The Middy Thread

[SheBear74]

I have to post an update since getting the middy. I still LOVE it. I can't belive how much of a difference it makes when I style my hair. I am hooked for sure! I am never letting my stylist go!

 

[TheSacredFemme]

Another lurker here finally peeping out of her shell!

I'll be getting a proper middy cut (or maybe a modified one) at the end of September (just in time for my birthday). I love setting my hair in pin curls and just brushing it out until I have a lovely amount of curl at the bottom, but have also wanted to experiment with pageboy styling. It just looks so clean and smooth!

I was just wondering if it is a haircut that I could get away with not styling once in a while. My honey and I are quite cuddly at bed time and she's unamused by me feeling like a pin cushion every 3 days or so. Exam times are also always stressful for me...in which I'd rather study an hour longer than set my hair.

 

[Retro_GI_Jane]

Hope you found some good pictures in this thread to help you visualize what it will look unstyled! I know there are a few in here somewhere, just need to do a little reading.

I don't have any pictures of my femme fatale length middy. I just had a trim because my self-cut do was not "cutting it." (no pun intended!) I need lots of layers or my hair falls flat from the weight of the curls. I finally found a stylist that has been doing my mother-in-law's hair and up until she passed away, her mother's hair. I took in pictures of ladies with side and center parts to show how I wanted the curls to lay and also a the diagram of the middy I see floating around the web and she knew exactly what I needed. Unstyled, it falls below my shoulders, has that very noticeable "U" in the back and tapers up around my face. I'm sure I could go out and buy a large barrel curling iron and part it down a middle for a 90's Jennifer Aniston look.

 

[Isis]

I was just wondering if it is a haircut that I could get away with not styling once in a while. My honey and I are quite cuddly at bed time and she's unamused by me feeling like a pin cushion every 3 days or so. Exam times are also always stressful for me...in which I'd rather study an hour longer than set my hair.

Depends on your hair and what you like, I guess, but I think my middy is my best cut ever, just because it looks nice even when I don't do anything about it. I have fairly thick hair with some natural curl in it.

 

[TheSacredFemme]

Depends on your hair and what you like, I guess, but I think my middy is my best cut ever, just because it looks nice even when I don't do anything about it. I have fairly thick hair with some natural curl in it.

Sounds good to me!

Also, I'm in the running for a new brush at the moment as mine seems to have commited suicide. I recently used my baby sister's tangle teezer. She has almost afro like curls and it basically makes her hair straight. I'm guessing that also means it would completely brush out pin curls. Any recommendations? (in the under 30 pounds area)

 

[Alice~]

TheSacredFemme: I was hunting for good brushes for a while, when I stumbled across a set of boar bristle brushes in T K Maxx for a great price. I see you're in England too, so it might be worth a look there. They've made styling a lot easier for me (previously I've only used plastic brushes) and I really recommend a barrel brush in particular.

 

[TheSacredFemme]

TheSacredFemme: I was hunting for good brushes for a while, when I stumbled across a set of boar bristle brushes in T K Maxx for a great price. I see you're in England too, so it might be worth a look there. They've made styling a lot easier for me (previously I've only used plastic brushes) and I really recommend a barrel brush in particular.

Ooh, I'm so glad you've said that. I hopped off to Boots (our CVS) today and got a round bristle brush. I'm not sure on whether or not the bristles are real boar, but they are marketed as "by appointment of her royal highness" which is a nice touch!

 

[kamikat]

Another lurker here finally peeping out of her shell!

I'll be getting a proper middy cut (or maybe a modified one) at the end of September (just in time for my birthday). I love setting my hair in pin curls and just brushing it out until I have a lovely amount of curl at the bottom, but have also wanted to experiment with pageboy styling. It just looks so clean and smooth!

I was just wondering if it is a haircut that I could get away with not styling once in a while. My honey and I are quite cuddly at bed time and she's unamused by me feeling like a pin cushion every 3 days or so. Exam times are also always stressful for me...in which I'd rather study an hour longer than set my hair.

