History of Headdress

The headdress once served as a symbol of authority, power. For example, in Ancient Egypt only the pharaoh could carry big headdress made of a striped fabric, which the crown was put on. All others classes, except for slaves, were content with wigs from a vegetative fibre. Wealthier the person, the wig was bigger and ringlets were more magnificent.

In the Ancient Greece men, and women went with an uncovered head, only during travel would they put on a low round felt hat with fields (a swift-footed Hermes with such a hat on was represented as a god's envoy on the frescos and in sculptures). In the middle Ages men, and women wore capes and raincoats with hoods. Hoods had diversified forms. Sometimes the end of a hood was so long that hanged down below the waistline.

In Middle Ages headdresses become an ornament and a luxury goods. People decorated their headdresses with plumes (bunches of feathers), fur, tapes and jewellery.

Ladies and some men were wearing so called genin - high cone-shaped headdress. It is assumed, that genin was thought up by Isabella Bavarian and she had brought it into fashion in 1395. Only one hundred years later it had disappeared from secular clothes, but had not ceased to exist absolutely as masons began to wear it. The skeleton for princesses genin was 3 feet high (nearby 1), court had it up to 2 feet (about 60 cm). A skeleton was made of a firm paper or starched cloth and fitted silk or other expensive fabrics. The transparent veil went down from the back part of the genin. It often covered the person. All the beaten out hair was only the small triangle-in the middle of forehead. They were of such height, that sometimes it was necessary to cut through doors in addition. Even heads of the heretics sentenced to burning were crowned with a cap with sharp top from a cardboard on which tongues of a flame and demons were painted. Later genin has got the form of a half moon or two-angled.

From the East the fashion on turbans had come to Europe. Turbans have received wide circulation. They were carried both by men and by women. Persians named a turban a fabric, which tied a head. The Persians spread this headdress widely across the Islamic world.

In XVII and XVIII centuries the turban disappeared from European fashion and appears again only during a campaign of Napoleon to Egypt (a fashion an empire style) and once again during the Second World War.

In Central Asia turbans were not allowed to be worn by time workers and beggars, nevertheless all other men from approximately 5 years and on wore turbans. The turban could be as a smart dress headwear and as casual headdress also and it could easily be transformed to a belt.

In the Middle Ages in Europe the cap became available. At the beginning it was used for bathing and as a nightcap both by women and men. The man's cap could have a long top, which was hanging down on one side. Later, men refused to wear this headdress, and only llamas were wearing it up to the end of XIX century.

In XIV and XV centuries the French fashion dominated in Europe. Caps were long and sharp as cones. Men's caps had been entirely decorated by peacock feathers. At that time, felt hats made by Russian hand craftsmen used to be very popular.

Since old days, east Slavs of all social levels wore caps a little bit extending towards the top. Peasants had caps with a high crown narrowed up at the top made of felt. There were also low cut caps with round fur band and velvet or brocade crown, they were known as murmolki. Dandies and tsar's guards (streltsi) in XVII century wore caps with low fur band and the high upward pointed soft velvet crown.

http://ushankahat.com

History of the Curling Iron

History of the curling iron. Is there such a thing or is the curling iron just a modern invention? Each generation is the same. We think we have invented something new when perhaps all we have done is to modify "old inventions" by applying modern technology. Let us begin to investigate the history of the curling iron or, as it is also known, the curling tong.

Let us begin with the definition of a curling iron. It is a tool, a cylindrical metal appliance, used to change the structure of the hair by applying heat to a lock of hair that has been curled around it. It is natural to think with a modern mind and assume that the heat is generated by electricity. However, the curling iron goes way back before the introduction of electricity.

We only have to look at carvings from the ancient world to see that people cared about the style of their hair and that a popular style involved creating curls. Babylonian and Assyrian men dyed their hair and square beards black and crimped and curled them with curling irons. Persian nobles also curled their hair and beards, quite often staining them.

Egyptian nobles, men and women, cropped their hair close but later, for coolness and cleanliness in their hot climate, shaved their heads. On ceremonial occasions, for protection from the sun, they wore wigs. The wigs would be short and curly or long and full of curls or braids. The Science Museum has an example of curling tongs used by rich Egyptians to prepare their wigs.

In classical Greece it is known that the upper classes used curling irons.

Through time there have been many methods devised to curl hair and to keep the curl in place. For example, in 1906 Charles L. Nessler, a German hairdresser working in London, applied a borax paste and curled hair with an iron to produce the first permanent waves. This costly process took twelve hours. Eight years later, Eugene Sutter adapted the method by creating a dryer containing twenty heaters to do the job of waving more efficiently. Sutter was followed by Gaston Boudou, who modified Sutter's dryer and invented an automatic roller. By 1920, Rambaud, a Paris beautician, had perfected a system of curling and drying permed hair for softer, looser curls by using an electric hot-air dryer, an innovation of the period made by the Racine Universal Motor Company of Racine, Wisconsin. A significant breakthrough came in 1945, when French chemist Eugene Schueller of L'Oréal laboratories combined the action of thioglycolic acid with hydrogen peroxide to produce the first cold permanent wave, which was cheaper and faster than the earlier hot processes. To control the amount of curl, varying diameter of rods were used for rolling. Technology to hold hair in place was advanced in 1960 when L'Oréal laboratories introduced a polymer hair spray to serve as an invisible net.

