Hm. I see what you mean. In the first reference, the comparison is made about the time spent brushing hair vs brushing the hat clean. And in the next, she's using the hat to hide her unstyled hair because she was too "lazy" to set it. She was saying that Charlie would be disappointed with her for not having her hair done. But it does say two fedoras, and that she fell back asleep with one side undone. Unless she's splitting it down the middle, doing a quick twisted bun on each side, and putting the hat over, I don't know how she'd get two hats on her head.
What year was that written?? Maybe there was a styling hair tool called a fedora. And I'm loving the Sarah B story. I'm going to have to research that tonight. :D I would like to add this though. If you're planning on wearing a hat, you do have to style your hair with the hat in mind. The hat influences the style, for sure. I'm not sure if there was ever a hair style that was a "fedora style" but depending on the shape of the hat, or where it sits on the head, styling it "right" is everything. On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 9:59 PM, Elena House <exst...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks; lovely resources. I'm definitely familiar with the fedora as a > hat; I've just never heard of it as a hair styling technique before, hence > my curiosity! > > Thanks to Google books and the Ngram viewer (hugely useful for etymological > study), I've managed to track down a possible link. The fedora was named > after the hat that Sarah Bernhardt wore during an 1882 play called Fedora. > (Meaning that all those manly men in noir movies were wearing a girl's > hat...) Perhaps the hairstyle she wore during the play ALSO started a > fashion for a particular style of curls, and the girl in that passage I > quoted was setting her curls into the particular style that Sarah B wore > during the play; it sounds like it must have been one really tight curl per > side, covering the forehead. (Sadly, I've been unable to find a photo of > Sarah B in the original fedora hat with her fedora curls.) > > Also, I've come to the conclusion that 'crimp' and 'curl' were being used > as interchangeable words. > > -E House > > > On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 11:37 PM, Sybella <mae...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > OH!! I forgot! I was going to give you one more link...old videos of > women > > doing their hair. I love this! > > > > http://frazzledfrau.tripod.com/titanic/hair.htm > > > > > > On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 8:29 PM, Sybella <mae...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > What a fun topic!!! Love vintage hair styling! And since my hair wont > > hold > > > a heat curl for more than 35 minutes, I've explored a lot of no-heat > curl > > > options. :) > > > > > > A fedora is a particular style of hat. It was quite the norm to give > hats > > > a little treatment at the end of every use, especially in the case of > > > suede, felt or velvet, where a brushing not only knocks the dirt off > but > > > refreshes the surface texture. People did this with garments too to > get a > > > little more wear out of them between washings, or to keep non-washable > > > garments clean. > > > > > > There are quite a number of ways to achieve curls, without modern > curling > > > irons, and women have been doing it since the dawn of time. To me, > > "crimp" > > > implies more of a folded, zig-zag type curl than a round curl. Or at > the > > > very least, tight and small curls. In the 1880s, many irons existed for > > > hair styling many of which would achieve a crimped look. Even a iron > for > > > clothes could be used to curl hair. But I agree that the author is > > implying > > > that it is a set and air dry style...and that the starring character is > > > being lazy with her beauty routine. LOL! > > > > > > What you suggested are all definite possibilities. While bobby pins > are a > > > newer invention, standard hair pins have been around since before the > > birth > > > of Christ. In addition to pinning curls to your head like 40s pin > curls, > > > hair pin curls could be achieved in the same way that hairpin crochet > is > > > done; take a small strand, wrap it back and forth on the needles, pin > the > > > whole thing in place and let it dry. > > > > > > A twist set creates a more "crimped" look too. Either you take small > > > sections of hair and twist the sections together tightly. Or you take > one > > > section and twist it around something else. Then, once it is fully try, > > you > > > carefully un-twist. It's all the same process, whether you use only > your > > > own hair or wrap around something else. > > > > > > The twist out set is done today, usually on kinky curly hair but even > > > those with straight hair can achieve a similar look. Do a web search > for > > > "twist out" to see what I'm talking about. :) > > > > > > Or watch this girl. She uses drinking straws and bobby pins to achieve > > > no-heat crimpy curls. I love it! > > > > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBik0XlFZKE > > > > > > > > > And for something older (1700s), check out this lady's video on paper > > > curls. I know you were leaning toward no-heat styling, but there's a > > > catalogue in the beginning of the video that makes this worth watching > > for > > > your book research. A few pages of hair tools are shown. > > > > > > As an alternative to rolling the hair around a heated rod, one could > have > > > wrapped the ends in paper, then rolled up the hair and folded the paper > > > over the ends to hold it in place. Then, iron it with a flat iron, let > it > > > cool and pull off the paper to reveal springy curls. I had to hunt but > > > here's a youtube link demonstrating it. > > > > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP9PJsY5__4 > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM, Elena House <exst...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > >> I'm writing a novella set in 1887 with three teenage girls as the main > > >> characters, and as a result I've been doing research into the slang & > > pop > > >> culture and so forth of the time period in New England. The 1880s are > > Not > > >> My Era, and I've run across a term-and-a-half that confuse me. > > >> > > >> Here's the passage, from "The Familiar Letters of Peppermint Perkins", > > >> with > > >> the terms and phrases ***starred***. > > >> > > >> -------------- > > >> I did begin that very night by not ***doing up any crimps.*** I was > > going > > >> to wear my hair like Clara's. She never wears any crimps. Runover > > girls > > >> never do, though they have never advanced any sufficiently good reason > > to > > >> me for not crimping it, for they all look like old fuds with it so, > and > > >> they spend just as much and more time brushing and smoothing it ***at > > >> night > > >> than I do on my "Fedoras."*** > > >> > > >> Well, I was going to say I didn't do up any; but about three o'clock I > > >> woke > > >> up and remembered that I had promised to go skating with Charlie Brood > > out > > >> to Jamaica the next morning, and I knew any amount of self-improvement > > >> wouldn't make up for the absence of crimps in his eyes, so I just > snaked > > >> out of bed and ***up with two "Fedoras;"*** but no sooner had I got > them > > >> up > > >> than my conscience began to reproach me for my weakness, and after I > got > > >> back into bed I determined that even Charlie Brood's criticisms > > shouldn't > > >> influence me, and I began to take them down; but you see I was so > > sleepy, > > >> getting up so suddenly (it all was like a dream), that I only got one > > down > > >> before I dropped to sleep, and the next morning you ought to have seen > > >> what > > >> a fright I looked. You know how high my forehead is, and shiny. > Well, > > >> there I was with all that shining expanse and ***one little bob on the > > >> left > > >> temple***, and I overslept on account of getting up so, and was late, > > and > > >> before I could do anything Charlie Brood was after me. > > >> -------------- > > >> > > >> The crimps part I only find partially confusing; I'm familiar with > > >> crimping > > >> as something one does to curl one's hair with hot irons, but not as an > > >> overnight treatment. Is this a reference to putting one's hair in > rags? > > >> Leaving it in braids overnight for braid curls? Something with > > hairpins? > > >> Or...? > > >> > > >> The one that really confuses me, though, is the "Fedoras." What on > > earth > > >> are these? The context makes it seem pretty clear that this is either > > >> another method of creating curls overnight or another name for > overnight > > >> crimps, but what is the actual method, and what does the result look > > like? > > >> Or, does the name perhaps refer to the location of the resulting > curls, > > >> rather than the method? > > >> > > >> Any ideas? > > >> > > >> -E House > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> h-costume mailing list > > >> h-costume@mail.indra.com > > >> http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > >> > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > h-costume mailing list > > h-costume@mail.indra.com > > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > h-costume@mail.indra.com > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
