labricoleuse: (vintage hair)
La Bricoleuse ([personal profile] labricoleuse) wrote2009-11-09 05:39 pm

Hair frames: Apollo's knot support structure

Because the shows we are about to mount are set in the time of extraordinarily large and architectural hairdos, our Wig Supervisor needs frames on which to build the hairpieces. This fell to me so i took some documentary pix to share.

Here are a few photos showing how i made a mount for the frivolously fun "Apollo's knot" style, as well as a couple cool ones of an antique bustle-draping dress form!


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Example research image of an Apollo's knot variation

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This little frame is made from shaped millinery wire and stiff horsehair.

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Horsehair can be sprayed to match an actor's hair color.

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Look how cute!

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You can see the side of the frame in this shot,
supporting the inside of the loop of hair.


And, unrelated, as an aside...

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Check out this antique dress form with an adjustable skirt cage!

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Forms like this were used for draping bustle swags and polonaises.

[identity profile] koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com 2009-11-10 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
That is adorable! I've been thinking about trying an Apollo knot for the 1820s dress I'm making for January. I just might have to try this :)

[identity profile] sparklewolfie.livejournal.com 2009-11-10 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
That is cool! That was how we had our hairpieces for my Chinese dance group (actually, that knot you showed looks almost exactly like one of the hairstyles we had!)
They are sort of annoying to put in, but look nice on stage!

[identity profile] auroraceleste.livejournal.com 2009-11-11 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
So, once you build the armature for the Apollo's knot, how do you put the hair on it? I've tried this before, but I've never been able to get the hair to lay flat and not flop. Is it just tons of hairspray, or is it wefted then sewn to the frame at the bottom? Or something else entirely I'm not seeing?

[identity profile] labricoleuse.livejournal.com 2009-11-11 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not certain, as the wig supervisor added the hair, but i believe this began as a wefted piece. There are also several pins and yep, lots of hairspray.

[identity profile] sparklewolfie.livejournal.com 2009-11-11 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
Do you mean how to cover the shape with fake hair? Or how to make the hairpiece stay on your head?

[identity profile] auroraceleste.livejournal.com 2009-11-11 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
How to cover the shape with fake hair. Mine always flops off, or snarls, or just looks bad.

[identity profile] sparklewolfie.livejournal.com 2009-11-11 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Ours was just glued on, I think... and then hairsprayed to the point where it felt like one solid piece and not a single hair would move O.o But ours was strictly for stage use, so nobody was going to see it really up close ;) If you are using your for costume, you probably want to take a little bit more care ;D