Experimenting with Elizabethan Styles

We were given a general project brief where we needed to do padding on the top in a heart shape and then have a bun at the back. I decided to get two pieces of padding to put on the top/back of the head in a heart shape and then I wanted a plaited bun at the back. 

Step by step:

1. I first sectioned off the top 2/3 of the hair and put the bottom 1/3 of the hair in a ponytail. 

2. I then crimped the whole of top section, leaving the ponytail. 

3. I next gave the top section a middle parting and clipped up one side to make it easier to work on the other side. 

4. I sectioned of sections of hair at the front of each side of the parting to use to cover the padding. 

5. I then put a french plait behind both these sections so that the padding can grip onto it. 

6. I turned the ends of the french plait back on itself to make come off the head slightly.

7. I then placed the padding on each french plait and secured each of them with hair pins. 

8. I took the sections, behind the padding, wrapped the ends round my finger, and then secured them at the front of the padding. I made sure the hair covered the ends of the padding. 

9. I then took the front sections of hair and pulled them over the padding and secured the hair behind the padding I wrapped the ends of the hair and tucked them under the padding so that they weren't too visible. I made sure to cover the padding and tried to create the right shape. 

10. I plaited the hair in the ponytail and wrapped it round to create a bun. 

Front view

Front view, close up

Front view, after smoothing the fly aways

Closeup of one side of padding

Side view

Back view

I think this is the best padding look I've done so far so I am happy to see improvement! I really like the left side of the padding because the shape is very smooth and round and it meets the ear in a smooth, gradual slope. However I can see that both sides are not equal which is frustrating. Next time I will have to pay great attention to this to make sure it doesn't happen again, however I know this will be difficult. I noticed that there were a lot of little fly aways that I needed to smooth down and it looked so much neater and polished after I did this. I think the back of the padding looks a little messy but would look more completed if I decorated them with jewels or pearls. I also think I should have made the action behind the padding diagonal so that the partings looked neater. I think it would have looked better if the bun was higher up so that the partings weren't so visible and I would have liked to make the bun slightly bigger, but pulling it out and flattening it slightly.