As in the XVII-XVIII centuries, syphilis forced people to wear wigs. What material were wigs made of in the Middle Ages? Men in wigs 18th century
Men's costume of the 18th century
The men's suit also undergoes a number of changes and at the end of the century is finally simplified in color and form, once and for all giving way to women's fashion. But during the period of the Regency and the heyday of Rococo, its elegance, wealth and femininity are still at their apogee.
The caftan smoothly fits a thin waist, although it does not fully fasten (Fig. 139).
Wire or heavily glued fabric is inserted into the caftan floors (Fig. 140),
which gives the right to the cavalier du Cap Ver (the protagonist of Voltaire's play of the same name) at the fitting, referring to the tailor, to exclaim: "... make me the floors so that when I enter the carriage, they stand like a pannier for ladies ..." Wide open the floors opened the camisole vest, which in shape was a copy of the caftan, but made of light fabric on the back and sleeveless in summer. It could also be from a fabric homogeneous with a caftan, but more often from patterned brocade, velvet, rep and satin.
The sleeves of the caftan were made narrow and rather short, with high cuffs turned up, with rich decorations, or even from patterned other fabrics. A rich lace frill protruded from under the cuffs (Fig. 141).
A frill, also trimmed with expensive lace, was visible in the camisole unbuttoned at the chest. Culottes (Fig. 142)
worn tucked into high stockings or more often fastened under the knee. Legs, covered with silk stockings, sank into shoes with buckles, with medium heels (see Fig. 141).
The form of men's clothing takes the configuration generally accepted for all classes. The complexity of the cut, precious finishes, richness of fabrics make this generally accepted relative.
The pantaloons of this time were narrow, fastened under the knee with a button and no longer had, as in the 17th century, trim of ribbons and lace.
Shoes in fashion remained the same: both high, above the knee boots, over the knee boots, and shoes with red heels, which were the privilege of the nobility.
Men's wigs and headdresses of the 18th century
In the 18th century, the shape of men's wigs changed dramatically. The military, who were disturbed by the long curls of the wig, began to tie them at the back with a ribbon and put them in a silk bag. A man's profession often dictated the shape of the wig he wore, with each class preferring its own wig shape. Lawyers wore full-bottom wigs (long wigs reaching to the chest), merchants wore tie-wigs and queue-wigs (the hair in the neck was tied with a ribbon), and clerics wore bob-wigs (curled wigs).
The wig took on small dimensions, making the male head look like a female, which, with the grace and thinness of the waist, made it possible to compare a man with a “fluttering butterfly”. The wig could have curls on the sides and above the forehead. Out of respect for the wig and out of a sense of precaution, the cocked hat was most often worn under the arm.
Tricorns appeared already at the end of the reign of Louis XIV, who during this period said that he did not like the big hats fashionable under his father. Therefore, the fields of hats were reduced and modestly bent upwards at the beginning of the 18th century.
The cocked hats were of various sizes - large, medium and very small, they looked very good on white powdered hair with a pigtail. The soldiers of the army of Suvorov were all in wigs, which was especially zealously maintained under Emperor Paul. Suvorov himself did not wear a wig. “Powder is not gunpowder, a scythe is not a cleaver, and I am not a German, but a natural hare,” he said. But fashion remained fashionable, and a rare nobleman in Russia could appear at ceremonial exits without a wig.
At home, the men went around in a dressing gown and in small homemade hats (they cut their heads under a wig). A camisole was worn to match the negligee robe. This constituted a home costume in which a visitor could be received.
Since 1750, a well-known simplification also affected men's clothing: the protruding floors of the caftan disappeared, the sleeves lengthened and narrowed, the size of the cuffs and the peplum of the camisole decreased, the entire volume of the men's suit changed. Strictness also affected the patterns of fabrics: the whimsically curved lines of the patterns gradually went out of fashion, they were replaced by a small floral ornament located in a vertical strip(Fig. 143).
From 1782 to 1794, there was a sharp difference between the French court costume and the urban one. At court, respect for tradition and the desire to raise his prestige did not allow him to fully follow the English fashion. Beginning in 1783, a slightly shorter waistcoat (always white) and embellishments (appliqué or floral embroidery) accentuated the sophistication of the costume.
