The 60's Comeback Chanel A/W 2005-6

AUTUMN/WINTER 2005-6 COUTURE

Chanel

From Camilla Morton, our dedicated follower of fashion, in Paris

BLEARY eyes or not, no one can afford to miss Chanel – even from behind dark shades. In couture's new and somewhat depleted state, Dior and Chanel are the two main hitters that stay standing – and Chanel is one with order books bulging. 

Just up the road from where Hedi Slimane showed his Dior Homme show earlier this week - well they are friends, oh and look there is Mr. Slimane sat next to Stephan Gan front row supporting Lagerfeld - even from the outside the venue pulsated chic chic chic. We were drawn in, past the swarms of eager paparazzi who apparently use the first press show as a way to test out their flash guns and play a fun game of 'how many editors can we blind on their way in'. Luckily the Jackson 5 medley at Galliano's aftershow party the night before meant nothing penetrated the steel-plated shades of this intrepid reporter… Until I got inside.

From an old derelict-looking building on the outside to a stark, crisp, white sphere-like podium with the circles getting smaller to the centre and seats around its orb. Easy listening music wafted over the sound system to prepare us. 

A procession of girls, head to toe in black, started to circle the set, circling and climbing the layers of the steps, following the bouffant backcombed beehive, decorated with black bows of a girl whose full-frilled cape, with high ruffled collar, billowed round her in a very mystical way, as if silver glitter sparkles danced around her eyes.

Capes, gowns, coats, and macs - all in black - all trailed and mounted the layers of the set as if it were a massive life size wedding cake – and yet they were all widows to the world. Been working in fashion too long then eh? Bouffants and bows, a satin tuxedo, feathers, embroidery and beading, but all restrained in black, following the opening high priestess. Audrey Marney in a classic Coco Chanel-style quilted coat, black tweeds, and 60s PVC style macs. Yep, black was back.

But is it? Lagerfeld is far too clever to make it that simple. So once his widow cake was full and everyone was in place, they all opened their coats, capes, unbuttoned the top layer (flashers beware: you could be in Vogue before you know it), and, as if from under a black cloud came bursts of pinks, pastels, acids and embroidery. The girls slid out of their top layer to reveal sophisticated day suits and, as the circle unspiralled, the girls came down in day-to-cocktail-to-night-to-black tie and beyond. The lining of the top layer coordinated exactly with the butterfly that has come out of her cocoon: proof from Mr. Lagerfeld that you must never judge a book by its cover. Shift dress and frayed tweeds, salmon pinks and piped pastel sculpted blue jackets brought in a new palatte and the softer mood was lapped up by onlookers. As day went to dusk and dark leopard print was embroidered, burnished silver sequin signature camellias were sewn on the bust or strewn over long dresses, the true craftsmanship of the flou and tailleurs atliers became apparent. Waists were waspish, and the feel was soft and feminine with sequined in black or lemon yellow or a dress of black lace and puffs of hot pink satin. 

(July 7 2005, PM) Article from http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2005/couture/chanel

Photos from the show

Photos at VOGUE.COM

Large beehive with swooping short side fringe.

Large beehive, long side fringe and hair partly down and brought over to one shoulder

Large beehive, hair down at the back and bow at side of the head

Large messy beehive, short straight side fringe and loose messy bits of hair

Beehive, slightly messy at the bottom bit of hair coming loose, side fringe with now at the side

Messy beehive with full front fringe

Large bouffant beehive, slightly of center parting long thin fringe, hair parting down at the back to one side. 

Large messy beehive, swooping side fringe and hair by the eras down, bow on left hand side when parting is and bow on top of the beehive. 

Large beehive, short side fringe slightly neater style. 

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2005/couture/chanel

Above I chose a few of the different looks from the A/W 2005-6 Chanel Catwalk which I felt shows us the variety of different hair styles from the show. The inspiration of the show you can obviously see it takes elements from the 60's and Chanel gives it a traditional modern twist to the looks. The hair ranges from complete up dos, half up half down beehive with side fringe, middle partings and some are quite neat and some are large and messy accessorised with black bows. The bows are each placed in different areas and some of the beehives are in the center and some are more to one side. I love the contemporary 60's beehive inspiration as you can get really created with the look adding asseccories into the hair and back combing it more messy and loose. I feel these looks can help influence my modern design and help create my own unique 60's inspired fashion hair style. Element that make it modern can be size, style, structure, accessories and many more however having aspects of the era is important to show evidence of the chosen decade. 

