18th Century Hair

In the 18th Century, along came the ‘pouf’ or ‘pouffe’, made fashionable in 1774 by Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The pouf made its first appearance at husband, Louis XVI’s coronation, where the trend began.

The pouf was a way for women to express themselves through creative and artistic methods of hair design. Women would decorate their poufs with accessories and ornaments in varied extremities, often depending on their mood.

The pouf styles would take hours to create and involved methods including use of metal frames and padding. Once the style had been created, grey powder would be applied to the hair, then elaborately decorated.

The extreme styles would be kept in for days at a time, and then washed and recreated when the style had either lost its shape or it had got to an unhygeinic level. To maintain these styles at night, women would wear a type of bonnet called a ‘calashe’ and would keep their heads uncomfortably propped upright using multiple pillows.

It has been said that hairdress, Leonard Autie, creator of the pouf, was tipsy whilst creating Marie Antoinette’s first pouf. Luckily his creativity pulled through and the alcohol gave him the confidence to succeed in making a beautifully elaborate design which included, “three white ostrich plumes, set on the left side of her head and fastened in the middle of a rosette he had braided with her hair. A bow of pink ribbon, in the center of which was a large ruby, held the elaborate creation together.”

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

There were many variations of the pouf, these included:

Pouf ‘Jolie Femme’

This pouf was created with masses of height, elaborately decorated in feathers and flowers. When Marie Antoinette was first presented with this style, her response was, “My hairstyle is perfect, and is admireably planned, but is remarkably bold.”

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Ques-A-Co

“Composed of three feathers that ladies wore on the back of the head, creating a design resembling a question mark”, invented by Mademoiselle Bertin, Marie Antoinette’s milliner.

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Pouf Sentimental

The pouf sentimental was a design Leonard had come up with which, “employed two waxen figures as ornaments, representing the little Duke of Beaujolais in his nurse’s arms. Beside them he placed a parrot pecking at a plate of cherries, and reclining at the nurse’s feet, he put the waxen figure of a little African boy of whom the duchess was very fond.”

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Mania

This was Leonard’s most risky and daring design yet, “Leonard was a bit frightened”. Many unusual ornements were put into these newly caught on trend of a hairstyle, “Frivolous women covered their heads with butterflies, sentimental women nestled swarms of Cupids in their hair, and the wives of officers wore squadrons perched on their heads. Melancholic women went so far as to put crematory urns in their headdresses.”

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Hedgehog or ‘Herisson’

The styles were evergrowing, and in 1776, the Queen was attending the Duchess of Orleans’ ball. This style was, “Leonard’s concoction of unpowdered hair curled to the tips and rising in tiers, leaving several strands of curls falling on the neck. The hair on the forehead was held up in a high and very large clump with hairpins.”

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Caricatures

As expected, the styles continued to become more extravagant than the previous one. Here, we can see an image of the newest style, showing elaborate detail and masses of height.

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Coiffure à la Belle-Poule

This famous design was “invented after the naval battle in which the frigate, La Belle Poule, was victorious.” The design was supported by hidden scaffolding in the hair. The hair would be curled and positioned to create an immitation of waves underneath the ship, complete with “mast, rigging, and guns”.

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The End of an Era

As a result of many elaborate hairstyles, The Queen began to suffer from hair loss. “Leonard then persuaded the queen that his “coiffure à l’enfant” would surely meet with the same enthusiasm as her previous coiffures.”  Leonard cut her hair, and ofcourse, within weeks, women were sporting similarly shorter hair, “creating a new era in hairdressing”.

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

The Clouds of Revolution

Marie Antoinette was originally a Princess from Austria, which happened to be one of France’s long time enemies. Because of this, it was important that she appeared traditionally French, but her vast hairstyles “alienated” her. Eventually, the revolutionary court condemned the Queen to death, and first to go was her famous locks before her beheading.

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles [online image] Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

Will Bashor, 2013, Marie Antoinette’s Craziest, Most Epic Hairstyles, Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bashor/marie-antoinettes-crazies_b_4109620.html

Viewed 16.10.14, Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pouf