18th century English costume
In England, where horse riding was an obligatory pastime of the aristocracy, since the 17th century, the caftan floors began to be fastened back for convenience. Throughout the entire 18th century, this technique became so rooted that by the end of the century a new dress was formed - a tailcoat. The tailcoat was preceded by military camisoles, in which the floors were wrapped with a colored lining up. It is characteristic that, born from a hunting caftan with two rows of buttons, the tailcoat in its original form was double-breasted, tightly fitting to the body, open in front and with lapels.
Since the tailcoat was worn buttoned up, it is natural that the camisole vest, which by this time had turned into a vest, became invisible. The consequence of this was the experimentation of tailors, who cut out the front of the tailcoat in such a way that the vest looking out of it, with the general severity of the whole suit, alone could reveal the taste and ingenuity of the owner. The lapels of the tailcoat served as a subject of competition for the imagination of tailors, their contours and sizes changed with incalculable speed. Even the waistcoat received lapels, the number and color of which depended on the means of the dandy and the tailor's imagination.
Business Englishmen gave the world a prototype of the modern redingot coat (Fig. 144).
This is a heavily fitted caftan, with long skirts and one or two high collars, which could be turned up in inclement weather, hiding one's face up to the very nose. For complete comfort, the redingot was girded with a buckle belt. It is characteristic that at the end of the century, outerwear began to be hemmed with hair at the seam at the waist and worn with a high collar and sleeves so narrow that it was necessary to make an incision at the wrist.
High boots with colored lapels and tassel, long trousers for riding were adopted as urban clothing. Hats are round and with corners - three or two - put on a small and low hairstyle - a wig or hairstyle with long hair to the ears (Fig. 145).
Fabrics and paints
Fabrics were chosen with a small pattern of vegetable and geometric character. Fantasy was especially sophisticated in drawings for vests, which remained the only decoration in a modest and simple men's suit. Vests were sewn from velvet with a small relief pattern with a metallic thread, from striped velvet with satin and a wide variety of shades.
In menswear, cuts, colours, technical shapes and accessories became more important, which at that time still sounded like remnants of a brilliant 18th-century suit. In the costumes of this time, Sheridan's "School of Scandal" is played.
Colored and striped stockings tightly fitted the calves of the legs protruding from no less tightly fitting culottes. Shoes with buckles, and for balls - with rosettes of ribbons or even lace completed the costume. By the end of the century, knitted silk and woolen items appeared: vests, scarves.
Ties in a men's suit of the second half of the 18th century
The relative "poverty" of the men's suit forced us to focus on the tie, rivers, collars, the history of which we will dedicate a small digression.
pink nail trim,
Yawning, engaged casually,
And the tie knits inappropriately ...
A. Pushkin. "Count Nulin"
The tie entered French terminology in the 17th century under the name kravatt - from the incorrect pronunciation of the word "Croat". Croats, the people of present-day Yugoslavia, wore a scarf tied around their necks. This handy find in the details of the costume was adopted by the French soldiers. Soon, the Parisians, and behind them the inhabitants of England and all over Europe, began to wear cravatte scarves. They could be made of thin linen, cambric and lace. Such a tie reached a length of about two yards and was wrapped around the neck several times.
In 1684, during the battle of Steinkirk (there is only a mention of it in the history of the costume), the French soldiers, taken by surprise at night, dressing hastily, wound scarves around their necks, twisted the ends together, threaded them through the loop of the camisole and rushed to attack the British. The battle was won, and the original way of putting on a tie came into fashion under the name a la steinkerk (Fig. 146).
Ties, called steinkerk, were also worn by women, they were not only lace and white, but also black, green and stayed in fashion until the first quarter of the 18th century. In 1720, the steinkerk gave way to a soft, pleated tie, which was fastened or buckled at the back. The open chest in the neckline of the camisole was closed with a lace frill or frill on a shirt made of lace or cambric.
Wearing a powdered wig with a pouch brought about a new form of collars and ties. At the back, a large black ribbon was attached to the top of the wig, which was wrapped around the neck. A thin lace frill was sewn to the black ribbon, called the tapeworm, as well as to the cuffs. All this with a well-chosen wig was a sign of good taste in a suit.
