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Dec 8, 2011

Peter's Thursday WIG-A-PALOOZA!


Readers, I believe when we've reached the point that we're sewing men's pants flies closed, it's time to take a break.  Of course, this means that I'm imposing my break on you.  So no pants today.

Instead, I want to talk about something altogether different -- wigs!  I've written about wigs before (most extensively here), and it's no secret that I'm a big fan.  To me, there's very little difference between a wig and, say, fur.  It's a luxurious, hairy accessory.

After jewelry, any woman who isn't a member of PETA would be delighted to receive a fur coat as a gift, don't you think?  (Or is this a woefully dated belief based on too many re-runs of I Love Lucy?)  And yet buy a woman a wig for a gift and you'll likely be scorned.  Buy a woman a used wig....well you can just imagine.  To me, on the other hand, there's nothing more fun than a used wig, and no better place to find them than eBay.  For some reason, there are many people selling used wigs -- perhaps due to the death of an elderly relative or neighbor -- and not many buyers.

Among my many weaknesses, one is an indisputable tendency to buy multiples of things.  I pick up a vintage Ken doll on a lark, and only a few months later I own a small vinyl army of them.





Remember the vintage Samsonite train case  I bought last winter?  Not one week after receiving it, I bought another -- the same identical case!  One I use for makeup and one I use for Ken doll clothes and how often do you think I'm reaching for a tiny suit and end up finding eyelash glue?





This unusual quirk is the same reason why I own three Chrissy dolls, two Singer Featherweights and, oh, I could go on and on.



Anyway, one recent evening I somehow stumbled into the wig category on eBay, and I simply couldn't resist picking up a few lots (yes, lots) at prices so low they were practically paying me to take them.  I'm sure each of these wigs has an interesting story to tell which I'd rather not know.  Think of them as miniature fur coats.  I bought the two groupings below.  I love how each wig style has a romantic name -- among my first group is Petite Secret (which is anything but), Brussels (no doubt modeled on the sprouts), and Sensational (uh...not quite).





The first lot is here, and the second should arrive today.  Exciting, no?

I thought it would be fun to model each wig alongside the celebrity the wig most immediately calls to mind, and ask you to identify him/her.  One wig, however, doesn't make me think of anyone (other than Michael's Aunt Mary) so I'm going to ask you to think of somebody.

Here goes:

Wig #1





Wig #2





Wig #3





Wig #4 -- Friends, this is the mystery wig.  Whom does this wig remind you of?  Valuable prizes await the lucky winner -- perhaps a fur coat of your very own!





Any ideas, folks?  I know I look like somebody famous, but I can't figure out who.  A singer on Lawrence Welk perhaps?

Please leave your ideas below, as well as the names of the first three celebrities.

In closing, how do you feel about wigs?  Why does the obviously wiggy wig often invite scorn -- unless it's being worn by, say, Tina Turner -- when nobody for a moment believes women actually have blue eyelids or crimson lips?

Wig out with me today!

46 comments:

  1. I love the idea of wigs, but find them too hot. I like the idea of changing your look without cutting/coloring the hair.

    As for fur. I have had one gifted to me many years ago. Not a good gift. Like a wig, a fur coat would be dependent on personal style. The color, style etc would be something I would like to pick myself. I would hate for someone to gift me something expensive like that and really not like it. I actually just Goodwilled the coat. Sad, no?

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  2. #1 - Greg Brady
    #2 - not sure
    #3 - Judy Garland
    #4 - Mrs. Doubtfire (as played by Robin Williams)

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  3. It might just be the glasses but my first thought was Brett Sommers from the old Match Game show. Wasn't she married to Jack Klugman?

    I have had to wear wigs a few times on-stage and also find them too hot and a bit claustrophobic. But I like the idea of them. Maybe I just need to find some good quality ones.

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  4. Eva Gabor? Liz Taylor? Barbara Stanwick? And I thought Shirley Temple, not Greg Brady (or whatever that actor's real name is). Bea Arthur, maybe?

