Wigs Victorian BJD wig

Victorian Hairstyles (with tutorials!)

 

I've done an early Victorian style wig before. Kemper Doll Supply (out of business now) had a lovely styled modacrylic wig called "Victoria"; I have two in different colors and they're perfect for Victorian lady BJDs.

 

"Victorian" is a long span of time and hairstyles changed along with the clothing style. She came to the throne in 1837 and died in 1901, do you need the simple oarted down the middle and swept back over either ear style of the 1850s, the mass of curls over each ear with an elaborate top-k not of the 1830s, the piled high braided bu ns with loose curls at the back of the 1870s, or the bouffant "Gibson Gorl" styles of the late 1890's amnd early 1900s...? I think you need to decide which Victorian clothing era you intend for your doll - Romatic era, chrinoline era, eliptical crinoline era, early bustle era, natural form era, lagte bustle era... etc. and decide on the hairstyle from that, then look into how to make and style a wig to match.

Teddy

 

Regardless of which style you decide on, I'd love to see the wig (and the outfit, really) when you're finished! I love Victorian fashion (especially around 1870) and I feel like wigs in those styles are severely underserved, so it'd be nice to see your take on it. Doesn't have to be on the doll if you're not comfortable sharing yet!

 

Absolutely! Same here - Most of my SD sized gang are styled Victorian (|but most of them are children rsther than adults), so I'd love to see the outfit and wig when done.

Teddy

 

If you don't know what decade, please do just show us your plans for the dress, and we can give you a suggestion for hairstyles that go with the Look the dress has!

When you're not going for Pure Historic, sometimes the historic facts can really help inspire your style along anyway- a lot of hairstyles were made to complement a certain silhouette or a certain type of gown, so we can give you ideas that way!

I myself am a fool for the "Gibson Girl" look from the Edwardian or turn of the century period, but those updos are tricky for me to pull off in wig making.

 

I often find that the problem with wigs for updos is getting the hairline to look right, especially around the forehead. Buying or making, it often just looks like a wig rather than like actual hair.


Teddy

 

Exactly yes! The Gibson Updo has got an exposed hairline all the way around! It's so hard to keep things from being pulled up too high and looking like a hat

 

Whatever you go with, keep in mind that adult women generally wore their hair in some form of updo- sometimes with braids or trailing elements, a la the early 1870s -and bangs weren't popular for adults until around the early 1870s. And even then, very short bangs were usually the most popular, curly or straight- not the sort of curtain or eye-sweeping bangs that are popular nowadays. Of course, all of that's only relevant if historical accuracy is something you're going for, which I know it may not be. Best of luck!