An Ode to Edith Head

"What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage."    

                                                                                                 - Edith Head 

                                                                                                                              

Today's Google Doodle inspired me to write a quick post about the famous Hollywood costume designer, Edith Head.

Today's Google Doodle in honor of Edith Head's 116th birthday.

Head's career in Hollywood spanned over 50 years and includes over 400 film credits as Head Costume Designer, 35 Oscar nominations and 8 Academy Award wins. She is still to this day the most honored costume designer and woman in the history of the Academy.

Via.

Ironically Head had very little art and design experience- let alone costume design experience- when she began her Hollywood career back in 1924. She actually was a French teacher with a masters degree in romance languages from Stanford. Her first job was teaching French at the Hollywood School for Girls. Looking to make a little more money, Head also offered to teach art in addition to French despite having only studied the subject briefly in high school.

A young Edith Head, mostly likely taken around the start of her Paramount career. Via.

While taking college art classes at night to polish up her skills for her teaching position, Head discovered a passion and talent for design. In 1924 she applied for a costume sketch artist position at Paramount Pictures using, she admitted in late years, a fellow student's art portfolio. Despite having no professional experience and submitting someone else's portfolio, Head earned the job.

Edith Head at work. Via.

"You can have anything in life, if you dress for it." - Edith Head

She started off designing costumes for silent movie pictures, with her first credit being The Wanderer in 1925. By the 1930's- just a few short years later- she had established herself as one of Hollywood's leading costume designers.

Actress, Natalie Wood's eyes go round with excitement while looking at Head's costume sketches. Via.

She costumed numerous leading ladies and men, with her costumes completing the illusions they portrayed on screen. Head quickly became a favorite among the Hollywood stars, known for dressing actors impeccably, and for a diverse range of characters. Some of her films include: The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, Holiday Inn, Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, A Place in the Sun, Roman Holiday, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Sting, and many, many more.

Head with Elizabeth Taylor at a costume fitting for A Place in the Sun. Via.

"Your dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman, 

and loose enough to show you're a lady." 

- Edith Head's words of wisdom

Head worked for Paramount Pictures for 43 years, before moving to Universal Studios, a move many attribute to her frequent partnership with director Alfred Hitchcock, who was at Universal as well. She continued to work in film throughout the rest of her life, taking on smaller projects in her later years such as made-for-TV movies. The last film she worked on was the Steve Martin and Carl Reiner comedy, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid; it premiered shortly after her death in 1981 and was dedicated in her memory.

Head and Hitch. Via.

Today, October 28th, 2013, Edith Head would have been 116 years old. She will always be remembered for her immense design talent, and for the crucial role she played in making the Golden Era of Hollywood the epic generation of film its known as today.

A picture of Edith Head at work, from a LIFE magazine spread. Via.

Lisa Helene.

Sources: 1 and 2. Visit both for more information on Edith Head's life and career.