Timeline

The era of the permanent wave

The interactive axis below runs from 1800 to 2026. The upper track marks moments in fashion and culture; the lower track follows invention and technology. Select any milestone to read it — or use the list further down on a small screen.

The centuries before 1800 — Greek kalamistro rods, the wig culture of Versailles, Marcel's 1872 wave — belong to the prologue in Chapter 1, where the curl was always temporary.