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| Noldorin Elf crown braided updo at EstelCon 2025 |
Today's cosplay related post features a crown braided style for my Noldorin Rivendell Elf OC, which I often wear with this purple dress at Spanish Tolkien Society conventions. Both my personal headcanon and some Tolkien references describe Noldorin ladies as wearing braided updos (crown braids or similar), and bejewelled hairnets, snoods and tressures/caps. I particularly like the headcanon of Noldorin women favouring hairstyles ressembling Italian Renaissance updos (hair taping and the like), with lots of braiding and decoration. The hair taping-inspired variation of this crown braided updo, with rope braids instead of three-strand, can be found here.
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| The debut of this style for a 2016 Tolkien convention. The flyaways at the nape bother me and now I use more open pins to prevent that a little more, but ah well xD |
- For this style, I used (and you can use):
-An elastic (preferably without metal) for the initial ponytail.
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Two parandas (info about
making parandas and braiding them into hair
here). Parandas are optional, but a nice addition if you want to add volume and/or colour to the style. You could also use ribbons and/or (metallic) cord.
-Optional hairstick or fork for the back bun.
-Bobby pins (closed and open). Lots of them in my case xD.
-Decorative additions: Tressures/caps, pearl pins, a circlet, the decoration that you want!
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| 2025 version |
- Steps (video tutorial planned!):
The steps I followed for this 'Noldorin updo' are similar to the
'Noldorin' hair taping variation, with some differences (3-strand braids vs rope-braids, and no taping here, although you can always add it as decoration!):
1. Pull your hair into a ponytail (high for my 2016 versions, a low one at the nape for my 2025-26 versions) and secure it with a hair-friendly elastic without metal.
2. Divide your hair into two parts.
Braid each section (standard three-strand braid), adding a paranda.
3. Pin each braid around your head with open bobby pins (optional - decorative open pins). I pinned one braid first until I reached the elastic at the back of the head (and left the rest hanging), and then pinned the other in front of the first one. You can also criss-cross them at the base of the ponytail before coiling them around your head. If you're going to wear a tressure/trinzale/cap, I recommend putting it on before wrapping the braids around your head.
4. Wrap and pin the remaining length of both braids around and over the elastic at the back, hiding it and creating a bun. You can also use a transparent elastic to join the two tails together before wrapping them in a bun at the back of the head. You can use a hairpin, hairstick or fork to secure and/or decorate the updo.
5. Additional decorations - Add pearl or bejewelled open pins, a circlet, whatever your Elven heart desires!
Picture gallery (at Tolkien conventions from 2016 onwards)
- Mereth Ciénaga de los Muertos 2016 at Cercedilla (Madrid):
- EstelCon 2025 at Canet de Berenguer (Valencia):
The same style for the festive dinner of this convention, paired with a blue crystal silver necklace worn as a circlet:
SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es
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