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  5. Sally Jessy Raphael?
    http://s11.allstarpics.net/images/orig/g/w/gw093avey6ug6yga.jpg

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  6. Since Cathy went blonde, I've become enlightened and open to her "varying" her look [note: I didn't say "changing", Peter!].

    As for those synthetic reminders:
    1. GREG Brady
    2. JOEY Heatherton
    3. JUDY Garland
    4. SOPHIA Petrillo (Golden Girls)

    The Champagne Lady was much more coiffed than any wig could ever have been, but had Bobby Burgess's first dance partner not had left the show (to be replaced by Cissy), that gal might have worn such a 'doo. PBS is educational, and let me tell you, being able to "talk Welk" has come in handy more than once.

    Followed by my own imaginary bubble machine,

    Testosterone

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  7. Sorry. Derailed.
    "No pants day" = "No Pants Dance!"

    I had Barbara Walters flitter into my head. Or something.

    k

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  8. Sally? From Hairy met Sally?

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  9. I totally love that first wig, much prettier than Greg Brady! I think you look like Anita O'Day in the mystery wig. The chanteuse I like to call "the female Frank Sinatra"..if you agree I'd love a video of you doing Anita's version of "Stella by Starlight"!!

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  10. I LOVE wigs. I love to wear them. They're great for winter when you don't have a hat that is suitable for your outfit. I also believe they're less upkeep and about the same price as a really good cut, color and style. And it's so nice to just put your hair on and not have to worry about styling it. They also change your personality a little bit, which cannot be undervalued. They're wonderful for non-committal types.

    For some reason I think that wig looks like a darker version of Vicki Lawrence à la Mama's family but maybe it's just those glasses. Hm hm.

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  11. You truly had me laughing out loud! Hilarious!!!

    Bea Aurther
    http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3482753536/nm0037735

    Sophia Petrillo aka Estelle Getty
    http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/bad-ass-females-gallery/sophia-petrillo/sophia-petrillo-8

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  12. Well, they're right of course. Wigs can be hot! But in more than one sense of the word. I look much younger with my hair on than without! No grey, no 'roots'. However, good quality ones run quite expensive and don't actually last that long in regular wear, so not really a cheap option as some may imagine.

    I'm a wig wearer through necessity, having had thinning hair most of my adult life to a greater or lesser extent. Most of the time I love them, but yes, even in the British summer, I get really hot.

    I've never hidden the fact that I wear a wig, as it's much easier if people know. I try to be an ambassador for wig wearing. I find it most strange that women fear losing their hair with a chemo treatment more than they fear having cancer!

    I love reading your Blog Peter.

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  13. Yeah, Bea Arthur was going to be my vote.

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0037735/

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  14. Bea had a bit more of a shag, don't you think?

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  15. I think the mystery is Julia Child.
    The others are Greg Brady, Joey Heatherton, Judy Garland.

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  16. Poor Chrissy dolls. Looks like they've all had at least one haircut in their lives... ;) I can fix that!

    Laura (who used to pick up extra money restoring old dolls)

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  17. 1. Greg Brady
    2. Joey Heatherton
    3. Judy Garland
    4. Rosemary Clooney

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  18. The last wig reminds me of Rosalind Russell in the last scene of "Auntie Mame", when she's waxing rhapsodic to Patrick and Pegeen's son about India.

    Chrissy was the reason I started sewing!

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  19. As styled above, with glasses, I only see:
    Estelle Getty, the character from Golden Girls!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_Getty

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  20. Yes Estelle of Golden Girls immediately came to mind!

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  21. Someone already said it, but the first person I thought of was the Match Game celebrity, Brett Sommers.

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  22. I'm with the votes for Bea Arthur. I think it looks just like her hair in Maude.

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  23. #2 makes you look like David Tennant - aka the sexiest of the Doctor Who continuum.

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  24. Number 4 is a dead ringer for Blanche from Coronation Street
    http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2010/06/blanche-hunt-wins-favourite-coronation.html
    The thought of receiving a wig as a gift is still making me laugh. x

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  25. The glass frames are indeed very "Tootsie," but the hair, not so much.

