Edith Head

What do the following memorable Alfred Hitchcock films, Notorious, Read Window, To Catch A Thief, Vertigo, Marnie, and The Birds have in common? Edith Head is an accomplished costume designer for over 400 classic motion pictures.

In 2014, my hubby and I celebrated a milestone anniversary by vacationing in Napa Valley. While there, we ventured north to a small town called Bodega Bay, the filming location of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

It was as if we stepped back when we entered the Bodega Bay Country Store. Not only could visitors buy groceries and enjoy a light snack, beer, or wine, but they could also peruse the “Hitchcock Collection.”  Anything and everything Alfred Hitchcock collectibles and memorabilia. The Birds star Tippy Hedren visits every year on Labor Day weekend.

I connected with Edith, Head of the Bodega Bay Country Store. The giant coffee table book “Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood’s Greatest Costume Designer” drew me closer. The book was slightly damaged but worth the purchase (especially since I got a discount).

In case you don’t know, one of my passions is watching and re-watching black-and-white pictures. My daughter says I age myself when I call movies pictures. I watch not just for the storyline but also for the days when elegance and sophistication ruled Hollywood.

Edith Head was a towering figure in Hollywood even though she stood only 5′ 1½ feet tall.   Edith Claire Posner was born in San Bernardino, California, on October 28, 1897. She attended U.C. Berkley and earned her Master’s in Romance Languages from Stanford University.

Edith paid her vocational dues before becoming the head costume designer at Paramount Studios. She taught French at the Hollywood School for Girls, which needed an art teacher. Edith secretly took night classes at the Otis Art Institute and then at Chouinard Art College in Los Angeles. She supplemented her income by teaching art classes at the Hollywood school.

The soon-to-be former French and Art teacher applied for a job as a sketch artist in the costume department at the Famous Players-Lasky Studios (later Paramount Pictures).

The rest, as it is said, is history. Edith remained with Paramount for more than forty years. In 1967, at 70, she left Paramount Pictures and joined Universal Pictures, remaining until she died in 1981.

According to IMDB (Internet Movie Database), Her trademark sunglasses were not “sunglasses” but blue lensed glasses. Looking through a blue glass was a common trick to customers in the days of Black and White film to get a sense of how a color would photograph.

Now, let’s get to my favorite Academy Awarding-winning costumes Edith designed:

All About Eve, 1951

A Place in the Sun, 1954

Rear Window, 1954

Roman Holiday, 1954

The other Hollywood studios routinely loaned Edith’s services at the request of their big stars. Her client list included Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Veronica Lake, Mae West, Clara Bow, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Harlow.

Achievements:

When asked about the most influential men in her life, Head would always reply:  “There were eight of them – they were all named Oscar.”

She was Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite designer and was responsible for creating the image of the “Hitchcock Blonde.”

In 1974, Edith received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and began creating sewing patterns for Vogue Pattern Company.

Posthumous Recognition:

The U.S. Postal Service issued a series of stamps in February 2003 titled “American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes,” commemorating the behind-the-camera personnel who make movies. Edith Head received posthumous recognition on one stamp to honor costume design.

“Edna Mode” in The Incredibles was modeled on Edith Head.

“We ask the public to believe that every time they see an actress or actor that they are a different person.”   Edith Head

“Always discreet about the size and shape of the stars’ backsides, she knew all about the skeletons in their closets, but she was never one to gossip, although she did reveal that full-figured Clara Bow was known as a sausage, that Claudette Colbert was mean-spirited, and that Barbara Stanwyck was frumpy until she took over her designs”.

Both Paramount and Universal Studios named their wardrobe buildings after her.

Edith married twice and divorced both times. She owned a home in the Movie Colony neighborhood of Palm Springs and lived comfortably in an updated 1950s Hacienda-style home.

Edith died of myelofibrosis, an incurable bone marrow disease, in 1981. But her legend lives on, not only in the classic, elegant, and sophisticated clothing designs but also in the character of Edna Mode in The Incredibles. She was the black-rimmed spectacle sporting an eccentric superhero fashion designer.

This quote perfectly sums up the costume designer:  “She managed to make clothes that not only conveyed the moods and ideas behind a screen narrative, but were also beautiful, flattering to the stars, and inspiring to everyday women.”

What are your favorite Edith Head costumes? Please share.

Have a fabulous week!