Victorian Curls Updo

Victorian-era updo with curls previous hairstyle next hairstyle
 
Standing tall above the head in a cascade of tightly coiled curls, this is a dramatic and architecturally ambitious hairstyle. This is a look from 1914, but it carries the DNA of the Victorian era. The sheer height of this style is what strikes you first.
 
The hair rises well above the crown of the head in a tower of small, tight curls that have been built up over an internal padding structure. In the early 1900s, this kind of volume was achieved using pads made from the wearer’s own fallen hair - collected over months from her hairbrush and kept in a special "hair receiver" on the dressing table - or from commercially produced hairpieces. The curls were then arranged around and over this structure.
 
From the side, the full magnificence of the hairstyle becomes clear. The curls build from the nape of the neck upward in a pyramid of texture, reaching their maximum height at the crown before the topknot of looser curls adds the final flourish.
 
High updo with Victorian-era elements
 
The curls themselves are small and defined, the kind that would have been created using narrow curling irons heated over a flame. Each curl would have been wound carefully onto the iron, held for a moment, then released and allowed to cool before the next one was done. The result is a dense, textured surface of ringlets.
 
At the front of the style, a gold ornament rests across the forehead, just where the hair begins to rise. This small detail is important: it grounds the towering structure above it and adds a touch of jewelry to the hair itself. Below it, the face is framed by the curls at the sides, which fall slightly lower than the rest of the style.
 
The dark blue lace dress with its high collar and cameo brooch is a perfect companion to this hairstyle. Everything about the look speaks to a woman of means and social standing, someone who understood the visual language of status. The fur trim at the sleeves adds another layer of luxury.
 
It is worth noting that by 1914, styles this high were already beginning to feel like a throwback. Fashion was slowly moving toward something lower, simpler, and more practical. But for women who had grown up in the Victorian era and loved its grandeur, a style like this was a way of holding on to something precious even as the world began to change around them.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also: Vintage Hair