Head Games.Jeweled Hair.Volume 3.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Head Games.Jeweled Hair.Volume 3.

First, let me just remind you that the "Head Games" series in my Blog , Volume 3 of which I am writing today, is my way of showing those of you who might be a bit scared of wearing hats, that between wearing an actual hat and wearing nothing at all, lays an endless row of options. I call them powerful intermediates.

Previously, I wrote about French Veils and Flowers as two very chic options to dress your hair. Today, let's talk about jewels in the hair as one of most glamorous intermediates you will ever find! I have to admit that dressing hair with jewelery (and I am not talking about bridal hair) is always my personal second choice to wearing an actual hat. The history of decorating hair with jewels goes back many centuries all the way to ancient Egypt where elaborate hair styling has been one of the most prominent forms of adornment among both man and women.

Hair in many different cultures demonstrated not only person's age, but also marital status and even religious believes. But even more than that - the way one decorated his or her hair clearly demonstrated social class and status in the society. This is where the main difference between wearing French veil and flowers as suppose to dressing your hair with jewels becomes apparent. Dressing hair with jewelry was always the prerogative of rich and noble.

Russian Empress Elizabeth (on the picture above), for example, was considered to be one of the most beautiful women of her time and a leading beauty of Russian Empire. Many foreign princes hoped to marry her. Elizabeth was also known for her great love of dressing up. Nobody, not even ladies of her Court were allowed to have the same hair style as Empress Elizabeth. It was considered to be criminal offence. Moreover, only Empress herself could decorate her right side of the head with rubies, emeralds and pearls. The rest of the noble Court was graciously allowed to decorate the left side and not nearly as elaborate as Empress Elizabeth, of course.

The women of Roman Empire were famous for paying great attention to their hair. That is women of a noble blood, of course. Blond hair were greatly admired by Romans and women often used walnut hair dye to produce the prized blond hair. Not only that, but women used to go to great length to make sure that the hair were properly accessorised:wire supports were used to create hair styles along with lots of jeweled hair pins , ribbons were used to enhance hair styles, garlands of flowers as well as precious jewels were thread into the hair. Jewels also were featured in tiaras.Gold and pearls were also popular as hair accessories and were used to create almost impossible hair styles. In today's world jewels, of course, are far more accessible and still make a great way to dress your hair. Weather it is a simple pin with a tiniest of crystals or a brooch - what a great way to dress your hair up a bit.

Christian Lacroix, in my opinion, presented one of the most beautiful ways to decorate hair with jewels: he suggested a ribbon of fine lace encrusted with crystals around the head as a way to incorporate jewels in head dressing. It became one of his tredemarks that set aside his divine Collections from the rest of the fashion designers.

I often love to wear crystal necklaces as a part of the hair style: one of my absolute favorites is wrap beautiful necklace by Alessandro Dell'Acqua made of crystal lace around my head.:-)

Do you have favorite way of decorating your hair with jewels? Well, if anything, the art of wearing jewels in your hair proves, once again, that there is a great history behind everything that we do and this exactly what I love the most about the Art of Millinery - it has far more secrets and surprises than one can imagine. :-)