Bob-Inspired Updo
This hairstyle feels startlingly modern, and that is no accident. By 1915, the winds of change were blowing strongly through the world of women’s fashion, and nowhere was this more visible than in the hair. This style - a deep-waved updo in a striking red - is a glimpse of what was coming in the years ahead, even as it still keeps one foot firmly in the traditions of the past.
From the side, you can see how precisely the waves have been laid and how closely the hair follows the head. There is no padding, no hairpiece, no false volume: this is the woman’s own hair. The profile is clean and elegant, the ear visible, the neck long and graceful. This was a new kind of beauty for a new kind of world.
The waves are deep and clearly defined, running from front to back in smooth, even ridges. The red color of the hair is intense and warm, and it creates a striking visual impact. This is hair that does not need accessories to make a statement, though it has them anyway.
Those accessories are pearls, but worn in a new way. A line of pearls curves along the side of the head just behind the ear, following the line of the waves. Below them, a pearl drop earring hangs at the earlobe. And at the throat, a strand of pearls rests against the low neckline of a black dress. The pearls are distributed throughout the look - at the ear, in the hair, at the neck - in a way that feels sophisticated.
The black dress is another significant detail. In 1915, with so many countries at war, black had taken on a more common presence in women’s wardrobes. But the way it is worn here, with pearls, it is not mourning black. It is glamorous black.
And then there is the lip color. Deep, dark, almost burgundy. It is a strong choice for any era, but especially for 1915. It anchors the face and adds a note of drama that feels almost ahead of its time. Combined with the clean, sculpted lines of the hair, it creates a look that we might easily place many years later in the golden age of Hollywood.
In 1915, no one knew exactly what the future would hold. But in this hairstyle, you can feel it coming. This type of updo would evolve over the next decade into the fully liberated short bob and finger wave styles that would define the 1920s. This is the moment just before everything changed.
©Hairfinder.com
See also: Vintage Hair