"Admired by all who see her. " - Estella Hair Trials

After learning some Victorian hairstyling I began to experiment with designs for Estella's hair -  to begin with I tried the learnt style on model was a softer version of the crimped and barrel roll styling (below), but due to the amount of hair my model has the look just aged her, and the desired interpretation was for a youthful, elegant Estella so after seeing more current adaptations and in researching hair styling for the younger women in the era I decided to go with second (above) for final look as you still get the elegant look, but in a more youthful and simplistic way.

Victorian inspired editorials

Despite these images are high-fashion images for 'Valentino', 'Alexander McQueen' and 'Chloe' all shown as advertisements in latest issue of 'LOVE' magazine - published January 2013 I believe they still contain the element of an alternative version of Miss Havisham and Estella but in a subtle, yet couture design.

"I loved her simply because I found her irresistible" : Initial face charts for Estella

In the majority of 'Great Expectations' adaptations , Estella is often portrayed in a very similar way; young and beautiful - with perfect hair and rosy complexion.                                   Due to this it is vital to ensure that in any adaptation  the character of Estella must always appear in some form, attractive and desirable to the viewers and the other characters in the story, otherwise the integral part of how Miss Havisham is raising Estella from a child, with the mindset to use her beauty to entice men, making them fall in love with her and then eventually breaking their hearts would not be seen as attainable to an audience. 

Estella Interpretation 1:      Classic

This look is based more on the natural ideal of beauty where the model would not have very dramatic make up applied, just what was necessary to accentuate their natural beauty, this design would then have a more stylised and intricate hair design. 



This adaptation of Estella would have light contouring of the face, a pale (but to the natural skin sue to camera/lighting- warming foundation) a peach/nude blush and complimentary eye-shadow hues, but still in a subtle smoky eye to help accentuate the eyes, brown liner on the outer lower lashes, groomed brows, minimal mascara application and a light/natural coloured lip.  

Estella Interpretation 2:        Dramatic

This look is based more on the obvious and 'vampish'  Estella, where through the application of make up the model would accentuate and add to their own 'natural beauty' aspects. I would consider this application a more modern version of the character as it relates to the make up often worn by women "enticing" men on a night out. With this make up because it was such a heavy application, to balance's out the look I would have a simpler hair design and minimal styling, however with the styling i would take the colour of the lip into consideration and find a complimentary if not exact colour match for the accessories.

This adaptation of Estella would have a noticeable smoky eye, with dark 'Kohl-like' lined eyes, a deep red/wine coloured lip, carefully groomed eyebrows that were slightly darkened and subtle "rosy-glowing" skin attained through blusher and some slight contouring of the face.            

                                                                        

"Remembrance of the Havisham days would fall upon me" : Current adaptations of 'Great Expectations'

Like many other Dickens novel's, 'Great Expectations' has been filmed for cinema and television several times, as of present day this has included:

• 1917 - A silent film adaptation, starring Jack Pickford and directed by Robert G. Vignola.
• 1922 - a silent film adaptation, directed by A.W Sandberg.
• 1934 - 'Great Expectations' the first 'talkie' film adaptation, starring Phillips Holmes and Jane Wyatt, directed by Stuart Walker.
• 1946 - 'Great Expectations' film starring John Mills and directed by David Lean
• 1954 - A two-part television adaptation which aired as an episode of the show 'Robert Montgomery Presents'.
• 1959 - A BBC television adaptation.
• 1967 - A television series starring Gary Bond and Francesca Annis.
• 1974 - 'Great Expectations' a film directed by Joseph Hardy.
• 1981 - 'Great Expectations' a BBC serial television adaptation, directed by Julian Amyes.
• 1983 - an animated children's adaptation, starring Phillip Hinton, Robin Stewart and Bill Kerr.
• 1989 - 'Great Expectations' a film directed by Kevin Connor.
• 1998 - 'Great Expectations', a contemporary film adaptation set in New York city, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
• 2000 - Pip - A South Park episode that parodies and retells the Dickens Novel with the animated characters of South Park.