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Men's fashion in the first half of the 18th century adapted to the trends of women's fashion. And she makes the figure whimsical, and she is also luxurious, decorative and even effeminate. This fashion creates its "hoop skirt" from the folded camisole. Lace, flounces, buttons and ribbons are used to decorate a men's suit. The vest has shrunk a bit and lost the sleeves. Now the pants reach only the knees, they are narrow and complemented by white stockings. The biggest change is the change in hairstyles, which go from baroque curled hair to much smaller, flatter and simpler hairstyles. Now the hair is curled into curls that frame the face, and later it is pulled together and intertwined into characteristic braids. In the second half of the 18th century, the competition with women's fashion ends, and the men's suit begins to forge its own independent style. He is freed from flounces, laces and ribbons, thereby simplifying his camisole -jus-au-cor. The tailcoat, which became the basis of men's clothing in the 19th century, is not engraved. After 1778, almost all the decorations of the men's costume already disappear. But at that time, the men's dress was still sewn from the fabrics of delicate pastels of the Rococo era, which then were the same for both women and men. The most popular at that time were satin and satin, the fabrics are soft to the touch. Their quality, as if by magic, made it possible to create with the help of light a rich play of folds, which was indispensable in the clothes of the Rococo era. The glitter of satin was combined with matte lace, and all this was arranged in light, delicate pastel colors, which replaced the bright colors of the 17th century. New types of clothing appear, which become an integral part of court fashion. The main type of this clothing becomes a manteau (manteau). This is actually a free cloak, smoothly, without folds, falling down from the shoulders, which, however, had a shape, since it was determined by underwear with an adjacent corsage and crinoline. There is a whole range of this kind of outerwear; one of them, depicted many times in Watteau's paintings, is contouche, richly gathered in the form of soft folds on the back (and doflottan - a dos flottant), sometimes extended to a train. Over time, the loose kontush changed into clothes that had the shape of a figure and received various names, for example, adrienne, hollandaise, levite (adrienne, hollandaise, levite), etc.
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The history of the men's suit
The men did not hesitate to dress as brightly and gracefully as possible.
Why did people wear wigs in the 17th and 18th centuries?
- In the Middle Ages in Europe, wigs were not worn, even long-haired men were looked at with disapproval. Monarchs contributed to their introduction into everyday life and fashion.
Not for aesthetic reasons, but for everyday ones. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth of England covered her graying hair with wigs. In her wardrobe, they say, there were about 80 wigs of various colors.One of the heroes of A. Dumas "Three Musketeers" the French king Louis XIII lost his hair due to venereal disease. He also began to wear a wig. The courtiers immediately began to imitate him. (There is also an opposite example in the history of France. King Charles II, who lived in the 9th century, was bald. Out of solidarity or a desire to please the monarch, the men and some women of the court shaved their heads to a single hair.)
Louis XIY inherited from his father not only the throne, but also sparse hair. Of course, he also wore a wig. Yes, with such glamor that a wig boom began in Europe, which lasted more than a century. Wigs have become a symbol of the era of absolutism and theatricality, which migrated to novels, films, and performances. Under the "Sun King" there were up to 45 types of different wigs. A self-respecting person had at least three of them: black for the morning, chestnut for the day, light for the evening.
If it was impossible to get a white wig, then a wig made of brown hair was sprinkled with powder or flour.
The simpler people made wigs from sheep wool, dog and horse tails, algae, hemp and corn fibers ... Even the hair of executed criminals was used. Owners of magnificent hair, sentenced to capital punishment, bequeathed their curls to their loved ones, because they cost a lot of money.
At the court of Louis XIV, 5,000 barbers worked. They invented the famous allonge wig, which can often be seen in old portraits.
He had long, shoulder-length and even waist-length hair, curled into curls. Sometimes the allonge wig had a parting in the middle of the head. In common parlance, this option was called "horned". It was a ceremonial, executive wig. For everyday needs, a small wig with curls gathered in a bun was used. At home, they managed with a short wig with a pigtail the size of a rat's tail.
Sometimes the braid was decorated with a bow. Such a wig had a silk lining and served as a modern knitted cap in cool weather. In Russia, wigs were introduced into fashion by Peter I. Women liked the fashion, the servicemen perceived it as a duty, the clergy flatly refused it ... But Peter did not have a complex with regard to wigs. He himself wore a short wig for 5 rubles, which was considered cheap even then. Long hair was poking out from under the wig.
