So this month at the Beehive

we’ve been looking at The Gibson Girl look.

The Gibson girl dates back to the late 19th Century when Illustrator Charles Dana Gibson famously sketched what was visually considered the ‘American ideal’. The Gibson girl was more than just a swan billed corseted waist, long neck and a high piled bouffant, she was talented, well- educated attending college and University and self aware and confident. Women queued at Gibsons’ office in the hope of becoming one of his famous models and Gibson loved giving the girls characters and personalities which often involved embracing their sexual dominance poking fun at the men fawning over them.

The makeup was quite natural as it still wasn’t common place to be ‘made up’ so the focus here is on the hair.

So, this week two models have kindly sat to be styled with a Gibson girl look.

What you will need:
Hairspray,
Tail comb,
Sectioning clips,
Hair pins,
Optional, flower.

How to do it:

Comb through the hair, deciding where you’re going to part the hair with a section around the whole of the hairline leaving a section in the centre.
Back comb thoroughly the outer sections of hair, the more volume the better. Then, curl these sections in towards the centre of the head around your fingers and pin so there’s eventually a donut shape pinned around the hairline. The remaining centre section can then be pinned into a bun or another roll depending on how much hair there is and how you want the final style to look.
Finally, the Gibson girl is feminine and loves floral detail so flowers in the hair are an optional extra to finish off your Gibson look.

Next time we will be looking at the Flapper style of the roaring 20’s.

The Beehive is a mobile vintage hair and makeup company available for weddings, events, hen parties and individual makeovers.

The Beehive