensive guide of all hair/wig work such as wefting, making a 3 and 4 part wig base, and also I found a small section on cages.
The book provided a series of examples of different cages, to demonstrate that sometimes they are used for structure and not just size.




There is also a section of texts discussing combining materials with hair, and also how to make hair look more rigid, which I found wasn't applicable to my own project. The cage construction instructions weren't as informative as I thought, and therefore I didn't want to follow the instructions, which couldn't be as up to date a technique, so I sought some cage construction advice from Julia, Rachael and also Will in the workshop, which was enough to follow, swell as the guidance of a fellow student who has made cages before.

The next E-book I found, The comprehesive guide of costume, make-up, jewellery wigs and masks, was a much more informative guide, which had a section on making wigs, and was a useful recap, on the construction and purpose of wigs, and also I was able to see alternate construction techniques.





There was a diagram on wefting which I felt useful to consult with before I created my wefted wig. The 3 string weft is something I vaguely remember following last year and needed to be looked at again to reassure myself.

There was also a diagram on knotting, which was also useful to consult, primarily for me to see it visually so I understand the movement and technique of knotting, and also can see for myself the directional knotting techniques.

The book included how to wrap the hair and create an impression of the head, as well as a guide to taking wig measurements, as well as a diagram of all the measurements I need to take in the wig fitting, which is something I have printed off to keep with me in future.

Photoshoot 'Story'/ Narrative

After some discussion with my photographer, I have designed a narrative, which will help with designing my practical work. This will also narrow down my options and hopefully help to engage the reader and help myself to justify the choices I make. It has now been possible to design the pieces after finding my location, although some of my initial wig ideas have already been considered.
Please see the initial narrative below;

The images will be shot within the grounds of a stately home next to a small fernery where the faerie queen has emerged from to discover human society and the regality of the human monarchy. She is unseen as she is a faerie and her styling will progress from an glamorous, yet beautiful, feminine emerging of the queen, into one who wishes to be accepted as a larger human queen, who has had enough of faerie life. Her wigs will then be applied, one being extravagant yet containing elements of her nature based background. She will then begin to understand that she is an invisible fictional character to humans, and return to her kingdom with a new air of appreciation, with nature reclaiming her through a vision of floral elements and natural colours. Although this is slightly straying away (just slightly) from the works of Shakespeare, I am finding it difficult to create a hard, unique vision based on what is practically a 'fairytale' and therefore want this to be a unique, alternate yet recognisable image through clever use of visual styling and photography. One of my outcomes was to be able to use intellectual thinking and be able to explain and justify every step in the process leading up to my final outcome, and writing this down as I have ensure myself that I understand my narrative, as does the assessor of the unit and also any viewers on this blog.

Specific flower research/designation

Each flower I have purchased to be included in my wigs, has an individual meaning as to why it is in my work, which is something I have developed as critical context through this project. Although colour variations were hard to guarantee on the day, below are the varieties of flower chosen to be within my pieces and why;

Carnation: 

The meanings of carnations include fascination, distinction, and love. Carnations in history often were found in shades of pale pink and peach, but over the years the palette of available colors has grown to include red, yellow, white, purple, and even green. I have selected a classical peach coloured carnation which can be seen in historical paintings from the elizabethan shakespearian era and also lilac carnations which I believe with the purple hue really expresses the idea of fascination that the carnation represents. (images from sparkle of nature)

Roses: 

Roses in a shade of pink, often represent grace and elegance, this is true of the outcome of my project I am trying to create. I also selected lilac roses, which are extremely rare interbred form of rose, often called Pacific Blue, which again I believe echoes the mystical, fascination, that the carnation also represents, and this is appropriate to my project and the fascination with fictional faeries. (images from funmozer.com)

Gerberas: One of the most popular flowers in the world, Gerbera daisies represent innocence, purity, and cheerfulness. Their meanings stem from those attributed to the general daisy family and include innocence and purity, as well as being a classic symbol of beauty. These flowers will be the ideal choice for my outcome to represent the innocence of the faerie but also the beauty and purity of her. I have again chosen lilac, as well as the white colour which will represent purity, and also yellow, which will bring cheerfulness into the pieces, and also break up the quantity of lilacs, and pinks, really standing out. (images from floristpro.com and pinterest.com)

Sweet Peas: 

The sweetpea flower is associated with delicate pleasure, blissful pleasure, departure and goodbyes. This is appropriate for my outcome as my faerie character will be delicate and feminine (I have selected colours light pink, lilac and white to represent this) and also the narrative features her returning to her own natural habitat, leaving behind the human world, so the meaning of this flower is the correct flower to be included within my pieces.

