Getting a vintage haircut: what to ask for?

[calliope]

Hello all! My very first post! I was delighted to discover this wonderful website and have been very impressed with the level of expertise and commitment that you all have to all things vintage. I wonder if you could advise me: I've booked myself for a haircut on Saturday and would very much like to recreate a classic, but wearable look.

I'm not looking for advice on techniques: pincurls; rag curls etc; I'm just not sure what exactly to ask for at the hairdressers. Basically, I would love to have a style that sits on or just above the shoulder, loosely curled around the face, fuller at the ends for a bit of a bounce, centre parted with a long fringe (bangs, American gals!) swept over to one side, just falling over one eye. I'm thinking Lauren Bacall, or even Scarlett Johansson's look in, for example, the new Black Dahlia film.

What kind of haircut allows me to create this style? Should I ask for layers? My hair at the moment is just below my shoulders, (see my avatar pic) with long layers and an outgrown fringe, it's pretty thick and has a natural wave, so with the right cut a forties/fifties kind of style shouldn't be too much work. I would really appreciate any advice! My hairdreser is v modern/trendy - all razored layers and blonde streaks, so I need to be able to be as specific as possible! Thanks guys! x

 

[Spinkitten]

:eusa_doh: racking brain here ....... The style cut I think is called page boy, I think it was layered long around the face ... i lost my 1040's hairstyle book and it had all this info in it. If you insist on going to your ultra trend hairdresser ask her to cut not razor your hair firstly ... not real sure what to ask for there after but your in the right place and all the gals in here seems so knowledgable (sp?) so I am sure someone will put you on the right track ...
[huh]
not much of a help am I lol

 

[CherryRed]

Most of the 40's longer glamor styles (and some shorter ones too) were cut in a U shape, londer in the back and gradually shorter on the sides. If you go with layers, I would go with just a couple on the bottom to enhance your curl, but not so as to have curls all over your head, if that makes any sense.

 

[magneto]

This diagram might be what you're looking for:
http://www.rockabillyhairstyle.com/haircut.html
It's a long "middy" cut.
(scroll down a bit...the diagrams are in the middle of the page...)
HTH!

 

[Paul]

Unfortunate I cannot offer direct advise on a style, but it might help if you take in a photo or print off something near the style you like, then show that also to your stylist as well as just using words to describe it.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Here are some scans from a vintage hairstyling instruction book for students in the early 1950's. It is called "Comer and Doran: The Mystery of Hairstyling". It is a great little instruction manuel, it has a guide to pin curling and fingerwaving, as well as instructions for cutting. These instructions are kind of detailed, but I'm sure any well versed stylist will be able to figure them out. I hope the instructions are visible, I turned up the resolution as high as it would go, but the manual is quite old and faded.

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Caliope, I don't think I can offer much help, but I am thinking about getting a similar haircut. My problem is, though, if I don't have the time to curl & style it everyday, what will it look like? Ideally, I'd want something that looks good either minimally styled or totally "done up". The only suitable alternatives I've found are the Lauren Bacall/Veronica Lake look (too long) or the Bettie Page look (almost too trendy for me, but OK).

 

[ohairas]

Daisy thank you so much for posting those book pics! This is a prime example of how we DO NOT cut like that anymore. Sure, we can cut the same cut, but we are not taught to cut on that side of our fingers like that. My ex mother-in-law cut that way. It totally changes the tension on the hair.
Note as well that this is for dry hair cuts. I will do them but many stylists will not. Again, huge tension difference.

This is a great reference to take to your stylist for those who truly want the baby/middy cuts. Just remember tho, with this type of layering you are bound to get a "bubble" do or helmet head when curled. So it really does depend on the direction the hair is set as to how it comes out. Longer version wouldn't be too bubbly...

Another strange trick is that if your layers are cut at an odd number of inches your hair will lay more square, cut on an even number, (say your layer on top is cut at 6 inches), your hair will fall more round. Think of today's straight shags, how some look really boxy, or some come in more rounded around the face. Now imagine them curly! Hope that makes sense! Also kinda sheds light on why you have either better hair days or worse as your cut grows out. Depends on what stage it's in, even or odd.

Nikki

 

[RaasAlHayya]

Another strange trick is that if your layers are cut at an odd number of inches your hair will lay more square, cut on an even number, (say your layer on top is cut at 6 inches), your hair will fall more round. Think of today's straight shags, how some look really boxy, or some come in more rounded around the face. Now imagine them curly! Hope that makes sense! Also kinda sheds light on why you have either better hair days or worse as your cut grows out. Depends on what stage it's in, even or odd.