During the Persian campaign, in 1722, Peter cut them off, but did not throw them away, but ordered to make a new wig from the scraps. This wig can be seen on a wax figure located in St. Petersburg. One day, a wig almost caused a serious international incident. While in Danzig in 1716, Peter attended a service in the local church. Suddenly, he tore off the wig from the head of the burgomaster, who was nearby, and put it on. There was an awkward silence. - Initially hide the baldness and show that there is a lot of hair, and gradually it became a tradition
- In the 17th century, a wig protected the head, neck and shoulders of a European warrior. The wig itself, especially if sprinkled with powder, held the chopping blows of swords. In case of a saber strike, a cocked hat was worn over the wig. A cocked hat with a wig gave better protection than a bronze helmet with a ponytail, but riders preferred hard helmets for a long time. The wig did little to help in a fall from a horse.
In the 18th century, the impractical wig was replaced by a comfortable leather shako helmet with a tuft of horsehair and wire sticking up from Turkish turbans. Guardsmen used huge fur hats instead of shakos.
Louis XIV was the first, after the wearing of a wig fell under the ban of the church, began to wear picturesquely spectacular artificial hair. Then, by special decree, he ordered all the courtiers to also wear artificial hair. And they carried out this order, turning the age of Louis XIV into the age of wigs. Naturally, the retinue of the king wore wigs of smaller sizes, called lapdogs, poodles. - it's like right now one of the girls bought a big bag because it was necessary for others to see about cool, I'll buy it too. "fashion" and there one put on a bald head to hide or a judge to portray the rest repeated ....
X-XII centuries - by this time cities arise and grow rapidly. The overcrowding of the population led to frequent epidemics, visiting the baths became not only mandatory, but also vital, here you could wash, shave and cut your hair. This work was done by barbers. In addition, they were engaged in the removal of teeth, warts, bloodletting. Bath attendants also had their own professional sign - a small round basin.
In the 12th century, professional barbers appeared who performed primitive haircuts, hairstyles, and shaved beards. But soon they begin to arrogate to themselves the rights of physicians and attendants. Frequent crusades, chivalrous civil strife, led to the emergence of a new profession - a field paramedic-hairdresser.
The girls of the Frankish tribes (500-751) wore their hair loose and open. On solemn occasions, they decorated them with a narrow gold hoop, flowers and ribbons. On solemn occasions, the higher clergy wore mitres. The miter was a round hat, simple in shape and decoration, but over time it became taller, triangular, of two halves. Mitras were made of brocade, embroidered with precious stones and gold embroidery. Behind the midda, long ribbons fell onto the back. The tiara was considered another ceremonial dress - this is a high conical cap made of expensive materials.
Renaissance - (XVXVI centuries) the era of rebirth. It brought with it a flourishing of art, literature, and the natural sciences. Men wore hair that reached the shoulders or shoulder blades, cut off even bangs, temporal and occipital strands were cut in a semicircle. Hairstyles were made from both straight hair and curled hair. In women's hairstyles, curled curls, fixed with hairpins, prevailed.
A common hairstyle - a flask - parting, the ends of the hair were bent inward, a Peisan haircut was often made, where curls intertwined with jewelry were used and hair lightening was used. Hairstyles began to be made high using a frame.
Baroque - the end of the 16th - the middle of the 17th centuries. This style bears the stamp of majesty, congestion, heaviness, from curled long and semi-long hair, descending in separate curls.
In 1624, a magnificent curled wig comes into fashion. They curled it in a hot way with the help of steam, which was a big innovation at that time.
Hairdressers do all kinds of hairstyles: mane, poodle. They were a large fluffy cloud of curls that surrounded the face.
The most fashionable beard of this time is the fly - a small tuft of hair under the lower lip. This fashion was introduced by Louis XIII of France. Women's hairstyles have become more natural, the Maria Mancini hairstyle is in fashion, which was styled in two hemispheres, a straight parting is made and two serpentine curls fall on the shoulders or back. A new fontage hairstyle appears; it is a heap of tightly curled curls high above the forehead, arranged in horizontal rows floor by floor. Several curls curled on the forehead, and one or more curls descended on the chest.
In 1644, a special manual appeared containing tips and recipes for face and hair care, but despite this, personal hygiene has not yet become customary. Even in the palace there were no comfortable toilet rooms, and if there were, they were small and poorly equipped. Washed in a day. By the end of the week, a thick layer of lipstick formed. Women, girls and men blushed and tinted their lips.
