démodé
adjective: old fashioned, out of style,
unfashionable [from French, the past participle of démoder "to
go out of fashion," from mode "fashion"].
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bustle era hairstyles: how-to advice
1. Determine the general outlines of each era (is the hair arranged loosely
or tight against the head? is the main hair arrangement on top of the
head, at the crown, on the back of the head, or at the nape? bangs or
no bangs? curls, waves, or straight? ringlets and loose pieces, or is
all the hair up?)
2. Get a lot of hairstyling product (gel, hairspray), some hot rollers,
some fake hair (purchase at a beauty supply or wig supply store), a rat
or two (foam or net piece that can be placed under your hair, or have
hair wrapped around it, to make your hair look bigger), and a lot of bobby
pins
3. Experiment!
 some advice about curling
There are two kinds of rollers you can use: hot rollers, or the standard
foam rollers (you can also use a curling iron, but I myself have no patience
to curl one at a time). Hot rollers are nice because the hair will set
in about half an hour. Look around for different thicknesses of rollers
-- most hot roller sets only include large curlers, or an assortment of
large, medium, and small. The large rollers will give you big waves and
curls a la the 1970s, so try to find a set that only includes small rollers.
Foam rollers come in different widths as well -- again, I recommend using
one of the smaller sizes.
Another option is a wave iron. These look like three curling irons stuck together, and do a great job at giving you the early Marcel wave look (although it's more of a Victorian then 1920s look; the waves will be parallel to your head, rather than lay flat, if that makes any sense). I often use my wave iron on my front hair, before putting it up, to bulk it up -- if I'm feeling too lazy to curl my hair with hot rollers.
Remember to think about your final product as you set your hair.
If most of your hair is going to go up toward the crown, curl your hair
up toward the crown. If you're going to have hanging ringlets in front
or in back, make sure that you curl those pieces so that they will fall
correctly. If you're going to have a part, make sure you part your hair
first and then set curlers on either side of the part -- if you're not
going to have a part, make sure to put a row of curlers directly on top
of your head.
false hair and rats
Most Victorian hairstyles were achieved using false hair and rats, and
you'll have better results if you incorporate them into your hairstyling
toolkit. While you can certainly feel free to use full wigs, I always
feel that they LOOK like wigs. I prefer to use smaller pieces that will
maintain a more natural look.
Purchasing false hair and rats: call around to local beauty shops to
see who carries what. Wilshire
Wigs offers many wigs, false hairpieces (listed as "falls"),
and rats that look exciting; there are many other online retailers. Many of these will sell you a set of hair swatches, so you can match your hair and figure out what color number you best suit.
False hairpieces, also sometimes called "falls" or "switches,"
can be anything from a ponytail, to a braid, bun, or chignon. When looking
for false hair, make sure to compare both color and texture to your own
hair. Many false hairpieces aimed at the African American market have
a kinkier texture than most Caucasian or Asian hair, and can look out
of place -- ditto goes for hairpieces aimed at the Caucasian or
Asian market looking out of place on those with more textured hair. Remember
that you can always buy a ponytail or loose hairpiece and then style it
-- you don't have to purchase a pre-styled hairpiece -- but PLEASE don't
buy a layered one! Layers = 1970s or later, not Victorian! Also remember
to notice whether the piece includes some kind of built in clip that might
make it hard to style (although these can sometimes be removed).
The hair
add-ons pages of Wilshire Wigs offers a number of interesting pieces
that could be incorporated into a bustle era style:
Rats are foam or net pieces that are either worn underneath your
own hair (to add volume), or have your hair actually wrapped around it.
Try to get a rat with a color that's vaguely close to your own in case
it ever shows.
Wilshire Wigs offers a number of rats
in different shapes. This fashion
roll filler would probably be best for 1850s or 1860s styles, but
could also form the base of an 1890s pompadour.
You can also save your own hair (pull it out of your hairbrush), and
then stuff a piece cut from a pair of pantyhose, or a hairnet, into the shape you want.
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