Period Hair - 1960s

So much changed in the 1960s. It was home to the Civil Rights Movement, which was a large and necessary beginning of change in society. Another movement which many people think about when talking about the sixties is that of the hippie movement. The slogan 'Flower Power' was commonly used in the late sixties, and was a symbol of non-violence ideology. They would dress with flowers embroidered on their vibrant clothing, wear flowers in their hair, and they eventually became known as 'Flower Children'. (Paese, M. no date).

Figure 1 - 1960s hippie movement (Brunelle, B. 2017)

One of the most well known looks from the 1960s was called the beehive. It was developed by a hairstylist names Margaret Vinci Heldt from Illinois. (Beautylaunchpad, 2019). Editors of a magazine called 'Modern Beauty Salon' reached out to her to ask if she would "create a new hairdo that would spice up the world of beauty". (Edmonds, M. no date). She then came up with the beehive. The style was made popular by the musical group 'The Ronettes', many women opted for this style because it saved them a lot of time getting ready. They could wrap their hair up in a scarf and sleep, then neaten the style up in the morning. (Edmonds, M. no date).

Figure 2 - The Ronettes (Ray, M. 2014)

This style continued on even after the sixties, as it was famously worn by Amy Winehouse (1983 - 2011). According to Naomi Parry of InStyle, she was very much inspired by the sixties, and she took inspiration from the singer Brigitte Bardot. (Parry, N. 2016).

Figure 3 - Amy Winehouse (1983 - 2011) (Trendhunter, 2007)

Figure 4 - Brigitte Bardot (IMDb, no date)

An iconic figure from this time was the model Dame Lesley Lawson, better known as 'Twiggy'. She really set the scene with her short, sleek pixie cut, and her bold eye makeup. This is easily one of the most recognisable looks from this decade. 

Figure 5 - Twiggy (Whitmore, G. 2018)

Figure 6 - Twiggy (Browse.entale, no date)

Another popular look was the french twist, commonly worn by actress Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993). It can be seen in the film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1961), which is the film that shot her into stardom. (Martinez, D. no date). 

Figure 7 - Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993) in 'My Fair Lady' (1964) (Claire, M. 2015)

Figure 8 - Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993) in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1961) (Claire, M. 2015)

Men in this era were also changing their hairstyle. Many men were growing out their locks into almost bowl cut shapes, and 'mop tops'. This style covered the tops of their ears, but did not go below half-way down their neck. (Vintagedancer, 2020). This style was famously worn by The Beatles. 

Figure 9 - The Beatles (Bukszpan, D. 2019)

Figure 10 - The Beatles (Robinson, W. 2017)

Previous attempt at 1960s hair

Previously, a beehive hairstyle was done as a vintage assessment in 2019. This was done with a human hair wig and a Twiggy inspired makeup look. 

Figure 11 - Previous attempt at 60s (Brown, J. 2019)

Figure 12 - Previous attempt at 60s (Brown, J. 2019)

There are improvements that could be made here. For example, the graphic liner could be neatened up as it is slightly smudged, and the lashes could be closer to the lash line. However, the wig looks very neat and polished.

Setting the wig

The style that was tried was a french twist with curl details. The front of the hair was rolled pointing to the back of the head, as this was going to create a bouffant shape. A parting was made at the back of the head, and the hair was set in a vertical directional set, all rolling towards that part. This means that when it comes to styling, the hair will want to follow that french twist shape.

Figure 13 - French twist wet set (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 14 - French twist wet set (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 15 - French twist wet set (Brown, J. 2020)

Styling the wig

Styling the wig was a little tricky at first. If there's not enough back-brushing and pins, it can be quite difficult to get the twist to be tight. It definitely takes a couple tries to get it right. The ends of the hair, including from the hair at the front after being moulded into the bouffant shape, was made into many curl details and secured with pins. The challenge with this style was that no wavy grips were allowed to hold this style in place, so a lot of hairspray was used to secure the hair.  

Figure 16 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 17 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 18 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 19 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 20 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 21 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 22 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 23 - French twist style (Brown, J. 2020)

This style was quite difficult to achieve. It took a little bit of time to get it right, however, the stylist is happy with how it turned out. For future attempts at this style, the curls could be improved upon, as they look like they are leaning slightly to one side, so there's more curls on one side than the other. 