The cultural history of the feudal society is divided into two main periods: early 9th-12th centuries and later 13th-15th centuries. The church begins to play a huge role in people's lives, therefore the development of hairdressing art depended on the regulation of the church, which sought to pacify the sinful human flesh.
During the early development of the Middle Ages, men's hairstyle was primitive: the hair was cut to the lobe of the ears, and bangs in front. In the 11th century, they wore long hair loose over their shoulders.
Girls wore either long braids or loose hair, caught around the head with a hoop, and married women hid their hair under a headdress. Most often, such a dress was a round scarf made of white fabric with a hole for the face.
In the 15th century, hats, in particular caps, acquired great importance, and the hairstyle, on the contrary, lost its significance. It was considered fashionable to open the forehead and temples, as well as the back of the head, to show the beauty of a long neck. To do this, the hair should be shaved on the forehead and the back of the head.
The Renaissance, or Renaissance, was the most important stage in the history of hairdressing. At this time in Italy, it was considered fashionable for men to have two main types of hair: hair was either slicked back, or they wore a hairstyle with bangs. The face was shaved smoothly.
In women, golden hair was considered especially beautiful. A high forehead was considered beautiful. The hairstyle could be very complex and sophisticated. It consisted of combinations of braids, curls, decorated with pearl beads, veils, ribbons. Sometimes young girls wore their hair loose.
In Spain, men in fashion had a short haircut, as well as a beard and mustache. Spaniards wore a simple and strict hairstyle, most often the so-called gang: combed in a straight parting, the hair went down along the cheeks, and folded into a chignon at the back. Hair was beautifully cleaned with flowers, hoops, jewelry. In France, distinctive features appeared in hairstyles, reflecting the tastes of the emerging nation. The last king of the 16th century, Henry IV, had a special influence on men's hairstyles. Combed back hair, a twisted mustache and a small pointed beard came into fashion. Since the king began to turn gray early, hair powder came into fashion, but at that time only whiskey was powdered.
Empire style, first quarter of the 18th century
When Napoleon declared himself emperor of France, there was a revolution in fashion and hairstyles. Both hair and clothing began to be given traditional Roman forms. Hairstyles were done on the front of the head. On the forehead are small flowing curls. There were precious hair ornaments. The Titus hairstyle appeared, it was worn for a long time in Europe. The empire style soon developed - this is a variety of curls (spiral, round, flat), the style of which has survived to our times.
Characteristic were hair ornaments- wide combs, precious tiaras, ribbons embroidered with pearls, expensive clasps, filling the hairstyles to such an extent that they seemed overloaded. Despite the new fashion trend, some women continued to wear powdered wigs. As a result of the British blockade, in connection with this lack of powder in the country, the government forbade wearing powdered hairstyles. And taxed the fashionista with a high tax and a fine.
After the defeat of Napoleon, all species disappeared, along with this Paris has lost its position as fashion dictator. Wiedenmeer, Fall of Napoleon 1815-1848. Vienna begins to set the tone in art and fashion, the era of hairdressing has come again. Hairstyles of this time gave the charm of youth and beauty, but were very complex. Their characteristic feature is large dense curls that fit on both sides of the head, resulting in a dense, chiselled hairstyle. Far protruding lush side curls or swollen standing loops and braids required a very high skill. Decorations were: tiaras, pearls, ribbons.
The works of hairdressing in 1830 reached their climax. A new Wiedermeier style arose, which, in contrast to the previous style, looked philistine. The hairstyle became flat, it was worn with all kinds of curls, ring weaving and spiral curls: these hairstyles were distinguished by high-standing loops, twisted and braided braids, side curls. The lines of men's and women's hairstyles in the 30s and 40s remain the same. Men continue to wear short Ala-titus hairstyles, but after the war of 1812, a hairstyle of semi-long hair Ala-muzhik was common. The authorities strictly enforced this rule. Elderly men continued to wear short hair with a breath of wind. Then there were hairstyles with a parting from the forehead to the back of the head in the 1930s-40s. A side parting appeared, and the hair was tangled into curls above the forehead or on the sides of the parting in the form of a tuft, combed forward from the temples.
