Edith Head
's plaque on the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style commemorates her importance.
Edith Head worked as a costume designer in Hollywood for more than six decades, winning eight Academy Awards during her career. She worked with Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, Bette Davis and Alfred Hitchcock. While Head never dressed the average woman, during Hollywood's Golden Age, she dressed many of the stars, inspiring fashion trends and creating an image with her designs and garments. As an award-winning designer, she made a name and image of her own, with her somber expressions, dark glasses and severe clothing. Does this Spark an idea?
The Starlet of the 1920s and 1930s
Edith Head started her professional career in the wardrobe department at Paramount Studios in 1923. Her design skills, work ethic and ability to enhance an actress' best assets gave her access to the brightest rising stars. Head dressed Clara Bow, taking her from ingenue to sex symbol. She designed Jean Harlowe's bias-cut slip dresses, creating a trend that lasted through the 1930s, and worked with Mae West. Head's 1920s designs combined an understanding of the feminine form, a willingness to explore sexuality with skin-tight clothing and clingy garments, and the ability to work within the confines of the film censors of the period. For the first time, Head combined the off-screen actress with the on-screen character, using costume to expand upon the personality of both. This trend would continue in costume design for much of the 20th century.
The Busy 1940s
The 1940s were one of the most prolific decades of Head's long career. She dressed Hedy Lamarr, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman. These designs ranged from the whimsical garments worn by Rogers to the menswear suits favored by Bergman. Her work provided a key visual element in the films, from over-the-top peacock fans to the childlike styles used in Roger's musicals. Her work was the focus of studio publicity, creating the image of Hollywood as a style setter, and she often dressed actresses, including Barbara Stanwyck, off-screen as well as on-screen. This created a cohesive image of Hollywood glamour and gave the costume designer a much greater role, in film and costume, as well as fashion.
Creating the Character of the 1950s and 1960s
During the 1950s and 1960s, Head's work is most closely associated with the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Head created Grace Kelly's signature look on-screen, influencing the blondes Hitchcock favored in his later films. The subtle style associated with Kelly and other actresses dressed by Head influenced her styling of Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood. Head's work paved the way for the creation of key looks, familiar to all of us today, including Audrey Hepburn's little black dress and Hitchcock's delicate blondes dressed in pastels. These looks have come to signify an era in film.
The Later Years
After Head was released from her contract with Paramount in 1967, she worked in the wardrobe department of Universal Studios. Head had set trends for women for years, including the practical shirtwaist dress, but in the 1970s she set trends in menswear, winning her final Academy Award for 1973's "The Sting." As Hollywood's film industry changed, Head designed for television and even designed a women's uniform for the United States Coast Guard. Head was still working, designing costumes for the film "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," at the time of her death in 1981. Head's career spanned from the early years of film through all of the 1970s, including some of the best-known films and stars of the 20th century. She defined costume design as a key feature of film and was recognized for it. From her beginnings as an inexperienced young woman in the wardrobe shop, Head defined the costume designer as a potential star in her own right.
Tags: Edith Head, Audrey Hepburn, costume designer, 1950s 1960s, 20th century