Source: Fairfax Media Archives / Getty
Today is famed Hollywood costume designer Edith Head’s heavenly birthday. The American costumer won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy’s history. Head is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential costume designers in film history.
Head died just days away from her 84th birthday, living a full and seemingly healthy life. She considered herself to be the dress doctor, going on to publish books and many stories about her life’s work. The reason Head is regarded as Hollywood’s most successful costumers, as well as one of its most colorful personalities, is because her work speaks volumes. She was nominated for a whopping total of 35 Academy awards, winning eight and designing the costumes for several hundred films.
Today, we recognize popular Hollywood costume designers like the beloved Ruth E. Carter, who has worked with some of the biggest films to date like Black Panther. Edith Head is the woman who paved the way for many greats like Carter to succeed in the male dominated movie business.
Head is most known for her works in She Done Him Wrong, Lady in the Dark, Notorious, and Samson and Delilah. Head deigned glamorous and sexy gowns, which pushed the envelope of sex appeal in the early 1930s and 1940s. Her over-the-top costuming was flamboyant and and fabulous.
Whether designing for black-and-white or color, Head was also known for using a rainbow of hues to set the mood. Head’s personal style included trademark dark glasses, which were actually blue-lensed. She used the dark glasses to get a sense of how black-and-white photographed, a trick used by costume designers during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Get inspired by the legendary Edith Head’s best Hollywood looks and turn these gorgeous costumes into your Halloween outfit this year. Take a look at the gallery below.