At the end of the 1940s, the hair in hairstyles lengthened considerably, covering the ears and reaching the collar. This romantic hairstyle was a nod to Walter Scott's fascination with medieval novels. Beards were not worn at that time. New time. (1920)
The bourgeois revolution (1848) put an end to the craze for Vidermean styles. The art of the ladies' hairdresser was losing its importance more and more. In the post-war period, the technique of performing hairstyles improved. They begin to use blow-drying, thermal and perm, hair coloring with all kinds of chemical compounds. Fixatives are used to fix the forms of haircuts: varnish, bryolin and various creams. They use special brushes and scissors for hair styling, cutting technology is being improved, new methods are being applied. In the beginning, short-haired hairstyles were relatively monotonous, the page hairstyle with a side parting was especially favorite, and the flat waviness of the hair gave an attractive look to the whole hairstyle.
Wig in the 18th century
It is unlikely that in the early epochs of European civilization one can find another element that would be more suitable to show the game impulse of culture than a wig as worn in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 20s of the 17th century, they switched from a short haircut to a fashion for long hair, and at the very beginning of the second half a wig appeared. Anyone who wants to be known as a master, whether he is an aristocrat, a judge, a military man, a priest or a merchant, from then on begins to wear a wig as a front decoration; even admirals in luxurious armor crown their heads with it. Already in the 60s, the wig reaches its greatest splendor. It can be qualified as an incomparable and ridiculous exaggeration of the need for style and beauty.
The wig as a cultural phenomenon deserves closer attention. The starting point of such a long fashion for the wig is, of course, the fact that the hairstyle of hair soon began to demand more from nature than a significant part of men could give.
The wig appeared at the beginning as a surrogate to compensate for the fading beauty of curls., that is, as an imitation of nature. When wearing a wig became a general fashion, he quickly lost any pretense of imitating natural hair and became an element of style. In the 17th century, almost from the beginning of fashion, there was a stylized wig. It no longer serves to imitate, but to highlight, ennoble and elevate. Thus, the wig is the most baroque element of the baroque.
What is remarkable about the wearing of a wig is not only that, being unnatural, embarrassing and unhealthy, it dominates for a century and a half and therefore cannot be dismissed as a mere fad of fashion, but also that the farther, the more the wig moves away from natural hair, more and more stylized. This stylization occurs with the help of three means: false curls, powder and ribbons. Since the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the wig has generally been worn only powdered with white powder. And the portraits conveyed this effect to us, no doubt, very embellished. From the middle of the 18th century, the decoration of the wig begins with rows of stiff, starched curls above the ears, a highly combed crest and a ribbon with which the wig is tied at the back. Any appearance of imitation of nature disappears, the wig has finally become an ornament.
One more point should be touched upon. Women only wear wigs when absolutely necessary., but their hairstyle in general follows the men's fashion, with the use of powder and styling, which peaks at the end of the 18th century.
All this means a tendency towards ease and ease of manner, towards deliberate nonchalance, innocent naturalness, which, throughout the 18th century, opposes affectation and stiffness. It would be tempting and useful to follow this trend in other areas of culture; there would be a whole series of connections to the game, but that would take us too far. It was important for us to establish the fact that all the phenomena of the continuous fashion for the wig as a whole are difficult to qualify except as one of the clear illustrations of the game factor in culture.