Nikki

That's really interesting, Nikki...can you tell me why this happens?

--Leslie

 

[ohairas]

Hi Leslie~
Since our heads are round and we're cutting "frames" around it. This doesn't happen with every type of cut since there are so many different ways to layer. Has to do with the angles and distance the hair travels from the head. I'm probablly not expaining this any better, lol.. sorry! I don't know how!
Nikki

 

[RaasAlHayya]

Hi Leslie~
Since our heads are round and we're cutting "frames" around it. This doesn't happen with every type of cut since there are so many different ways to layer. Has to do with the angles and distance the hair travels from the head. I'm probablly not expaining this any better, lol.. sorry! I don't know how!
Nikki

That's a pretty good basic explanation, Nikki; thanks!

Actually, my head is pretty pointy. Ugh. If I exercise the parts of my brain on the sides of my head, do you think that would fill it out and make my head rounder? lol

 

[KittyT]

Caliope, I don't think I can offer much help, but I am thinking about getting a similar haircut. My problem is, though, if I don't have the time to curl & style it everyday, what will it look like? Ideally, I'd want something that looks good either minimally styled or totally "done up". The only suitable alternatives I've found are the Lauren Bacall/Veronica Lake look (too long) or the Bettie Page look (almost too trendy for me, but OK).

i have a chin-length bob cut in long layers. it looks wonderful when i curl it and just fine if i blow it under into a regular straight bob style.

 

[Miztorif]

This diagram might be what you're looking for:
http://www.rockabillyhairstyle.com/haircut.html
It's a long "middy" cut.
(scroll down a bit...the diagrams are in the middle of the page...)
HTH!

This is my first post on this board as well-I used the mentioned diagram, I printed it & took it to my hairdresser-it works very well. I had it cut in a basic middy & now that I am growing it out, I just have her trim the layers & leave it longer each time.

 

[jonniangel]

Can I ask who you went to? I just moved back into the area and I'm on the lookout for a good stylist who won't give me a blank look when I say that I like vintage styles.

 

[Miztorif]

Can I ask who you went to? I just moved back into the area and I'm on the lookout for a good stylist who won't give me a blank look when I say that I like vintage styles.

Go see Irma at JC Penneys salon in Salinas.

 

[Tierney]

A brilliant idea, what do you think?

Here are some scans from a vintage hairstyling instruction book for students in the early 1950's. It is called "Comer and Doran: The Mystery of Hairstyling". It is a great little instruction manuel, it has a guide to pin curling and fingerwaving, as well as instructions for cutting. These instructions are kind of detailed, but I'm sure any well versed stylist will be able to figure them out. I hope the instructions are visible, I turned up the resolution as high as it would go, but the manual is quite old and faded.

The pages you posted look amazing! I've been looking for that book (Comer and Doran), but its out of print and no one has it. I wasn't able to see what you scanned very clearly (the print is really tiny). There's a gmail account that was created for uploading images just for Fedora Lounge users. So basically, they can log into Fedora1950@gmail.com (Password Fedorahat) and email yourself (Fedora1950) the images you want to share so you dont have to email the same thing to everyone over and over again and you don't have to give out your own email address. Would you be willing to do that? Thanks either way! Or I'd definitely be willing to pay you for scanning the whole book.

 

[Miss 1929]

A similar problem

I had a fit and got a rather radically short haircut in April for the Art Deco Preservation Ball. Since the theme was 42nd Street, I brought in this pic of Ruby Keeler and showed it to the stylist:

It came out OK, but now that it is 6 months later, the layers are growing out at random speeds. Plus, the stylist seems to have cut my waves at exactly the wrong point here and there so that they don't curl on the ends (like the 6 inch issue mentioned above). But I will never go to a stylist that doesn't get it again, and have just made a call to a friend who is a vintage stylist, for a clean-up cut.
Overall, it was too short for me, I need to be able to anchor the fake braid for Spanish comb action, so I am planning to get it back to just above shoulder length. But with less wonky layers! It will probably take another 6 months to get it there...

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

I was looking through those Life images on Google, and found this great shot of the back of Veronica Lake's hair. This would be great for someone to take in to their hairdresser:

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=veronica+lake+source:life&imgurl=6c1a18bdd8bb14e0

 

[LelaViavonie]

Thats a great picture!! I love the fact you can see the back of her hair..

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Thats a great picture!! I love the fact you can see the back of her hair..

I know! I just had a mishap in the haircut department, and I would've loved this photo to take in. It really shows the U-cut well; it looks pretty much exactly like my hair when I got a *good* vintage haircut.