Historical Hair Design Final images and Evaluation

| Final Images |

Final Historical Evaluation

Overall I'm very happy that I chose the 1960's as my assessment decade because I feel the Historical hair design came out how I planned and I feel represent the era well and would have been traditionally worn in the 60's. After creating my first complete beehive a few weeks back I really enjoyed creating the hair style and knew I wanted to create it again for my assessment I do it even better. I like the neatness of the style and how sophisticated it looks and was worn by many icons in the 60's such as Audrey Hepburn, Raquel Welch and The Ronettes. On the other hand I also liked the thought of having to create a modern fashion version of the 60's as well which gives you freedom with the look. I chose the beehive because I like how classic the look is the body and structure that goes into the hair style. I feel getting the structure, height. body, neatness and folding in pleat is quite difficult however I wanted to achieve the style I created on the chart and visualised. I think I chose the up do because I waned the challenge of the pleat at the back, when I first created the beehive my pleat wasn't so neat and was bumpy and bulged at the back so I wanted to be able to create it again but better. I feel with the historical hair design I have definitely learnt more about structure and creating height, I liked the challenge of trying to get the look slick and neat at the sides and back and really working on the style. I did re do the beehive three times which all together took me a total of two hours to create the hair design. I know the timing is a little long and in improvement areas I need to work on timing however I felt I wanted to take my time to make sure the final style was perfect and just how I wanted. I think the most challenging part was covering the rat as the hair at the top was layered and it was hard to cover which then made me try and improve by bringing in brown hair extensions and placing it in the hair hiding the grips and covering the rat. The pleat was a challenge as I must admit the first time I created a pleat it wasn't so good, however this time I am really pleased with the outcome and was such an improvement to the first time I created it. I still think in an Ideal world (because I am a perfectionist) that the pleat could of been a little neater, just a bit flatter and also work on my grip placement to make sure it securing the hair and also hiding at the same time. I think what would of make the style easier to create would be if my wigs layers weren't so short which made it hard to create height and cover however I feel I worked well with what I had and used a rat for height and crepe hair to wrap round and extensions to cover over the top and to blend so I feel I overcame the issue. Maybe next time I could get a longer wig to work with and one without layers in. However I'm extremely pleased with the outcome of my historical 1960's hair design on an acrylic wig and enjoyed creating the style and putting it on my partner to see the final look. Obviously the wig isn't made to fit my models head however securing grips helped hold it in place. As for my final images I'm very happy with how they look and how they came out, in Photoshop I changed the filter to black and white and a soft look which complete the look of the images to make them seem from the 1960's which a black and white filter. 

ASSESSMENT- 1960s Historical Hair Design (putting on partner)

1960s style wig on wooden head

Above is a picture of my wig before putting it on my partner. After creating the style I left it in the cupboard until the assessment however it got slightly knocked so I had to back comb and grip bits down. I also brought the brown hair extension with me and the lift the front hair up and then clipped it at the root just above the fringe and under the hair and then swept it over the rat to completely cover it and then I placed the hair back over it. 

Make-up:

• Laura Mercier primer
• Revlon concealer light
• Double wear light foundation intensity 1.5
• Ben Nye banana powder
• Estee Lauder bronze goddess light
• mac pink nude highlighting powder
• collection black liquid eyeliner
• rimmel black mascara 3D lash
• rimmel brown brow pencil
• vaseline
• rimmel lip liner 050 tiramisu
• smashbox lipstick nylon nude

To complete the 1960s look I applied makeup to my partner so the make-up is in contrast with the hair and the decade. In the 60's the liner was dark and bold and the face was light and flawless with a a slight bronze and the lips tend to be nude. I started with creating a flawless base applied the primer, concealer, foundation and powder, bronzing the whole face slightly and then concentrating on the cheekbones giving them definition. I then applied a pink to the cheeks for warmth, large black winged eye liner, mascara and filled in the brows slightly for definition. The lips in the 60's tended to be nudes so I applied Vaseline to the lips to hydrate them first, lined them with a light pinky nude colour and then applied the nylon nude colour over the top to create a subtle look.

Putting the wig on

Equipment:

• Hair brush
• pin tail comb
• brown grips
• stocking cap
• large grips
• wig
• hair spray
• brown hair extension  

1. I started with brushing through my models hair and then creating a center parting, I then created two pin curls each side of the parting which will be anchor points for the wig. I then did one large pin curl at the top of the head, two each side of the ears, wrapped the rest of the hair round the back and then pin curled the two sections also for anchor points as the back/bottom for the wig. 