Why wigs were worn in the 18th century The 18th century was a period of elegance and complete pretense Historians claim that this period of time was the most unnatural in relation to appearance. Girls and men tried to achieve the most complex hairstyles, if this did not work with hair, wigs were used. Unlike past centuries, people completely forgot what modesty, shyness and simplicity are, now completely opposite qualities were in fashion - chic, brilliance and luxury. Let's take a closer look at the history and find out why wigs were worn in the 18th century. Contents 1 History of men's wigs 1.1 The decline of women's wigs 1.2 The rise of high hairstyles 1.3 The end of the age of wigs 1.3.1 Church prohibitions 1.3.2 The rise in crime The history of men's wigs In the 18th century, the condition of the hair was as important as a person's clothing. It was fashionable to wear high and bulky wigs, and they were used by both men and women. In the 17th century, Peter 1 had long and lush hair, and therefore his wigs were exclusive. Firstly, made from his own hair, and secondly, he used them more as a headdress against frost than for beauty. Wigs were unusually expensive, as they were made exclusively abroad and only after that they were imported into the country. In the 17th century, depending on the appearance, curls and curls, the wig "mane" and "poodle" were distinguished. In those days, powdered wigs were fashionable. It is said that one fashionista, Chancellor Kaunitz, entered a powdered room specifically for this purpose and thus gave his wig more elegance and chic. Closer to the 30s of the 17th century, a new German fashion for wigs spread throughout the country, from now on you will no longer see lush headdresses and curlicues, now all flocks walk with a Prussian braid. The hairstyle was very easy to do: from three strands, and it didn’t matter at all whether you were braiding on your hair or on a wig. During the time of Catherine, all men changed their preferences and began to wear the so-called rat tails. In order to make this hairstyle, you need to take part of the hair and tie it with a ribbon as close to the back of the head as possible. As a result, you will get a long and thin strand of hair, reminiscent of a rat tail. Some preferred dove wings, the essence of the hairstyle was to cut the temporal strands, twist them and subsequently stab them. It turned out to be rather strange that in the 17th century wigs were introduced into the army, but not for an aesthetic purpose. The lining of the wig was made of very dense matter, and therefore such an accessory protected the warrior's head, but if he was powdered, the soldier could not be afraid of the blows of enemy swords at all. In order to protect themselves from the saber, the warriors wore cocked hats, thereby completely securing their heads. But, despite such practicality, the innovation was introduced for a long time, and the warriors were more supportive of hard bronze helmets. There was only one drawback to the wig, it practically did not save from a hard attack from the cavalry. The higher the rank, the better the wig was put on, so. Officers' wigs were twisted and twisted, while soldiers' wigs were made from tow, and flour and kvass were used for shine and powdered effect. Quite often, young officers ditched the wig and curled their own hair. The official order to abolish wigs in the army was introduced in 1807. The Decline of Women's Wigs In the early 18th century, girls were still into high hairstyles, with an abundance of jewelry, gems, flowers and an abundance of powder, but that all changed when there was a ceremonial reception at Versailles. On it, the Duchess of Shrewsbury came in with a light hairdo that fell in soft curls and had minimal embellishments. Seeing this, Louis 14, who at that time was a trendsetter, was so stunned that the very next day the girls began to walk with simple and elegant hairstyles, which they had not done before. That pretentiousness, an abundance of jewelry and wigs, disappeared from everyday life, simplicity returned to fashion again. Over the next few years, girls wore simple but sophisticated hairstyles, usually called butterfly, mystery, tenderness, etc. Usually the hair was combed smoothly at the back of the head, but left lush around the head, it was also possible to leave a lock of hair so that it fell on the chest. The Empress Anna Ioannovna had her own version of such a hairstyle, which only she could do, the rest of the hairstyle was strictly prohibited. The hair was combed, and then gently fixed at the back of the head, a small crown complemented the whole image. The heyday of high hairstyles But, this fashion did not last long, and by the middle of the 18th century, high and lush wigs were back in fashion. Fashion has reached its peak, and hairstyles have continued to grow. At a normal reception, you would no longer see that sophistication, all the heads of the ladies were decorated with very complex structures. Most often, the ladies did not have enough of their own hair for such a hairstyle, and therefore all materials at hand were used - horse hair, jewelry, fruits, fabrics, flowers, rice flour, etc. Historians say that servants did some hairstyles while standing on stairs, and the construction time of such a miracle could reach 10 hours. They say that the Countess Dubary had the most elaborate hairstyles - a simpleton who became the favorite of the king and Dauphin Marie Antoinette. Despite the fact that the second soon became the queen, the girls devoted almost all the time to new outfits and hairstyles. They dictated fashion, and therefore spent a lot of time with their hairdressers, coming up with new styles and combinations. The duchesses wore everything that hairdressers would come up with, and therefore in the Middle Ages they were likened to artists and sculptors. Noble ladies did not have to repeat hairstyles, and therefore hairdressers came up with up to 100 different options a year. what wigs were made of in the 18th century One of the most famous hairstyles was the work on the head