The Hair that Ruled an Era

The hair that ruled an era

By Essence Quigley

The Rococo period is known for celebrating luxury and extravagance through
architecture, fashion, and, most notably, hair. The queen, Marie Antoinette, who is
regarded as the poster child of this era, was at the cutting edge of fashion during her time. Her hair, especially, spoke for her. She and the other royalty of this time led the charge of some of the craziest hairstyles, but how did this come to be?


Rococo hair started off natural. Black was in fashion, and the hair was piled
toward the forehead. Homemade dyes were made with elderberries, wine, or lead combs to achieve the rich, dark hue.

Around the 1770s, powdering the hair with starch became popular, giving the
infamous grey tone. Pomade was used to gel the hair and hold it in place for long periods, with some women not redoing their hair for weeks.

The height of the hair increased steadily over time, causing hairdressers to get creative. They began to create structures inside made of horsehair pads and wireframes. Fake hair was added on top to conceal and maintain the illusion.


The Duchess of Devonshire is at times credited for creating this trend. In 1775,
she wore four-foot-long ostrich feathers, popularizing decorations within and atop the hair. Hair became a statement–an art exhibition with spinning contraptions and ships.

They became such a strain on the neck that women needed servants to prop their hair up with sticks. Haude-Spenersche Zeitung, a German journal, wrote back then, “a new kind of headdress of this kind known as English Garden, and this is indeed an apt description. Not satisfied with wearing a garden in their hair, the ladies go further and entire landscapes are now built on top of the head. Here one may see a lady wearing a village, one with an entire wood, then again one with a large meadow, or with a great bridge, or windmills. What further limits such unnatural headgear may reach only time can tell.”

Hair transformed from an average day-to-day task to something to experience
and challenge fashion as a medium. That is why Rococo still informs our trends to this day, with the likes of Coquette and even how designers push the boundaries in high fashion. It laid the groundwork for clothing to be much more than a necessity but an extravagant show of artistic.

See more of Natalia’s work @nataliamariacole

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