• 2011 - 'Great Expectations' a three-part BBC series, starring Ray Winstone as Magwitch, Gilian Anderson as Miss Havisham and Douglas Booth as Pip.

• 2012 - 'Great Expectations' a film directed by Mike Newell, starring Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Jeremy Irvine as Pip. 

"In the endurance of her own trial, she forgot mine"

Gothic/Victorian Hairstyling 1

While creating my ideas of the face-chart, hair and styling for the Estella image we were given the task of creating this classic Gothic hairstyle, that also could be used in this Victorian inspired character.

I began with taking sections of the hair and crimping them to add volume, this results in the hair becoming more voluminous, as well as adding texture to the look. Following this I sectioned the hair into a T-section and then split the front into 3 equal sections, and repeated sectioning the back at the mid-ear height level.

To create the look I started with the top of the back section and back-combing the underside of the hair to add more volume, then barrel roll the hair section back against the scalp, then while holding in place two grips parallel to each other to secure the roll. repeat this in the opposite direction with the bottom half of the back section and roll the hair up to meet at the centre of the head.

Then I parted the front section into 2 equal parts at the sides of the head and then a smaller, due to the model's fringe, at the top of the head. Similar to the back section, in turn the two side sections were barrel-rolled to the head and then finally the top section. 

Due to the length of the top section it was necessary for the roll to be placed to one side, which made the look have a 1940's style in appearance rather than a Victorian one, so if I was to recreate this look I would try and gather some of the hair from the two parallel sections to create a larger section to barrel-roll straight back towards the crown of the head. 

'The Two Together Make Me': Initial Perceptions of Estella

My initialperceptions of Estella are that she is a shadow of Miss Havisham's past, raisedto fulfil the revenge on all men for the incident that occurred to MissHavisham on her wedding day, I found these thought were reflected by a conversation between Estella and Miss Havisham:

 "Or," said Estella, "-which is a nearer case- if you had taught her from the dawn of her intelligence, with your utmost energy and might, that there was such a thing ..... but that it was made to be her enemy and destroyer, and she must always turn against it, for it had blighted you and would else blight her," 

"So," said Estella, "I must be taken as I have been made"

 “

However in 'Great Expectations' as the characters Pip andEstella reunite after they both have reached young-adulthood and it is discovered that Estella isengaged to Pip's rival Bentley Drummle the two characters engage in aconversation that reveals that Estella is not entirely the puppet, moulded to almost be  MissHavisham, the woman who raised her:

 "Do you want me then", said Estella, turning suddenly with a fixed and serious, if not angry, look, "to deceive and entrap you?

            "Do you deceive and entrap him, Estella?"

"Yes, and many others—all of them but you."

Instead I believe that Estella is becoming her own person,with her own view rather than she was meant to have been raised, this wouldthen be reflected in a look as instead of a younger mirrored image of MissHavisham I would show subtle, but noticeable changes in the appearance andstyling of Estella so she doesn't seem like just a miniature.

This has helped me decide - that due to the age availabilities of models - I will create a look that will reflect my view of Estella as an young adult, rather than that of her character as a child or older adult version. 

"And you are unwilling to play, are you willing to work?"

During our first seminar of this project we were fortunate enough to gain the knowledge and experience of guest lecturer, Kate Benton - the Co-Founder of the makeup company PAM London, as well as Makeup Artist for Film and Television.

Kate Benton - Southampton Solent Demonstation (As filmed by Luna Milkiway [Irisha] )

I found it was an invaluable experience to gain insight from someone so successful in my desired area of work in the industry. The knowledge regarding the application of 'Old-Age' makeup by creating a realistic aging process on a younger skin and the added information of how to correctly apply a wig will create a basis of the technological theory needed to both complete the MFS109 unit creating the looks of Estella and Miss Havisham, and hopefully my career. 

Introduction

This semester we have begun unit MFS109: 'Styling for Stage, Screen and Television' and as part of this unit through the analysis and research of the novel 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, I will be creating my own interpretation of the characters both: Miss Havisham and Estella.




Through this blog I hope to portray the process of my initial thoughts and continue through the process of the design development until I reach my final conceptions of the characters.