was a brilliant costume designer for so many iconic Hollywood movies such as “The Birds” and “Roman Holiday.” In your opinion, what about Edith’s style and design skills gave her such a respected reputation in Hollywood?
Edith was an executive woman before there was such a thing! It was a boy’s club when she started - 1923. Women in the Unites Stated had just recently got to vote, if you can imagine. It has been said that Edith had the instincts of a pastry chef and the authority of a factory foreman. She herself said, “I knew I was not a creative design genius,,,I am a better diplomat than I am a designer...I was never going to be the world’s greatest costume designer, but there was no reason I could not be the smartest and most celebrated.” She knew how to play the game better than anyone. Her concern really was to change actors into characters. Edith said, “I make people into what they are not - ten years older or younger, fatter or thinner, more handsome or more ridiculous, glamourous or sexy or horrible. The camera never lies, after all, so my work is really an exercise in camoflauge.”
After so much research on Edith Head, how do you think her legacy has influenced the costume industry today?
High fashion is of the moment and the best of costume design is timeless. You must remember that costumes were often completed a couple of years before the release of the film.
A perfect example are Elizabeth Taylor’s gowns in the 1951 for “A Place in the Sun.” The film was shot in 1949 and released in 1951. The silhouette was the most important aspect of any of the ensembles; therefore, the costumes in the Academy Award® -winning film could be worn to any society event today.
“I make people into what they are not - ten years older or younger, fatter or thinner, more handsome or more ridiculous, glamourous or sexy or horrible. The camera never lies, after all, so my work is really an exercise in camoflauge.” ~Edith Head
The woman wearing it evoked an air of classic couture and looked as dramatic as Liz did when she danced with the dreamy Monty Clift! Edith had the ability to shape each gown to a character or image. This is what made her as popular with film directors as with the glamour girls she dressed in both their private lives and screen roles. I see so many designers paying homage to the classic Hollywood glamour...that is without a doubt a tribute to Edith Head.
13