For my hair hair, it depends on the length. My longer middy looks fine unstyled, but when my middy is shorter, it looks awful. My hair is super straight, so without a set, it just hangs flat. Have you tried Hot Sticks? The set isn't quite as nice as a wet set, but is fine for days when you can't or forget to set and usually doesn't last as long. Is it that your partner doesn't like you coming to bed in a set at all or just on "romantic" nights? I know that I'm not going to, uh, get lucky when my hair is set, so I either wait until after to pin up my hair or try to make my hair last another day. But then, I've been with my husband for nearly 20 years. I figure that since he likes what I look like after a set, he needs to put up with the work that goes in to it.

 

[TheSacredFemme]

For my hair hair, it depends on the length. My longer middy looks fine unstyled, but when my middy is shorter, it looks awful. My hair is super straight, so without a set, it just hangs flat. Have you tried Hot Sticks? The set isn't quite as nice as a wet set, but is fine for days when you can't or forget to set and usually doesn't last as long. Is it that your partner doesn't like you coming to bed in a set at all or just on "romantic" nights? I know that I'm not going to, uh, get lucky when my hair is set, so I either wait until after to pin up my hair or try to make my hair last another day. But then, I've been with my husband for nearly 20 years. I figure that since he likes what I look like after a set, he needs to put up with the work that goes in to it.

It's not so much for the romantic nights as just for general cuddles. I like that down time after a long day where I'm just cuddles up and being held. Pin curl clips make that whole experience less than comfortable for either of us.
She enjoys the outcome as well and even likes the look when the hair is in pin curls, but one wrong move and I nearly take out an eye scarf or no scarf!
I'm glad I probably won't look too odd with my thick, wavy hair unset.

 

[SheBear74]

I usually set my hair with hot rollers. Since getting the cut my hair is back to being pretty curly. My middy is longer so it still looks fine unstyled plus it's long enough that if I want to put it in a bun I still can. I had my stylist dye my hair blue black the other day and she straightened it out just for fun. I had a good laugh cause the kids at the school all looked so shocked that my hair wasn't in rolls and curled.

 

[CinnamonCinders]

Right, after not posting for nearly 2 years, I thought it'd only be right to put up a post since I have stalked this thread for the information needed for my middy.

During my period of silence, I've been growing my hair out of a very modern bob that was longer in the front and very short in the nape of the neck, with the intention of getting a Femme Fatale length middy cut in.

Yesterday, I had it cut. I took the Femme Fatale diagram into the hairdressers (it really stumped them for a good while) along with the diagram for the modified crown (just to add to the confusion). So the final result was 6" at the nape graduating to 4" below the ears and the crown is 6" at the front going down to 5" at the back of the crown.

I've just put links for most of my pics as no matter what I did, they came out huge in the preview and nobody needs my face that close up whilst they've got their eyes open.

This is how my hair was before going for the chop. At the nape it was very little over 6" already but was the bob grown out:
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/CinnamonCinders/Hopeful Vintage Beauty/002.jpg

This is post-cut and looking less than ideal... please excuse the bit of toothpaste on my bathroom mirror for the rear shot
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/CinnamonCinders/Hopeful Vintage Beauty/005.jpg
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/CinnamonCinders/Hopeful Vintage Beauty/008.jpg

I didn't have much time when I got home for a proper set, so I quickly put some curling tongs through it and put a scarf around it before going out. I initially think I was a bit over-enthusiastic with the scarf so tamed it a little:
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/CinnamonCinders/Hopeful Vintage Beauty/017.jpg
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/CinnamonCinders/Hopeful Vintage Beauty/030.jpg

I then managed to put it into a wet set this morning with sponge rollers. I didn't find it super easy to put into rollers, mostly because it's shorter now and when I took them out, I nearly cried. I looked like Annie only with a serious "do not want" face. However, the "keep on brushing" mantra learned from watching tutorials and reading about the hair exploits of ladies far more talented than myself made everything better and I came out with this:

I'm really happy with it now and am hoping that practice will make it easier and prettier still

 

[Alice~]

Aw, Cinnamon, your sponge roller set looks beautiful! It suits you really well. I'm glad you're happy with the middy, and you have lovely glasses too.