1. I then look my brown stocking cap, asked my model to hold her fingers at the top of her forehead to hold onto the cap while I pull it over the back of the head. I then adjusted the cap and used grips to secure it to the hair. I put two grips at the front two by the ears, two at the back bottom of the head and one at the crown of the head. 

My wig before putting it on my partner

1. I then took the metal pins of the wig which was holding the wig to the head which left it loose and able for me to take off. I then took it off and put my hand in the wig to hold the position and weight of the rat in the wig as I didn't want anything to happen to it.
2. I then asked my model to put her fingers at the front of her forehead and while she held onto front I pulled the back over. Under the wig is two elastic bits which have a clip which you can clip it up at the back of the head so its more secure. I did them up at back and adjusted the wig and also checked the ears parts to make sure they are in line with my models ears to make sure the wig on straight. 
3. I then got the large grips without a bobble on the end (so it can pierce through the wig) and gripped the wig either side at the top of the head, each side at the front of the ears and then two at the back at the bottom of the head and then one at the center of the front of the head.
4. Between the parting of the fringe to the beehive you could see the lace underneath from the base of the wig so I used the end of my pin tail comb and brought the hair forward slightly and gripped it inside the hair so the grip is hidden and the lace also. 

Final look on model

Above it the final look of the wig on my model which shows all angles of the hair style. After putting the wig on used my comb to neaten it up again, take out any unnecessary grips and place ones in where needed to be. I then combed the fringe to each side and hair sprayed the whole style completely.

Evaluation

 I think the application of the wig was okay I was more worried about taking the wig off the wooden head, I did obviously secure the rat to the head with pins and also plaiting at the root to make it extra secure however I was still worried it wouldn't stay and would fall when taking it off. However when taking the wig of the head it stayed completely upright and secure which I was very happy about. I had to neaten it up slightly where when it was in the cupboard it got knocked however I just took the grips out, back combed the roots again, brushed over it and placed it back down, gripped it in place and sprayed it again to stay in place. I was really happy with outcome of applying the wig to my partner and think it looks very natural and doesn't show her real hair underneath at all.

ASSESSMENT- 1960's Historical hair design (creating design)

Hair Chart

I brought my hair chart with me so I can study the design I drew for when creating the hair design. After setting the wig with rollers and steaming it I left it for 6 days to dry (can be less) and the styled the hair in my own time the day before putting in on my partner.

Equipment:

• Hair brush
• pin tail comb
• brown grips
• couch roll
• tights
• brown crepe hair
• hair spray
• clips

1. Firstly I started with taking the rollers out of the hair, as I used large rollers the hair didnt come out curly however came out with body and volume ready to create my beehive. 
2. Next I sectioned the fringe off as it wont be put up with the beehive so I clipped it out of the way at the front.
3. I then grabbed the front section just above the fringe and started back combing the hair to give it structure and height. The main part of the height will be formed with a rat this is couch roll in a pair of tights and wrapped with brown crepe hair to hide it. To attach the rat to the head I created a french plait going across and gripped it down. I then created another french plait around 3 inches below the first one.

Once the rat was attached and gripped securely to the plaits I started bringing the closest hair to it and wrapping it over the rat to cover it and build on it. I then starting creating the structure and bringing the top front section over the top and wrapping the side sections round the back. 

As the back will turn into a pleat I started with the right side and pulled it all back and gripped it down first to the center of the head. I didn't mind the grips showing as the other side will be brought over then twisted in and will cover the grips which will fold into a pleat.

Above is the photos of the final look after styling it. As you can see the top covers the rat and follows the direction of how I set the rollers and the sides fold in at the center which I placed the rollers inwards to the center of the head at the back. As you can see I pulled the right side back first and the grips are all covered and then I pulled the left side back and folder it inwards I then gripped it where the pleat is quite discretely. I then used my comb to neaten it up and put any grips where needed to be and sprayed it with hair spray to hold. Finally I center parted the fringe, back combed it at the roots for volume, swept it to the side and sprayed it in place. On Friday I will have the assessment of putting it on my model creating a complete look and then finishing styling the wig once it is on my model. 

