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1897-1981 Edith Head
- Thread starter travolta
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i haven't seen most of her designs..but i know some of the more famous costumes shes worked on such as roman holiday, rear window (grace kellys glam wardrobe), funny face..she has to be noted she did play a huge role in audrey hepburn's image.
softgrey
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Head, Edith
Edith Head designing costumes, 1948
AP/Wide World Photos(1898?-1981), costume designer
Edith Head, whose original name may have been Edith Claire Posener, was born in San Bernardino, California, on October 28, possibly about 1898 or 1907. The daughter of a mining engineer, she grew up in various towns and camps in Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. She attended the University of California (B.A.) and Stanford University (M.A.). After a time as a schoolteacher and some additional study in Los Angeles at the Otis Institute and the Chouinard Art School, she was hired (1923) by the head designer at Paramount Studios. For several years she worked her way up from sketcher to costume designer by way of apprentice assignments and such minor but memorable accomplishments as designing actor Dorothy Lamour's sarong for the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby "Road" pictures.
In 1938 Head became chief designer at Paramount in charge of a costume department with a staff of hundreds. She was the first woman to head a design department at a major studio. From then on, at Paramount and later at Universal Studios, she became America's best-known and most successful Hollywood designer. She was noted for the range of her costume designs, from elegant simplicity to intricate flamboyance, and she also gained a reputation for being able to placate temperamental actors and directors.
Head was nominated for an unprecedented 34 Academy Awards, winning a record 8 of them for her work in The Heiress (1949), All About Eve (1950), Samson and Delilah (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), and The Sting (1973). She was the author of an autobiography, The Dress Doctor (1959), and a self-help book, How to Dress for Success (1967), and appeared as herself on screen in The Oscar (1966). Head died in Hollywood, California, on October 24, 1981.
Edith Head designing costumes, 1948
AP/Wide World Photos(1898?-1981), costume designer
Edith Head, whose original name may have been Edith Claire Posener, was born in San Bernardino, California, on October 28, possibly about 1898 or 1907. The daughter of a mining engineer, she grew up in various towns and camps in Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. She attended the University of California (B.A.) and Stanford University (M.A.). After a time as a schoolteacher and some additional study in Los Angeles at the Otis Institute and the Chouinard Art School, she was hired (1923) by the head designer at Paramount Studios. For several years she worked her way up from sketcher to costume designer by way of apprentice assignments and such minor but memorable accomplishments as designing actor Dorothy Lamour's sarong for the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby "Road" pictures.
In 1938 Head became chief designer at Paramount in charge of a costume department with a staff of hundreds. She was the first woman to head a design department at a major studio. From then on, at Paramount and later at Universal Studios, she became America's best-known and most successful Hollywood designer. She was noted for the range of her costume designs, from elegant simplicity to intricate flamboyance, and she also gained a reputation for being able to placate temperamental actors and directors.
Head was nominated for an unprecedented 34 Academy Awards, winning a record 8 of them for her work in The Heiress (1949), All About Eve (1950), Samson and Delilah (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), and The Sting (1973). She was the author of an autobiography, The Dress Doctor (1959), and a self-help book, How to Dress for Success (1967), and appeared as herself on screen in The Oscar (1966). Head died in Hollywood, California, on October 24, 1981.
softgrey
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Arguably the most famous costume designer in Hollywood history, Edith Head was also one of the most prolific, having costumed for more than 500 films. She employed her formidable talent and versatility designing everything from westerns to monster movies, intimate romances to Biblical spectacles. By 1976, Head had received a remarkable eight Academy Awards and a total of thirty-three Academy Award nominations.
During her prolific career Edith Head frequently averaged 35 film projects a year. She designed for such greats as Alfred Hitchcock, Bing Crosby, Jerry Lewis, Gary Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Barbara Stanwyck, and Audrey Hepburn. She made fashion history with the sarong she created for Dorothy Lamour in "The Jungle Princess" and the shoulder-tied boatneck for Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina."
During her prolific career Edith Head frequently averaged 35 film projects a year. She designed for such greats as Alfred Hitchcock, Bing Crosby, Jerry Lewis, Gary Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Barbara Stanwyck, and Audrey Hepburn. She made fashion history with the sarong she created for Dorothy Lamour in "The Jungle Princess" and the shoulder-tied boatneck for Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina."
TheSweetest
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She seemed to be a really great talent! What great achievements!
snickerdoodles
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Actually, Givenchy designed most of Audrey's outfits in Sabrina (including the white dress that softgrey posted). Edith Head was credited as the costumer for the film (because of her position in the studio) and won an award for it, but it was pretty meaningless since a lot of the clothing was Givenchy's work. After Sabrina, Givenchy became Hepburn's designer for her films.
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Incroyable
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snickerdoodles said:
That's true. She took credit for many of Givenchy's designs.
Also when she first went to interview for that position the sketches she brought were not hers. They were borrowed.
, a Hollywood legend
softgrey
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she was a marketing and pr genius from what i understand...she was great at self-promotion...so we all know her name...even though there were so many talented costume designers from that era... however...she was talented as well...
her 'signature' look made her instantly recognizable...
her 'signature' look made her instantly recognizable...
Whitelinen
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I just watched The Birds once again, and instantly thought that this thread needs more contributions.