of Marie Antoinette, its height was about 70 centimeters. In the head of a beautiful lady there was a wire frame that held many hairpieces and even a decorative ship. At that time there was no such thing as frames, girls wore ships, fruits, sometimes even scenes from plays, executions or intimate moments on their heads. The end of the age of wigs Over time, this style began to fade, the ruler changed, and with it the fashion, new trends appeared, now a new hairstyle was gaining popularity, with a wonderful name - the head of a sheep. It was called so because the girl's face and neck were framed by lush and voluminous curls. At the same time, wigs left the everyday life of women for a long time, and the old hairstyles became too laborious and pretentious. Church prohibitions Despite its wide popularity, not everyone was so loyal to this part of the wardrobe. So, for example, the church from the very beginning was quite hostile to wigs, arguing that this accessory encroached on the chastity of girls. As historians later explain, the church believed that wigs made a girl even more beautiful, and therefore unmarried girls could lose their innocence in the pursuit of fashion. Over time, the situation escalated, for example, Clement of Alexandria, who was the pope of one of the churches, wrote that a person encroaching on the priesthood should not wear a wig, because then the Lord would not be able to send his blessing through artificial hair. His colleague Tertullian went even further and said that the wig is a symbol of the devil, through which he transfers sins to your head, and you cannot be sure who wore this hair before you. The apogee of this dispute was the fact that in Constantinople several people were expelled from the church for wearing wigs. Rising Crime The more the popularity and value of wigs grew, the more people wanted to get their hands on them. Writers and historians of that century wrote that full wigs were very popular and expensive, and therefore, going out into the street, it was necessary to be very careful, because any rash step could leave you without a valuable accessory. A very popular reception was when a man carried a boy covered with a cloth on a meat tray, passing by a noble citizen, the boy tore off his wig and fled with him, while the worried owner looked around. Wigs for women and men were not only a fashion accessory, some wore them instead of a hat to protect their heads from bad weather, in the army they were used for better protection, etc. They came and went out of fashion, depending on the desires of the rulers, but have always been a sign of elegance, power and taste, both for girls and for men.
Wigs are now perceived as a theatrical, masquerade attribute. Most often these are wigs of unusual colors and shapes made of vinyl, acrylic or canicolon.
Human hair wigs are also used, but rather as a necessity due to some physical handicap. Much more popular now is the use of individual strands to lengthen hair or create lush hairstyles. Of course, this is different from why wigs were worn in the 18th century, because the very attitude towards everyday use of wigs has changed dramatically.
History of wigs
The first wigs began to be made in the third millennium BC in Egypt. Wearing wigs was a sign of status and wealth, and their hair was shaved and sacrificed to the gods. Gradually, the fashion for wigs moved to the countries of the Middle East, and then to Greece and Rome.
The Greeks used wigs exclusively as theatrical props, but the Romans guessed to hide them with wigs. Roman women, naturally brunette, preferred to wear wigs made from the hair of blond barbarians. So they often hid their identity so as not to be recognized in places of notoriety.
But in the Middle Ages, the fashion for wigs did not pass, since wearing someone else's hair on your head was strictly prohibited by the church. Several Christians were even executed for this. And only in the 14th century did the fashion for wigs return to the royal courts. Queen Victoria herself wore a wig to. In the 18th century came the fashion for powdered wigs with incredible, unnatural hair designs, which were abandoned only after the French Revolution. Why were such wigs worn in the 18th century?
Powdered wigs
The fashion for such wigs was introduced by the French king Louis IV. So the men of his court began to walk, and then the whole of Europe. Women began to wear wigs a little later and their hairstyles differed significantly, which, however, is natural. The men wore mostly shoulder-length curly white hair, with slight variations over time. Women, on the other hand, created massive tall hair designs, and the more intricate the wig was, the more expensive it was. In addition, such wigs were actively powdered with starch, sprinkled with perfume, for which separate rooms were allocated in the house.
When secular life moved away from the church during the Enlightenment, this influenced the style of clothing and, as a result, on. Clothing became more liberated, free from prejudice and stiffness, which led to a change in hairdressing. Unfortunately, not all natural hair allowed for elaborate hairstyles that were fashionable at the time, so rich people who could afford it wore wigs in the 18th century to “be in trend”.
And although the number of the rich population was only 20%, such fashion innovations influenced global economic changes in Europe. The hairdressing and hat industries practically disappeared, but whole guilds of wig makers appeared. True, this fashion lasted only until the French Revolution, after which it completely disappeared.
It turns out that in the 18th century, wigs were not of practical use, but were used only according to fashion trends. However, this time is perhaps the dawn of grace and femininity, which cannot be found in any other era. Although such wigs are still made for theatrical productions and masquerade costumes, the beauty and intricacy of powdered wigs can only be understood in the paintings of the classics, which fortunately preserved for posterity a piece of the free and elegant Enlightenment.