How to Create 1950s Glamour

The fashions of the post war 1950s were hugely influenced by the women of the sliver screen like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and, most famously, Marilyn Monroe.
Hair-Mar06-06-176Vintage hair styling requires several things; patience, nimble fingers and a few select styling products. In my line of work as a freelance vintage hair stylist, make-up artist and owner of Sarah's Doo-Wop Dos, I regularly create many different looks from different eras for my customers, so the tips I'm sharing in this article are thoroughly tried and tested!

The fashions of the post war 1950s were hugely influenced by the women of the sliver screen like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and, most famously, Marilyn Monroe. Women had access to more products than in previous decades, enabling them to re-create these fashionable looks in the comfort of their own homes.




Step 1
Start by working a little mousse through your hair for hold and curling it into tight ringlet curls. You will need a small barrelled tong for this. Hair in the 1950s was often worn short but if the hair was kept long, as worn by many fashionable teenagers, it was styled into sleek looks.

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Step 2
Work around your whole head, curling strands of hair and then winding them up and pinning them in place with pin-curl clips. In the 1950s 'wet setting' was the most popular form of styling. The hair would then be dried under a hood dryer. These days, however, we have more styling tools at our disposal and can use far less time consuming methods to create the looks.*

Step 3
The curls will need time to set so that they are completely cold before they are styled. This will help the style hold for much longer, so take your time and be patient. About 10-15 minutes should do the trick.

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Step 4
Un-pin all the curls and run your fingers through them to break up the ringlets into soft curls, then tease the front section a little to create some lift and definition to the wave. Soft waves were very popular in the 1950s and even short hair would be styled this way.

Step 5
Brush the hair through with a soft bristled brush until the waves start to show, then using several duckbill clips set the wave in place for another few minutes to really define the shape. A little pomade run through the hair with your fingers can help control frizz and keep the look sleek.

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Step 6
Twist the other side of the hair and pin it behind your ear, securing it in place with hair grips. This side can then be dressed with an accessory. Glitzy slides were very popular at the time.

The final look...

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*set curls in rows, clockwise then anti-clockwise to form a wave when styled.

Credits
Article, hair and make-up: Sarah Dunn, owner of Sarah's Doo-Wop Dos www.doowopdos.co.uk

Model: Patsy

Photography: Jez Brown www.facebook.com/jezbrownphotography