Fairfield University art history professor Katherine Schwab studied the hairstyles of the Caryatides, the six marble figures supporting the south porch of the Erechtheion, part of the Acropolis of Athens. Their tresses were styled in intricate arrangements of curls and wraparound plaits. She exhibited the hairstyles at the Greek Embassy in Washington D.C. as part of a display, titled “The Caryatid Hairstyling Project” that includes photos of the stone Caryatids, photos of the student models  that posed for her and a video of the endeavor to create the styles.

The idea was conceived by Schwab in 2007 during an art exhibition of photos of the Caryatids. Dating back to the 420 B.C. the Caryatids were damaged by war and pollution in the early 19th Century. One of the statues was snatched by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire who had removed a number of Greek antiquities from the acropolis.

Looking at the photos, Schwab was left bemused by the Caryatids coiffures. She got in touch with Milexy Torres who wanted to recreate the photographs. Though the styles look simple and elegant, they were very complicated to recreate.