The curling iron has remained a favoured tool in spite of all the chemical inventions. We have moved on from the metal rods heated by insertion into hot coals or heating on gas or electric stoves. With no control of the heat of the iron there must have been many cases of singed hair, not to mention burnt fingers and scalps! Modern day styles demand more control and flexibility of hair style with hair looking loose rather than "glued into place". Electrically heated and electronically controlled irons and tongs are now available. The barrels come in varying sizes enabling a tight curl or loose falling curl finish. Some have a smooth easy-glide ceramic barrel to create a super smooth finish and you can also purchase drop curl hair tongs with a cone shaped tong to create loose, tumbling waves and tousled curls. The fluctuation in hair styles from curly to straight and back again means manufacturers will continue to dream up new innovations to attract both professional hair stylists and the consumer.

So who "invented" the curling iron? Inevitably you find many references to "invented" and "patented by" or "introduced by". The original inventor is lost in the mists of time but examples of the previous sentence are:

In1866, Hiram Maxim, who designed the machine gun bearing his name, applied for and obtained the first of many patents at age 26 for a hair-curling iron.

Four years later in 1890 two Frenchmen, Maurice Lentheric and Marcel Grateau, used hot-air drying and heated curling tongs to make deep, long-lasting Marcel waves.

The Straightening comb however, is actually credited as first being invented by the late 19th century French hairdresser, Marcel Grateau, who also, invented the curling iron, the permanent wave and later the Gillette safety razor which became popular in Germany after World War I.

In related developments, Rene Lelievre and Roger Lemoine invented an electric curling iron in 1959.

The pressing/curling iron was patented by Theora Stephens on October 21, 1980.

In August 1987 the Wahl Clipper Corporation introduced to the professional market the ZeeCurl. This flat-barrel curling iron gave stylists a tool to create new hairstyles with Z-shaped curls, adding texture and body to all types of hair. In 1988, FrenZee, the consumer version, was added.

There is little doubt that fashion will demand and dictate new innovations to ensure continuation of the history of the curling iron.

Rodger Cresswell

Rodger is Managing Director of Avondale Consultancy Limited and Consultant to JC Regali

Wigs: A History of Being a Utilitarian Fashion Statement

wigs have been recognized as being a useful fashion accessory since they were used by the Ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians used wigs for the main purpose of protecting their heads, which were commonly shaved, from the sun. Other ancient civilizations also wore wigs including the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans. It is interesting to note that ancient civilizations of the Far East, including Japan and China, did not utilize wigs for everyday use, but instead only for traditional theater performances.

Between the fall of the Roman Empire and the 16th Century, wigs were not a part of the fashion scene or an item of sun protection. After the 16th Century, however, there was a big upswing in the use of wigs. Wigs served as a means of compensating for baldness. Wigs were seen as a means of improving one's own personal appearance, a mask of sorts that allowed for one to appear more aesthetically pleasing. One main reason that wigs became so popular in early England was much more basic than looking good. Instead, because the English lived in a dirty, cluttered and very unsanitary conditions, head lice became a real nuisance. Oftentimes people would shave their natural head to keep it from attracting head lice and replace it with a wig, which was much easier to de-louse.

Queen Elizabeth I, became famous for her tightly curled red wig. King Louis XIII of France, made wearing wigs more popular for those of the male gender and the trend continued. In fact, wig is a shortened version of the word periwig which was the name of the artificial shoulder-length or longer hair that became fashionable after Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. Periwigs, also known as perukes, became so popular that they became a sign of status and power and soon became a staple of the English Court.

The wearing of wigs continues in many countries and cultures. In many, the wigs are a symbol of social status or class. Today, wigs are often seen more as a matter of convenience. They are easy to style ahead of time and hold in waiting until one needs them. In addition, they are an accepted remedy to baldness caused for various medical reasons. Of course, wigs are still worn today as a sign of status or for aesthetic attention. Celebrities like Cher or Dolly Parton have based a great deal of their star image upon their use of wigs. Whether they are for use in altering appearance or enhancing their appearance, wigs remain a utilitarian part of the popular culture of fashion.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has a huge selection of free party games, coloring pages, word find, word scramble, printable baby and bridal shower activities. A huge variety of inexpensive costume party wigs featuring funky colors and styles including Elvis wigs, clown, wigs, hippie wigs, afro wigs, Rasta wigs, and Halloween costume wigs. Plus, party masks, sunglasses, banadanas, and hats.