Big Hair for an Even Bigger Icon

What would fashion be if not for the timeless style of Jacqueline Kennedy? Without her eye for elegant accessories, trends like oversized sunglasses and pillbox hats would likely remain buried treasures of the 1960s, never having reached their full potential.

"This hair only looks simple!" FavoriteTVShows.com.

But looking past the famously stylish First Lady's impeccably tailored suits and designer gowns, one cannot help but notice her equally tailored hair, also known as the classic 1960s bouffant.

Although Jackie's hairstyle often varied, going from tight curls on her wedding day to teased, flipped hair at the White House, most associate her with the latter style, and rightfully so.

Volume was the most important factor of the bouffant. Unfortunately for Jackie (and her followers in the sixties), the most effective way of creating volume was to sleep in rollers, then backcomb the curled hair the following morning.

Time-consuming as it was to create, the bouffant could last several days with minimal touch ups if enough hair spray was applied--and given that this trend took place in the 1960s, a decade of intricate 'dos, this probably wasn't an issue.

Another woman who may spend some time at the White House, Sarah Palin, often wears a relaxed bouffant. Wikimedia.org.

Today's version of the bouffant, like many retro hairstyles, is a watered-down style injected with modern touches, but it's only a matter of time before teased hair and rollers make a huge comeback.

After all, given that Marie Antoinette and Jackie Kennedy, two icons separated by 200 years, both donned the hairstyle in all its glory, the bouffant is obviously here to stay. But one question: Do we have another 150 years to wait until it makes an appearance again? Read more...

Sweet Victory

It was the mid-1940s: War had finally come to an end, and in the midst of the ensuing celebration (and there was plenty of it!), hair conscious women suddenly felt a strong urge to design a new hairstyle to further push the parties. And what's more fitting than a victory roll?

"We're going to miss all the celebrations if we have to pose much longer!" Zimbio.com.

The term "victory roll" originated from a fighter plane maneuver, but clever women felt it better represented their new 'do, which consisted of delicate "rolls" throughout the hair.

Making a victory roll today is as simple as using curling irons and a blow dryer, but since the forties didn't have any of those fancy options, sleeping in tight pin curls was generally required to create the hairstyle.

By putting their hair into pin curls before calling it a night, women ensured they'd be greeted in the morning with beautiful, bouncy curls. But who wants bouncy curls when everyone else has those neat victory things? No one, that's who, so those perfect curls were then styled into equally-perfect rolls placed and pinned on top of the head.

Gwen Stefani often wears modified victory rolls. 14Gwen.com.

As the excitement from the end of World War II slowly decreased, so did the popularity of victory rolls. Come the 1950s, women had already traded their rolls for relaxed, soft curls, and by doing so made the hairstyle an image of the 1940s only.

Women today can be spotted wearing the look for parties and other retro affairs, but if the victory rolls and all they stand for will ever be needed again in the future is unknown. For now, wear them for your own personal victories! Read more...