Bridal Hair help--don't look skillbilly

[Miss Dottie]

Ladies,

I need your best bridal help here.

I am getting married in November and found an amazing vintage dress from 1938 on eBay that I plan on wearing. $160 for this gorgeous crepe-back satin silk dress. I'm having the puffy sleeves altered to be less puffy, but I'd like to do something vintage with my hair.

Kim Long from the WAK shack is going to style it because I adore her fingerwaving skills. But I'm not sure fingerwaving will match this dress. Also I'm kinda afraid fingerwaves will make my head look small (am I crazy? I don't know why...)

My goal is not necessarily vintage to the exact period--I just want to look timeless. And of course beautiful.

And shoo-Skillbilly. You'll see it November 18th.





Oh and forgive the dorky smile. And as you can see--I need hair help indeed!

 

[artdecodame]

What a lovely gown!! Maybe a style like Myrna's here would look good with it?

or

 

[Rebecca D]

Nice dress!

I can see why you'd be afraid that a tight fingerwave would make your head look smaller with that style of dress, but something too fluffy might be too much.

I think the photos artdecodame posted would be perfect. A little poof but nothing too big.

 

[Honey Doll]

Fabulous Dress!!!!!

What a beautiful bride you will be in that knock-out dress!

The first thing that came to my mind was a french roll at the back.... I think that would be lovely... and then something with height in the front, maybe a side part and rolls?

Honey Doll

 

[texasgirl]

Love the Myrna pictures! Here's a couple other ideas, not sure if your hair in long or short?

 

[Foofoogal]

Wowsers:eusa_clap
What a gorgeous dress. Have you decided on a bouquet?

 

[Nashoba]

oh you're going to be such a beautify bride. I agree nothing too poofy...I would say something sculpted and wavy....i love the ideas that have already been suggested too....

 

[Miss Dottie]

Wow! These are great ideas ladies! Thanks so much for this.

The Myrna Loy one is particularly good! And I was also tossing aroung the Gwen Stephanie one--seemed a bit more relaxed than normal tight finger waves. I just don't want to look like a pin head!

Flowers are tough--but I think we are going with calla lillies.

 

[Miss Dottie]

Oh and my hair is shoulder length.

Oh--I really like that Lauren Hutton one in particular. That's gorgeous!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

That is a lovely, elegant dress I would avoid anything too severe or too overdone, in order to avoid competing with or distracting from its wonderfully feminine silhouette (and of course, the beautiful bride herself.)

Why not incorporate loose finger waves into a slightly fuller 40s style, like so:

It might be nice to wear your hair softly waved, and perhaps pinned back with combs (on both sides or just one) to prevent too much poof:

Or, wear your hair loosely waved at the crown, forming soft curls towards the bottom:

A vertical finger wave might work as well, if you would like to add a bit of height to your face:

Calla lilies would be a lovely compliment, I think. Have you considered carrying an arm (Bernhardt) bouquet? I have a 1940s Vogue wedding flowers booklet, and there are several examples of this bouquet with calla lilies

 

[Snookie]

Miss Dottie,

Congratulations! Your dress is lovely. Whatta train!

I got married in March, and although my dress was modern, it was similar to yours. Sweetheart neckline, lots of gathering (btw-I actually like the poofy sleeves on yours).

I had my hair done in the fingerwave/curled bottom style that's been suggested on here. In fact I took in that same pic of Gwen Stefani!

Here's the other pictures I took with me:

Here's a picture of my hair:

My hair was between my chin and my shoulders at the time. She fingerwaved the top and used curlers on the bottom. If you decide to do this style, make sure that you like how the fingerwaves frame your face when they're being formed. (Note Ginger Rogers' deep waves above and below her eye. I felt mine could have been a little better.)

I also really like the first Myrna Loy picture that artdecodame posted. The wave in the front (bangs) would look really nice with a veil.

 

[Rosie]

nice dress :eusa_clap and congrats!

I'm not sure of a style, maybe an elegant chignon with a lovely fascinator?

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Are you wearing a headpiece? I wore the Lauren Bacall hairstyle with a borrowed flapper-style headpiece, the hairdo looked good whether I kept the veil on or took it off. (If I do say so myself.)

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Snookie, your hair looked great.

 

[Miss Dottie]

So true! Snookie, you hair looks amazing!

So, this was my original choice, but I thought it may be too severe for the wedding. But it's tough to see the whole thing. It's Kim Long, my hairdresser's--from her own wedding. I wish I had that great tiara to wear with my dress!

I agree with the softer waves. And I am wearing a veil that will come out of a comb in the back of my head. It's kinda on the bigger side--like 5 inches wide, but perhaps if we bobbypin it to death, it will be OK....

 

[maisie]

Have you got a headpiece that you are going to wear yet, as depending on the headpiece you can style you hair from there, but i think with nealy all of the wedding pictures i have seen from the 40's, anyone wearing a headpiece/tiara always has a bit of height in the front, either rolls, waves, etc.

 

[maisie]

Here are a couple of pictures of 40's brides, i actually have the dress in the first picture and i absolutly adore her headpiece, but i think the dress is more late 30's! The other picture is of a British bride, but even though rationing for clothes was tight, her dress is absolutly gorgeous! I love the brides and bridemaids hair in this picture, it is so very 40's!

 

[wibblebird]

Holy Moly!

Can I just say, because no one else has... $160!!! Wow!!!! That's incredible! Such a beautiful dress!

 

[maisie]

Can I just say, because no one else has... $160!!! Wow!!!! That's incredible! Such a beautiful dress!

That is a great price but nearly all vinatge wedding dresses are cheap, its great, especially the ones on ebay! The one in the first photo i got for less than $80, they are the most amazing quility wedding dress yet they are so cheap!

 

[Miss Dottie]

Oh Maisie--those dresses are stunning. I made a rather impetous decision based on my original desire to have pin curls and a bun in the back, so I have this wonky comb thing, but I'm determined to make it all work!