-Jess

References:

• 1960s Men's hairstyles and facial hair. (2020) Available from https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-mens-hairstyles-and-facial-hair/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Edmonds, M. (no date) How beehive hairdos worked. Available from https://people.howstuffworks.com/beehive-hairdo1.htm [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Hair through history: 9 iconic hairstyles that defined he 1960s. (2019) Available from https://www.beautylaunchpad.com/galleries/article/21144245/9-iconic-hairstyles-that-defined-the-1960s [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Martinez, D. (no date) How to: Audrey Hepburn's Timeless Updo Tutorial. Available from https://periodhairstyles.com/how-to-audrey-hepburns-timeless-updo-tutorial/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Paese, M. (no date) Flower Power. Available from https://www.thehistoryofrockandroll.net/flower-power/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Parry, N. (2016) Amy Winehouse's stylist remembers working with the late singer. Available from https://www.instyle.com/news/amy-winehouse-stylist-recalls-working-late-singer [Accessed 27/11/2020].

Bibliography:

• 1960s. (no date) Available from https://www.history.com/topics/1960s [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• 1960s Important news and events, key technology fashion and popular culture. Available from http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1960s.html [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Beauty through the ages - 1960s. (2020) Available from https://www.harleymedical.co.uk/blog/beauty-through-the-ages-1960s#:~:text=Twiggy%20was%20the%20inspiration%20of,heavy%20makeup%20of%20their%20predecessors. [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Bryan, F. (no date) 19 best 1960s men's hairstyles. Available from https://nextluxury.com/mens-style-and-fashion/best-1960s-mens-hairstyles/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Civil Rights Movement. (2009) Available from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement#:~:text=The%20civil%20rights%20movement%20was,law%20in%20the%20United%20States. [Accessed 27/11/2020]. 
• Dyas, B. (2017) 60+ Unforgettable things that happened in the 1960s. Available from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g4543/facts-about-the-60s/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Hippie. (2020) Available from https://www.britannica.com/topic/hippie [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Hippies in the 60s: Fashion, Festivals, Flower Power. (2020) Available from https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/hippies-in-the-60s-fashion-festivals-flower-power/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• McGlinchey, S. (no date) A brief history of 1960s makeup. Available https://glamourdaze.com/history-of-makeup/1960s [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Nolen, J.L. (2020) Twiggy. Available from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Twiggy-British-fashion-model [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• The 1960s History. (2010) Available from https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1960s-history#section_7 [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• The Sixties: Moments in Time. (no date) Available from https://www.pbs.org/opb/thesixties/timeline/timeline_text.html [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Watson, K. (no date) The 1960s The decade that shook Britain. Available from https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-1960s-The-Decade-that-Shook-Britain/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Women's Hairstyles of the 1960s. (2014) Available from https://mylifebanquet.com/2014/08/21/women-hairstyles-1960s/10/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].

Figures:

• Figure 1 - Brunelle, B. (2017) Progression, Stubbornness and Prevalence of Psychedelic Culture in the Hippie Sixties. Available from https://medium.com/california-countercultures/progression-stubbornness-and-prevalence-of-psychedelic-culture-in-the-hippie-sixties-2f0fa3f6519 [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 2 - Ray, M. (2014) The Ronettes. Available from https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Ronettes [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 3 - Secret to retro beehive. (2007) Available from https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/retro-beehive-amy-winehouse-wigs-ebay [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 4 - Brigitte Bardot. (no date) Available from https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000003/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 5 - Whitmore, G. (2018) Observer picture archive: Twiggy, 12 August 1966. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/aug/11/observer-archive-twiggy-12-august-1966 [Accessed 27/11/2020]. 
• Figure 6 - Life and lipstick. (no date) Available from https://browse.entale.co/episode/ee7e72e5-079a-44fe-83d8-3523180541bc?utm_source=browse_show_details [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 7, 8 - Claire, M. (2015) Audrey Hepburn's best hair & beauty moments, revisited. Available from https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/hair/audrey-hepburns-best-hairstyles-from-breakfast-at-tiffanys-to-roman-holiday-237986 [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 9 - Bukszpan, D. (2019) The Beatles remain a pop culture phenomenon even among Gen Z fans. Here's why. Available from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/26/the-beatles-remain-a-pop-culture-phenomenon-even-among-gen-z-fans.html [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 10 - Robinson, W. (2017) Paul McCartney sues Sony in Beatles copyright dispute. Available from https://ew.com/music/2017/01/18/beatles-paul-mccartney-lawsuit-sony/ [Accessed 27/11/2020].
• Figure 11, 12 - Brown, J. (2019) York College.