Evaluation

This is the first beehive or actually any style that I have created on wig. Creating the style on the wig was quite difficult as the hair is acrylic is super soft and slides very easy. Steaming and rollering the hair definitely helped it give it direction and volume to support my design. I also included a rat which is couch roll in tights and wrapped it dark brown crepe hair, this definitely helped give the design the height that I needed to create the design. At the front of the hair I had to super back comb it to make sure it would stay up, giving it height and strength which held very well after back combing the roots, however the style I still wanted to look neat so after back combing I combed the top of the hair to neaten up the surface and sprayed in place. Some of the layers in my wig is very short so I was a challenge to completely cover the rat. On the day of the assessment i'm going to bring in a strip of brown hair extension to put at the front of the root and lay over the top giving extra coverage and length to work with. Creating the pleat was hard as I feel I'm stronger creating the beehive than creating the pleat. I really wanted the style to be neat, slick and flat so I was trying to fold it over and grip it down as neat as possible while hiding the grips. Overall I'm extremely happy with how the beehive came out and  feel I did achieve the look I wanted. I did take, time control and patience especially working with such a difficult wig however I feel the outcome looks really good and I'm excited to see what it will look like on my partner. 

How to set acrylic wig and setting my Historical hair design

In our lesson before the assessment we had to set our wigs. Setting an acrylic wig is slightly different as its not real hair but can take some heat. The way we are setting our wigs is with steam, we create the design with rollers in the direction we want it going and then steam the wig and wait a few days for it to dry.

We were first shown a demonstration by our lecturer Lottie of how to steam our acrylic wigs and what it can do. She got one her quite old acrylic wigs and then filled the steamer up with water and turned it on. Then face the steam towards the wig and start brushing it through, you can style the wig using this technique and also get knots and bumps out of the wig.

Chosen Hair Design 

Above is my chosen design. I have decided to go with the complete beehive up do with the middle parting and pleat at the back. I decided to go with this one because I love the tradition up do beehive as I think it looks very classic and Audrey Hepburn. I think for the modern design I could do something a little different for that. 

Setting my Acrylic wig

I started with sectioning the hair off in the direction I knew the rollers needed to face and what was to be rollered where. I started with parting the hair in the center and clipping it to the side.

I then clipped the side back and pulled all the hair back that I wanted rollered at the back.

I wanted a lot of volume at the top of the head at this part will create the beehive. I used the largest rollers which are the red ones and used the white pins to hold the rollers in place. 

Once I had done the brick work half way down the head as the top half will be coming backwards and then I started on the side with the pink rollers which are slightly smaller and they are facing the side as the sides will be slick backwards. The back then all rolls to the center which will form the pleat at the back of the head.

This above is the steamer, I filled it with water till just below the full line and then waited for it to boil until the steam starts coming out the funnel. 

I also put too large rollers in the fringe to give it volume and a slight flick. Once the whole head was rollered I used the steamed and steamed the head twice over. 

I think the technique is very good and the rollers should give it the volume I need for the beehive and help shape the style overall. I found the rollering very hard as the hair is very smooth so it keep sliding out the rollers and some of the wigs layers are shorter which also made it hard to roll around the roller. The steaming was good and you just had to rotate the head and hold it close to the hair and make sure you get every section. I put the rollers in, in the direction the hair need to go/face which will help direct the hair. 

Equipment:

• Hair brush
• pin tail comb
• clips
• roller (different sizes)
• white pins
• steamer
• grips

Health and safety:

• Be careful with the white pins for the rollers as they can be sharp
• The steamer becomes very hot
• When the steam comes out its just like a kettle so be extra careful and do not put your hand over it. 
• Do not run in the studio
• Keep work area tidy and neat

Historical Hair Design charts and Mood board

Historical 1960's inspiration Mood board

I am basing my 60's design around large hair at the top so either a beehive or a large quiff. I have chosen a variety of photos from the decade showing historical hair designs. I have chosen these particular images because this presents visual aspects of what my final historical design will look like. I have really draw to the beehive as when creating it in the class a few weeks back I really enjoyed creating a beehive, I like the decade, style and volume/height of the hair. In the mood board above you can start to get an idea of what the 60's were like and the styles they wore during the decade. Each photo is a slightly different style however all creating the traditional beehive.

Three 60's Hair designs 

Design 1

The first design I created for the historical 60's was a complete up-do. The front fringe is a middle parting, the beehive sits tall and neat, the sides are scrapped back and the back turns into the center into a pleat. To create the height I might need to make a rat to create the volume at the top and then style the hair over to cover it. The style will sit neat and tall and be quite a sophisticated design. 

Design 2

                                           

Design two is a half up half down style. The top half is pretty much the same as the first design, neat and high at the top and turns into a pleat. The fringe however now is a side fringe sweeping across the face and the bottom half of the hair is down however still with a lot of volume and turns up at the ends like a flick. 

Design 3

The last style was completely down, the top isn't in a beehive but has a lot of volume and height still. The hair is completely down and the ends turn up in a flick, the fringe is on the side and has volume at the root and falls over to the side turning up into a flick, the whole style is thick and fluffy and isnt flat anywhere at all.