haute couture wig styling/Robert Masciave styleee

[harlequin]

Hey!

im tearing my hair out over this (!!)

if any of you are aware of Robert Masciave's work then you'll know his hair creations are masterpieces, and im trying to make myself a wig for a party in a months time and decided i would like a massive big wig adapted from Masciave's style.
But.... i cant get my head around how he makes the strands of hair seem to be gravity defying.

I have tried attaching pipe cleaners to the wig base and laying the hair over that but the wig base hasnt got the strength to hold it upright when the hair is layed over. i have tried back combing some to make a kinda 'shelf' for the hair but then it looks too bulky and not sleek, ive tried just hairspraying it and ive tried gluing bits of florist wire to wefts and attaching it to the wig, but with the same results as the pipe cleaner method.

here are a few photos to show you what im on about






you see how sleek the hair is, like its draped over the thinnest of wire or something, especially in the first photo (sorry they are only small, but i hope you can see what i mean)

any ideas?!

[IKickShins]

You could sew wefts onto craft wire. For the hair that's actually sticking up (like in the first photo), hairspray and a bit of teasing will help it stand up off the wire.

[VixenSingsBlack]

I'd buy thin matching color foam. Cut foam to appropriate shape, attach to wig base, glue hair to foam to camouflage it. Will defy gravity as you please. Attaching foam to wig base is hardest part.

[harlequin]

thanks for the replies guys, yeah attaching the wire or foam to the wig base is hard - it seems to droop and not stay in the position i want it to.

[IKickShins]

Yeah.. you'd probably need to add some sort of extra support to the base. I've never done anything elaborate like that so I have no idea how you'd go about anchoring it properly.

[Miss Liberty]

call me crazy, and it is hard to see because the pics are small, but that second one looks as if there are black feathers mixed in to match the hair.

For extra support for the wig base....what about a small hatform underneath the wig? Maybe you could attach the wire thru the wig and onto the mesh hat base for support.

[Miss Liberty]

like the type of form used to make a hat like this:

http://www.bridesunlimited.com.au/getim ... geID=19518

[VixenSingsBlack]

You could also use buckram, a thin but stiff material often used as bills for homemade hats. It should be available at any serious sewing/fabric store. It's used to give shape/support to clothing, purses, etc.

[harlequin]

ah buckram! i never thought of that.
my OH also had an idea of chicken wire under the wig and anchoring on desired shapes of wire to that and covering them with hair.

thanks girls! *runs off to wrestle the wig*

[Miss Liberty]

ah buckram! i never thought of that.
my OH also had an idea of chicken wire under the wig and anchoring on desired shapes of wire to that and covering them with hair.

thanks girls! *runs off to wrestle the wig*

Ahh, I was going to suggest chicken wire as well, but didn't have advice on how to make it comfy.

[harlequin]

ah buckram! i never thought of that.
my OH also had an idea of chicken wire under the wig and anchoring on desired shapes of wire to that and covering them with hair.

thanks girls! *runs off to wrestle the wig*

Ahh, I was going to suggest chicken wire as well, but didn't have advice on how to make it comfy.

yeah im still working that out. i have chicken wire handy so am going to give it a go anyway.
i was thining maybe sew the wire frame to the wig, then get more fabric and cover it with that. trial and error i guess, that method may prove too bulky to wear as there will be so many layers attached to the wig base.

also i thought that the wig may need clips attached to it, just in case the design means the weight isnt distributed evenly and the wig topples over/off mid party! that would be slightly embarrassing!

[VixenSingsBlack]

I'd say go for clips AND wig pins. Wig pins are nice because once you have the wig on your head you can put them where you need them the most after the fact.