It's sometimes possible to tell a decade just by looking at the hairstyles.
Some past celebrities are as well known for their hairstyles as they are for their craft. These retro hairstyles have been recreated and reinterpreted throughout the decades and made modern. The 1920s and 1950s are two decades that are immediately recognizable in different types of hair styling. Though modern at the time, Clara Bow's, Marilyn Monroe's and Elvis Presley's hairstyles are often copied in the 21st century.
Clara Bow's Bob
The 1920s and '30s was the era of flappers and shorter hairstyles for women. Clara Bow was a silent film star who took the popular bob hairstyle and tailored it to her own looks. Rather than being straight, this distinctive bob has finger waves that add the sassy personality Clara Bow was famous for. Short, layered hair is the best base for recreating this hairstyle. Starting with wet hair, apply a strong styling gel and form ridges of C-shaped curls using either a rat-tail comb or your fingers. To add an extra touch of the 1920s to your hairstyle, attach a few curls directly to your cheek or forehead. A jeweled headband worn around the crown or across the forehead gives the hairstyle and overall flapper appeal.
Marilyn Monroe's Voluminous Curls
Actresses such as Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly made thickly curled, voluminous hairstyles popular in the 1950s. This hairstyle was suited for both long and short hair and to this day is usually associated with Old Hollywood glamour. The shape and style of the curls varies a great deal, but the overall look requires the curls be pushed back from the face rather than obscuring it. In most cases, the hair around the crown is left straight and the curls frame the wearer's face. Depending on how bold you want the hairstyle to look, the curls can be left loose and wavy for a slightly carefree feel or else tightly curled for a more defined look.
Elvis Presley's Rockabilly Pompadour
Female celebrities aren't the only ones with popular retro hairstyles. In the 1950s, female stars used curls to create bold looks but for the men it was the dark, rockabilly hairstyle made famous by Elvis Presley and James Dean. Complete with long sideburns, this hairstyle requires the perfect placement of every single strand of hair and is held in place using either gel or pomade. Elvis' distinctive pompadour creates a great deal of volume at the front with the hair at the back shaped much more closely to the nape. To form the pompadour, the front section of hair needs to be combed upwards and then flipped back loosely on itself. Playing with the shape of the pompadour creates different levels of volume that's kept firmly in place once the desired style has been achieved.
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