Monday, September 06, 2010

Boston Marriage: Gilded Hair

For the characters in the play The Boston Marriage, hair is a very important aspect of the design. In the Edwardian period most women curled their hair using curling tongs. Hairpieces were also popular to add mass to the hairstyles. An important dictate for hairstyling was the width of the hairdo. Women used different gadgets to achieve the proper fullness. By 1911 hairstyles became more natural and followed the shape of the head. For our production of Boston Marriage we want a natural look –inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings and Reform Dress style images. The hair will be sensuous, unstructured and it will also have  a gilded look -to emphasize the Gilded Era. We looked at contemporary images to create a bit of anachronism; given that the relationship between the main two characters is still relevant today. 

    
Above: Actress Debra Wise adds a 'gilded' hair piece to create the glamorous yet unstructured hair do for Anna. Notice the research inspiration images.

Below: Inspiration ideas for the character of Claire. The hair piece for actress Jennie Israel (who plays Claire) is fire copper.
  

With color choices, proper textures and curl setting we will bring sophistication and sensuality to our production --apropos to The Gilded Era!
By: Rafael Jaen
http://fromthetailorstable.blogspot.com/




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