Plaiting & Women's Styles

From what Ive learnt of the Rennaisance period, which spanned from the 14th to 17th century, women's hair was generally very long and manipulated in to upswept that flattered stiffened collars and neck ruffs that were popular. 

(Source: Encyclopedia of Hair: A cultural History, Victoria Sherrow 2006 pg. 329)


Plaiting often formed part of these upswept styles. 

Illustration of 16th Century style
A History of Women's Hairstyles 1967

Take this illustration of a hairstyle dated mid 1500's (around the time Elizabeth reigned). The hair is piled high upon the head finished elegantly and skilfully with a plait that reaches right round from one ear to the other almost in the manner a french hood would. It also appears that the plait s adorned with some sort of decoration, typical of upper class elizabethan styles. 

Looking at contemporary versions of plaiting, Ive come across the style below sported by Beyonce.

Image of Beyonce Knowles
http://tinyurl.com/q28oo5y

The braiding created in this hairstyle reminds me of the French Hood's seen in Elizabeth portraits and hairstyles I've researched. The crown shape is placed nearer the hairline unlike the french hood which is nearer the crown of the head. I think it would be a neat idea to try and recreate the french hood effect using hair, as this could also be easily adorned with items such as ribbon and jewels to add a greater influence of elizabethan styling.

However, Beyonce is known for having versatile hair and is rumoured to wear a weave. I however, had bob length hair. As a designer I need to come up with a look that is suitable for my hair length and type so that my partner (The Stylist) is capable of recreating it.

An example of 'Crown Plaiting'
http://tinyurl.com/mo56yxx

Baring that in mind, I have sourced this image. The woman to the right (unknown) sports an almost identical crown plaiting style as Beyonce. This particular lady has almost identical length to my hair and a very similar texture. This assures me that a similar style could be reproduced.