Today I’m going to finally get around to reviewing a book that I first saw on Diary of a Vintage Girl when Fleur De Guerre wrote about the books launch party.
Style Me Vintage
is a book of step by step photographic guides to creating vintage hair styles, and at under £7.50 from Amazon I thought it had to be worth a try even if I only got one new hair style out of it! The book itself looks beautiful. It has a nice matt textured cover and the background illustrations inside are taken from vintage fabrics. As well as step by step guides to several vintage hair styles it also has extra tips on tying vintage scarves, creating padding for and pages of “essential equipment” for creating the styles inside.
The styles it covers are Finger Waves & Pin curls, Forties Waves, Victory Rolls, The Poodle, Fringe Roll, Fifties Set (The Marilyn) Quiffs, 2 different variations on a Beehive, the Bouffant and the Barbarella.
I already did most of these, or variations of them, on my own hair, but I was interested to see if there were any hints and tricks I could pick up, and I’ve never managed to master finger waves, so I was really keen to have a go at them.
Really the only way to review a book like this was to have a go at the hair styles. My first attempt was finger waves (you can see the results here!) and I was quite pleased. I found it a little tricky to get the technique right, but with practice I think they’ll definitely improve. I only waved the front of my hair, and I think it’s unlikely that I’ll ever manage the back on my own, but to be fair the book does suggest you may need the help of a friend! I decided to try a couple of the up dos, “The Poodle” and the Victory Rolls.
And here are the results. (Please excuse the terrible Hobgoblin T Shirt, I put it on to put my foundation on to protect my clothes and then never thought to take it off before I did the hair and took the photos, rest assured I didn’t leave the house in it!)
I already do Victory Rolls, but the instructions in the book are for a slightly more elaborate version where the fringe is rolled separately in the opposite direction. I’ve always thought it looked amazing but didn’t know how to acheive it. I followed the instructions to the letter, but still found it a little complicated to get the sections to match up and it took some time to finally get the effect above which I was quite pleased with for a first try!
The Poodle I found far easier, however I think you can see from my face in that picture that I’m unlikely to be making it part of my regular hair repertoire. I never liked it on Lucille Ball so I don’t know what possessed me to think it would look any better on me!
Generally the instructions are clear and easy to follow and the pictures are well chosen to illustrate tricky points or areas of confusion.
The only problem, of course, is that everyone’s hair is different. Different lengths, textures, layering and thicknesses require slightly different techniques, and while the step by step guides are an excellent starting point you do have to be prepared to adapt slightly. I know, for instance, that were I to use the Forties Wave technique described in the book I would very soon have completely straight hair as it just won’t hold a curl without a wet set with setting lotion.
Each style section starts with pictures of the style being worn by vintage stars and a more modern interpretation along with a little history of the style (meaning I finally found out the difference between Marcel waves and Finger waves. A Marcel wave uses heat on dry hair, there you go) and a list of the things you’ll need to complete the style.
If I have a minor criticism of the book it would be the 2 page list of “essential equipment” at the beginning. The list includes, among other things, 4 different types of brush and 3 different types of hair clips. Whilst the styles are probably easier with these things I have been managing to style my hair for over a year with nothing much more than a handful of kirby grips, a brush, a comb and some hair spray, so don’t let a lack of the “right” stuff stop you having a go!
I’m always disturbed by anything that implies you need a vast range of elaborate equipment to acheive decent results. I had a similar fit of rage when Jamie Oliver published a list of “bare minimum” essential kitchen equipment which included items like microplane graters, NESTS of mixing bowls and cast iron casserole dishes costing lots of money, all of which I had been happily managing to cook meals without for years.
Anyway, I digress….
The other thing that may have been handy to include is a section with more detailed instructions on basic techniques. If you’ve never rolled your hair before, or seen anyone else do it, then it could be rather difficult to try an interpret from the books descriptions and pictures. This is a minor thing, though, and I’m sure most people can probably get the hang of it after a few tries.
Overall the book is beautifully illustrated, easy to follow, and for £7.50 an absolute bargain! It definitely gets the Retro Chick seal of approval.
*shameless plug* Don”t forget, if you do want some in person tips on vintage hair you can pop along to the Vintage Hair Styling evening at Flint! *shameless plug* The book is available in my book shop, along with the others I’ve reviewed in the past, or you can click the link below to go to Amazon. 