(Images from green fingers.com and sweetpeasdirect.com)

Location Scouting

Myself and my photographer had been discussing ideas for Location. We both wanted an outdoors location, which relates to our narrative and the narrative of A Midsummer Nights Dream which is based around nature. We looked at Slades Farm woods which is located close to university, however this is often used in many projects and also is very dense in trees and will be quite muddy (unless we don't get rain on the rare occasion this winter) so taking lighting, conditions etc into consideration we needed to look elsewhere.

We then travelled to the New Forest upon the advice of our fashion collaboration. Looking at Burley we found some great trees covered in moss (see below and left) and also some twisted branches which were an interesting shape.
 One of the concerns we did have was the fact that we are basing our shoot around summer and it is very autumnal in colour scheme at the moment. Within the month we were hoping the leaves may almost disintegrate down into a colourless mud almost and that we could also filter the colour orange out of the shoot

Wig Fitting

Katie came for her wig fitting on 23/10 at 5pm. She has fine wispy hair but a lot of it, approximately 16 inches in length and it is pink. Although this would work for my project I am keeping it very natural like I have talked about in previous posts and therefore believe the pink will not work. I wrapped katies hair tightly making sure to make the hairlines clear. On the right hand image you can see katies hairline isn't clear on the right - i used a pin tail comb to push this back once under the clingfilm and reveal the hairline.

Once I was satisfied with the wrap, I covered tightly with selotape, which strengthens the clingfilm creating a sturdier template. I then drew around the hairline. The master template i was creating also included Katies original parting. This allows me to confirm the whereabouts of this for future reference. Now this will be transferred onto a wooden block ready to create my lace template. I found the process easy as I have done this quite a few times now, and found my wrapping of hair has improved vastly from last year, and I take half the time now!

Racheal Cameron (Photographer) Proposal

As I am working alongside a photographer in this collaborative project I also feel it useful to include her proposal, which includes a slightly different narrative and reasoning but will meet the same outcome through working together. We decided this would be a good practise to work to different briefs as our courses demand so many different elements of work.

"My second project for this unit is a collaboration of myself and a third year Make up and Prosthetics student. We are working together to achieve an imaginative and artistic

outcome we both want along with a team of people including Carlota Cabrera Ballesteros the costumer designer, Emily Taylor the stylist, Charlee Hulbert the MUA along with her assistant and my own photographic assistant. Our narrative for this project is a contemporary twist on the film Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997) directed by Charles Sturridge, looking at fairies as a real life existing species based on the first scientific evidence seen photographic form in 1917 (fig 5). Whilst taking on the latest trend of next season summer/spring 2015, incorporated high fashion hair and make up as a focal point of interest with in the shoot. The model will take on the role of a controversial fairy that people are doubtful of existing and the effect this has had on her. Motivational photographic influences have come from the likes of Kirsty Michell’s narrative through her images (fig 6), Tim Walker’s compositions and Benjamin Kanarek."

Cage wig design development - shape

I decided to draw the shape design for my chosen structure in the same order i will apply each piece of structure to it. The first thing will to make a base in an oval/round shape allowing it to sit comfortably on the crown of the head, before cutting 4 even length pieces of metal to weld at 4 points of the base, connecting it to the larger round circle at the top of the cage. once this is welded together it needs to be strengthened to hold the hair and flowers on it. I intend to use specific lengths of metal, again rounded and place them over the structure, so they hold it together, before welding it in place.

On the image above is the final drawing, with all the measurements i will use to create my cage. The base will be 48cm around - small enough to sit ontop of my models 58cm head. The cage height will be 28cm - without any decor so will probably end up taller! The circumference of the top circle will be 65cm around - emphasising the oversized plant pot design of the structure.
When it comes to applying the rounded structure enforcing pieces, I will measure the cage at 7cm points. I initiated the welding spots by marking a black star.  It is important when I design the cage structure to include informative drawings with exact measurements - this allows someone to overtake a job if i was unable to do so and also allows it to be done well.

Cage wig 2 (floral) Design Development - shape

The first stage of this structure is again to make the base, which actually will sit around the forehead area and not on the head. Then long strips of metal measuring 20cm will be bent in the middle (8cm-12cm), evenly so that they create a hat like shape, which the top point will balance on my models head.

Their will then be 4 points, which extend at a right angle of 90 degrees from the bottom of the structure and measuring 7cm. This will connect to a larger ring which will circle around the models head, and when covered will have flowers attached disguising the structure and sitting comfortably disguising the models hairline and also the entire bulk of hair.