giovedì 27 agosto 2009

Lovely Head

If there is an Hollywood costume designer with an intriguing personality, that is Edith Head.


She was born in Nevada in 1897 and after becaming a language teacher she started taking drawing classes. In 1924, despite her lack of experience, she was hired by Paramount Pictures, gaining a job in their costume department. She began designing costumes for silent movies and during the 30s she became one of the most important Hollywood designers.
During her long career she has worked for Paramount and Universal, on Hitchcock movies and was a favorite designer for stars like Barbara Stanwick, Bette Davis and Shirley Maclaine. She was nominated for 35 Academy Awards and won 8, more than any other woman in Hollywood history. She also took part in some tv shows, giving style tips, like the modern Rachel Zoe &Co.!


This could sounds as a fairytale but Head is not at all the classic heroine princess you may figure out in your mind...

She was a strange woman, very private and low profile but with a perpetual iconic look: a full flat bangs - apparently copied by Anna May Wong - and the round dark glasses, that almost surely inspired the styling of the character of Edna Mode in The Incredibles.


Also, she had a great talent and during her long career she had designed some of the most remembered movies outfits, but despite all this she had a very controverse personality. Why? First of all she got her job at Paramount stealing another student's sketches for the interview and she did it again several times during the last part of her career: she used to take credit for other people's work, like when she accepted the Oscar for Sabrina, when we all know (now) that Hepburn's stunning outfits were designed by Givenchy.


Unfair? All in all, the only thing I know for sure is that I'll never forget the outfits Edith Head has created for Grace Kelly in Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. She did great things, when she did them for real...





8 commenti:

Penny ha detto...

I read a bio on her and she is indeed fascinating. When I was a kid I would watch Rear Window over and over again....just so that I may revel in Grace Kelly's outfits.

MOUSEVOX VINTAGE ha detto...

she is totally edna mode.

p.s. the pictures in my lates blog aren't flickr favorites, but photographs that i took a loooong time ago. :)

xoxo

Unknown ha detto...

Intriguing:)

Anonimo ha detto...

Wow. I never knew she did that. It's slightly unsettling.

I fully intend to read a bio on her soon though!

Witchcrafted Life ha detto...

What a fascinating woman, I've heard of her before, but really enjoyed learning more about one of classic Hollywood's most talented stylists.

Fantastic post, sweetie!
♥ Jessica

Rebecca, A Clothes Horse ha detto...

She is so controversial...sometimes the "bad" do succeed!

Amelia ha detto...

She has always really intrigued me, especially after seeing so many pop culture caricatures of her. I'd love to know more about the real her.

L'armadio del delitto ha detto...

Interessante il contrasto fra il suo stile particolare e quello delle attrici, più feminile e classico.

Comunque una faccia così non la dimenticherò!