Sarah Leaff - New Elizabethan Hair 2012

Image References: https://www.facebook.com/S.Leaff.MakeUp/photos_stream

Internet Ref: 'Inch Hair Designs', http://inchhairdesigns.com/members-view/sarah/

Sarah Leaff is a hair stylist from the United Kingdom who is renowned for her creative and unique perceptions of vintage and historical hair styling, working with companies such as the BBC and Disney she has specialised in productions such as The Lion King one of Broadways most renowned musical for makeup and hair design. These images taken from her online portfolio of work are examples of modern Elizabethan influence within hair styling, the hair itself is highly conventional of Elizabethan fashion however it is the choice of makeup and costume co operating with the hair that creates the impression of a contemporary look. All three of these hair styles have been created through a method of using a series of tight curls that have been frizzed out to create a compact level of volume over the whole head. These looks in particular feature the use of a wig or hair piece that allows the hair to be fixed and styled more securely before being placed onto the model, the hair itself becomes something more of a sculpture than hair design on its own. 

This use of wigs was something prominent within the late Elizabethan period as hair styles became more elaborate and highly decorated therefore making it more difficult to create such styles on the actual human hair. In addition to the desire for ornate hair was the impacts of both sickness and design on the hair of the period, these issues caused a high level of hair loss within the period resulting from illnesses such as smallpox and infections of lice. It maybe interpreted that through Leaff's use of wigs within this work she is attempting to recreate the authentic Elizabethan hair curl. The shape of the hairstyles within these images are also reverent of the period through the use of heart padding and harsh hairlines to emphasis the tall forehead, despite this connection to the historical the looks created by Leaff are highly contemporary and almost futuristic. The shapes madedespite being heart shaped are more angular than portraits of the 16th century and through this the hair appears much more modern and almost futuristic. Her work here is a wonderful example of who the use of shape within hair can manipulate its historical connection, the hair is admittedly similar to the original as historical recreation is the speciality of the stylist however through the tweaking of its overall shape to something more constructed the whole era surrounding the design is changed. Shape has a dramatic impact on how a style is associated, an idea useful to consider within my own final designs.