 

[CinnamonCinders]

Aw, Cinnamon, your sponge roller set looks beautiful! It suits you really well. I'm glad you're happy with the middy, and you have lovely glasses too.

Thank you, Alice I am so much happier now than I was coming out of the hairdressers. I do still think mine looks more mullet-like than Lisa Freemont St.'s unstyled middy in her tutorial despite the lengths being the same aside from the crown. I'm not too worried though now that I've managed to wet set it to look good. No doubt it'll grow into something along the same lines.

My ultimate dream is to have beautiful Veronica Lake waves and because of that, I have hair envy as your hair in your avatar is gorgeous!!

The glasses are from D&G. I think they still make them but in a plain black frame. I was pretty lucky to get the tortoiseshell ones as I'd left it a little late to buy them and they were out of stock. It was only after a little chat to the owner, doing the telephone equivalent of fluttering one's eyelashes, that he did some investigative work and found the very last pair! :eusa_clap

 

[Lenore]

I'm having hair cutters remorse... I miss my middy!!!!

I had decided to let it grow out, and went to have it shaped up into a blunt cut bob.... well, that didn't happen and the girl stacked the back. Other problem is that I got a wild hair (da dum dum) a while back and gave myself bangs. The bangs are cute, don't get me wrong, I just miss my middy...

With my hair stacked in the back, it doesn't hold a decent curl, and the front is longer so it would look too heavy if I did try to curl it.

My current plan involves pre-natal AND hair and nail vitamins and lots of brushing.

Come on, hair! Grow! So I can cut you again! lol

 

[Antje]

I usually set my hair with hot rollers. Since getting the cut my hair is back to being pretty curly. My middy is longer so it still looks fine unstyled plus it's long enough that if I want to put it in a bun I still can. I had my stylist dye my hair blue black the other day and she straightened it out just for fun. I had a good laugh cause the kids at the school all looked so shocked that my hair wasn't in rolls and curled.

you can manage the look!!! but curlies are ofcourse more fun LOL

 

[Purpleemmyjo]

I did the big chop

And cut my middy. Not perfect as it was so long at the back. Think I need to keep tweaking it lol
Not sure how to attach a pic of before and after.

 

[Barbara]

My question is, how do you roll it? I got a sort of middy cut, but I guess I've forgotten how to roll my hair. Is there a diagram somewhere? Oh and I tend to use spongerollers, as my caruso rollers won't work in Spain

 

[SheBear74]

I can only speak for myself. I use hot rollers and curl the top toward the back, then the sides and back down. I usually wear my hair in rolls and up but I find this is my go to set.

 

[Little lady]

How can you tell if your cut is feathered or blunt cut?

I've had something like the middy but with bangs (for those I brought pictures of brigitte bardot) since august, and I have been very happy with it. But I've seen mentioned in this thread that for vintage styles the blunt cut is much preferable, so in case that's not the one I've got, I wanted to know so I could try the reckomended version the next time.
I can't quite picture what a blunt vs. a feathered middy would look like. When searching in google for blunt bangs, of course that's not so difficult to understand, but with an entier hairstyle, suddenly I struggle to see which is what. I've seen some diagrams of how to cut in this thread too, and I'm quite certain my layers where cut the way the pictures show, diagonally against the fingers. I don't think I could count my layers. Is it the way the hair falls around the face that tell you which kind of cut you have? Is it in the layers, or everything? Can one tell by the way the hair dresser cuts?

 

[wahine]

"Short bobs for wartime"

Still looking for a diagram or anything that my hair dresser really can use, I found this:











Although it's not exactly what I was looking for - aiming for a 'femme fatale' - I'll probably show it to my hair dresser. Unfortunately, it's not too detailed. Maybe it'll be interesting for some of you, anyway.

Oh, it was published in LIFE Feb.2, 1942: http://books.google.de/books?id=PU4... style&hl=de&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q=hair&f=false