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Cutting for Style

A delightfully eccentric hairdressing tutorial for the stylists of 1950s Britain

Training film/TV programme 1954 23 mins Silent

Overview

A lesson in creating a heroically difficult hairdo, aimed at professional hairdressers, is spiced up with some pleasingly daft humour, from a bumbling barber to an unlikely petrol station attendant. It's a great insight into 1950s fashions among the chattering classes, and the visual panache, such as the surprise that awaits in the photo album, adds great charm.

This film was made by the Incorporated Guild of Hairdressers, Wigmakers and Perfumers, and is clearly aimed at a professional audience. It has no soundtrack, and would probably have been screened with a live commentary. The man responsible for the beautifully styled haircut was award-winning hairdresser Frederick Thomas Diwell, who is seen in the film.