    Keep trying, people.

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  26. I know...
    Brett Somers
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40pTxP0S9Ms

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  27. I love a good wig! It can instantly change the most striking thing about one's appearance. It's like putting on an entirely different identity. ;-)

    #4 - The Church Lady (aka Dana Carvey on SNL) - Well, isn't that Special - https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYeHLGbJdrv5pMuWQZ-A3dVlita9fLcT_60uOOvL3oeu8iKz2y

    ha ha ha

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  28. Wow! I love wigs as you can get a thousand looks just by changing the hair (especially true with wig dolls). I need to find some way to share my wigs/dolls collection. I think you would really like it!

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  29. I love wigs, but not cheap ones. I have one really good one, and nobody recognizes me when I wear it.

    I hate furs, faux fur and animals prints. I inherited a moth eaten fur stole with fox heads hanging from the neck. I gave it to an animal rescue group and they used it for bedding.

    I think the wigs that you have are somewhat severe, and look really wiggy. They are too old for you. I agree with the Bea Arthur look.

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  30. I don't own any wigs, and I sure hope this post isn't going to make me want to buy any!

    I think you look like that old lady in the Old Navy commercials from a few years back. I still don't go into their stores, I think "she" ruined Old Navy me for life.

    Have a great day!

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  31. Imogene Coca...that's who the last wig remind me of

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  32. The wigs are a blast, but I think you've been overdoing the old movies when it comes to fur coats.

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  33. the last wig reminds me of Ann B. Davis- Alice off of the Brady Bunch. although i looked up a pic of her and now i'm not so sure... maybe it was that first pic of Greg that put the Brady Bunch in my head?
    i sold wigs for many years back in the 90's. women's wigs but a lot of men came in for many different reasons. ;) ;) the men were always a blast!
    i like wig #2 on you. the most "natural" i think

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  34. For the mystery wig, our British friends may recognize (recognise) this name:

    Mary Whitehouse!

    Any Yanks present should Google it.

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  35. a curlier version of Anne Bancroft in Torch Song Trilogy. . . .

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  36. I'm getting a Dorothy Zbornak vibe from that last wig....

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  37. I'm picturing HRH Queen Elizabeth...

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  38. Gottabe Mrs. Doubtfire.

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  39. I thought the last wig looked like Irene Ryan. I do love the ambiguity in the "So no pants today" line.

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  40. I miss Bea! (nothing to do with the wig)

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  41. I recognise Greg Brady and Judy Garland of course, but not #2. Maybe she is unknown here in the Antipodes. But #4 is surely Miss Hathaway from the Beverley Hillbillies!

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  42. wig number four??? i'm going for a restrained Pyllis Diller! I know it's the wrong colour for Phyllis, but there's something Diller-esque about that wig. Although, i do also agree with @nettie who said that #4 has a Miss Hathaway look to it.

    I hear you loud and clear about buying multiples of things...in the last fortnight i've managed to acquire 4 Singer low shank tuck feet!

    That picture of you and your, 3 no less, Crissy dolls has me so envious i could eat my own tongue...i don't even have one Crissy. There are three dolls that i so very wanted as a child: a Crissy doll, a Velvet doll and a Rub-a-dub dolly - i received none of them :( I particularly like the one closest to you.

    I'll just have to be happy with my latest vintage sewing machine find: A 1948 singer 99 with knee control for $16.22 which includes the auction fee :) When i opened the bentwood case up, she had her original instruction and maintenance books, attachments, needles, oil can, & metal grease tube :) She purrs like a kitten.

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  43. Wig number 4 reminds me of Dustin Hoffman playing Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie.

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  44. I can't believe that I made it to the bottom of the list and no one has said Minnie Pearl. Ya gotta have the hat with the tag though. :)I love reading about your exploits, thanks for sharing!

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  45. I think Wig #4 would have to be the "Where's the Beef" lady from the 80's Wendy's commercials.

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