Wednesday, April 21, 2010

T'ain't What You Do, it's the Way That You Do It


Monique Van Vooren's coiffure here may seem nice, but unspectacular; and, you may query, why is this photo appearing in The Hair Hall of Fame amidst all these other towering bouffant glories? Look closer...yup, Monique is rocking a dress made of human hair. Brilliant.

Sara Thom


The Bride of Frankenstein meets Jiffy Pop; yet, strangely elegant.

Come Hither Hair

THE Hair Video


Good or Bad Hair - For more funny videos, click here

Wigs-A-Go-Go: A Revelation


From an old Marion Star (Marion, Ohio) I found in my mother's basement, January 19, 1967.


Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Miss Bobbi Gentry




An amazingly simple song to play - just a couple chords, but what a story.

Burlesque's "Satan's Angel"

"If you ain't got much, you gotta work with with you got."
                                                                             ~ Momma AtCC

Hairpiece to Heaven


The premiere of Madame X (1966): a slightly-soused Lana Turner (wearing a gown of her own design), Elke Sommer, Ann Miller, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Maureen O'Hara and Marie Windsor, all trying to out-do (no pun intended) each other in the bouffant wars, while Anne Francis is surprisingly soignee in understated chinchilla and Lizabeth Scott does the sleek lesbian bit and shows off a dangerously chic pageboy. We want to live in this video.

You Too Can Appear Years Older With The Right Hairdo!

Well done Debbie!  You've crafted a very matronly look for being only 31.

Higher and Higher


So much to savor here: a pill-poppin', hair-hoppin', acid-droppin' Jayne Mansfield, blissfully unaware of where the hell she is - which can be the only reason she's agreed to be photographed next to her arch rival, Mamie Van Doren, reseplendent in the latest in cat fur fashion and the trendy mismatched-wiglet look. Tommy Noonan is doing his best Jackie Gleason impression, while gallantly focusing the attention on his lovely wife, Foopy.

Yes, Foopy.

Curlers on your head, shame on you



Skip through to 3:45 minutes into the video for a gentle reminder of what shame curlers on your head used to mean.

Virginia Graham: More!

I've scanned much of this book so here's just a little taste - after I saw Cool Cookie's post I had to!



from the chapter entitled "Don't Think You're The Only One" comes this gem:

Monday, April 19, 2010

lookin' sharp

TwoFer: Virginia Graham and JC

A sweep and an up do...

A moment made possible by Conde Nast

01 Mar 1968 --- Eunice Kennedy Shriver sitting in an armchair, her hand to her hair; wearing sleeveless wool dress with leather belted Empire waist. --- Image by © Condé Nast Archive/CORBIS

Saint Veronica, Vol 2

Whether is was the 'high and narrow' of her youth or the 'low and wide' in later years, Ronnie's hair was always big and there was always lots of it.


My girl did some hairs!

Vidella spoke loudly...

...carried a small stick....

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The International Bouffant-a-lon, 1963

Lott's wife


Sometimes its better not to look back.  Ironic, isn't it.

The Only Natalie Who Ever Mattered


Hair God: Mr. Ray


Now, I could write an entire book on Mister Ray. There are several. My best friend Mavis first discovered these gems at flea market in North Carolina. I became obsessed and tried to find out more; youtube comments say he is no longer with us. Mister Ray was of the "old school," - a true ladies' man who was a master of style. He wrote several books - should you see them, grab them! They are expensive. You'll recognize his creations as they are all over. I was sure to plaster them all over flickr before they bounced me off (for Jayne nudies no less, but that's not a topic for here.)
There are also some youtube videos which are scans of his books ("Mr. Ray's Magic Brush," "Mr. Ray's Millionaire Hairstyles") but the music annoys me.


above: Mavis' finds
"I got a knife here in my pocket and I'm gonna cut you up after class!"



Note: this is not the same "Mr. Ray's Wig World" that is referenced in the greatest hair film of all time, "Female Trouble." That Mr. Ray has now gone on to become Mister Ray's Hair Weave (I will do an upcoming post) and is of another color.

Saint Veronica, Vol 1

...from Mirriam-Webster online...
  
Hair Hopper (noun) : one who favors a tall hair style kept in place with hairspray.  The early 1960's saw the rise of the hair hopper and again a resurgence in the 1980's and beyond.
 
 
...from Felix In Hollywood's list of definitions of common words and phrases...
 
Hair Hopper:
Veronica Bennett Spector.
 
 


 Widely acknowledged as one of the best voices in the history of Rock and Roll.  But even that voice couldn't eclipse her magical abilities with a tube of liquid liner, a rattail comb and a can of Vo5.





The incomparable Martha Douce



Miss Martha Douce, Dance Instructor, Marion Ohio, circa 1965.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Sending signals, conflicting messages.


These women may be wearing come fuck me slingbacks, but their hair is saying "Screw with either of us and we'll slice you open with a switchblade faster than you can say 'Tura Sutana'."

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Front....and Back!



It goes without saying


Fabulous, and breathtaking...

The classic Jesus-I-see-you up do


For those who look up to Christ.  Jesus would want you to have this hair.

Jayne Mansfield



We present for your enjoyment our absolute favorite hairhopper look: mid-late period Jayne Mansfield.



Specifically, we're speaking of 1964-1966 Jayne, a period in which she was still clinging to the vestiges of mainstream stardom (touring in stock companies of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Bus Stop, and still making appearances on major television programs like What's My Line? and The Tonight Show) while slipping precipitously down the rabbit hole of Primitive Love (1964) and Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966). This yin-and-yang was reflected in her coiffure choices: her favored look of bangs, and a sideswept bouffant fall (sometimes with a variation on the ponytail switch) was more avant-garde than her classic bombshell look of the 1950's and early 1960's; began taking embryonic form around 1962-3; and was not yet quite as tattered as her look from her final year on this mortal coil. Jayne, vintage 1967, is not for the faint-hearted.

Classic JAYNE MANSFIELD, and as close to classy as she got.

Circa 1962: the beginnings of the bouffant glory to come.


JAYNE '67: Tangerine Dream, or Neon Nightmare?

Jayne's 1964-66 look often incorporated bows, one of her favorite hair accessories:


And, for a swank gig at New York's Latin Quarter, simple, classic pearls made an appearance:


I guess that's the mark of a big ol' 'mo: instead of being fascinated by Jayne Mansfield's boobs, we're utterly obsessed with her hair. We live to love it, and her, more each day.

Gail Hartley: Space Helmut


Gail Hartley - her bangs are simply overpowered by her bottomless part and sweep style bob.

Liz Renay: Dangerous curves ahead


Miss Liz Renay's sixties do features an asymmetrical flip, height and enough volume to make a '64 Chevy pound from the vibrations of her hairs voluptuous hair waves. 

Extra points are given because it would allow her to sleep on her left side, without flattening its most daring design aspect on the right.