A reader requested that I offer directions on how I did the Victorian bride last summer.
This was a quickie. When I did this hairstyle on Laura it took almost 2 hours from start to finish. She was a perfectionist so there was a lot of moving small pieces around little by little for a half hour of that time. This is a basic idea though.
Start by parting the front section of hair down the middle and the rolling the hair out toward the ears in small rollers.
With a 3/4″ barrel curling iron, spiral curl the entire back of the hair. You can also use hot roller for speed and use the curling iron at the end for touch up curls.
Pomade is very helpful for this style to control fly-aways. In a style this complicated, they are hard to get rid of once the hair is pinned in place.
These 2 curls are pinned in place to create the base of the style and to help provide fullness in the style.
The rest of the style is a combination of pieces of hair pinned in rolls or pinned with the curly ends hanging out. I did not do step-by-step on this because it would take way too much time. And it is impossible to recreate something exactly, so I just give the advice to play and pin until it looks right on the hair you are working on.
Here are a couple finished views of the back. Looking at it now, the pieces at the bottom should not hang so far away from the head. It should look like the cascade of curls are close to the scalp.
For the back of Laura’s style, we left out a couple stringy curls at the bottom at the nape of the neck and this can be down around the rest of the face also. We did not for her style because she was afraid the curls would bug her after a while.
Remove the rollers from the front and brush the hair out into a wave.
I then split the front sections into thirds and did a very loose braid. It shouldn’t look like a braid though. The braid is just to try to mimic a wave pattern without actually making a harsh marcel. She wanted it to be really soft.
She wore a pearl comb like a crown and flowers in the back. Certainly not the easiest style I have ever done. I am not an expert on styles pre-1900, but it was a fun challenge and would love to try another one for another bride.
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8 Comments
Stefanie Valentine
Looks very complicated but the result is lovely.
Roxanne
I have a question about the ringlets in the back that you made with the curling iron.
How LONG do you hold each curl in the iron?
I’ve tried a couple of styles from your book, but I get big, wonky, floppy curls that pull out almost immediately!
Help!
Lisa
Beautiful work!
Gadian
I was looking for inspiration photos for my own victorian styled wedding hairdo and just loved this! It’s really too bad I have bangs so the front braids are not doable… 🙁 They are so lovely!
kristen
this is beautiful do you have anymore ideas
Buffalo Gal Vintage
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Buffalo Gal Vintage
Beautiful! What a lovely, unique way to express yourself on your wedding day. If you’re loooking for vintage and vintage inspired bridal wear, check out http://www.buffalogalvintage.com/womens-clothing/vintage-bridal-dresses.html!
shannah
marvelous!!!
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