Long hair
How does Alice end up with long hair (surely a few years growth) at end of film? Certainly not 'in-character' for her to have a wig.
shareThis was a popular fashion option in the 60's and 70's. It's a "fall", a long hairpiece tacked onto the top of the head. Sometimes it was sewn to a headband, like Susannah York's, which kept it in place without pins, etc.
If a woman had long hair already, she might still wear one anyway, to make the hair seem fuller and more glamorous...sort of like how hair extensions are used today.
Was it so 'ordinary' that one changed length of hair much as one changed color of shoes?
I'm still rather surprised that a 'continuity' editor would not think it an 'illegitimate' change for most viewers.
It was just a fashion choice. We see Childie on several different days and her hair's short. Then for her big dress-up night, a more formal function, she's pinned on her fall for a more glamorous look.
The 60's and 70's had a lot of fake eyelashes, too. You could add or detract stuff as you chose. It was all about freedom and doing what you wanted...different options. Your appearance could be kind of like a Mood Ring : )
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I can see how it could be confusing today, though. When I first saw the movie, I thought some time had passed, too. But then when it's gone, I realized it was just a special, tacked-on, fake hairdo thing.
OK well enough. I was very much around then but don't recall at all hair styles and lengths being akin to Imelda Marcos' shoe closet! :-). My own experience with such was limited to Archie's comments on Mike's 'coiffure.'
shareWomen did indeed wear a lot of hairpieces in the 1960's. In the case of the piece Alice is wearing, it's actually a half wig that is attached to a headband. You could buy all manner of human hair pieces from department stores back in the 1960's and 1970's.
Famous women today (such as Beyonce, Katy Perry etc) still wear hair pieces (such as the one Alice is wearing) all the time. However, they are far less accessible to everyday women now. Because of the global demand for hair extensions, the price of human hair has risen to an astronomical amount. The type of human hair piece Alice is sporting (and it's length) would probably cost about £500/$750 now! Therefore, you don't tend to see them for sale as easily as you did in the 1960's.