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Oct 28, 2013 · Name a classic film starring a female legend from the golden age of cinema, and she’s likely felt the cool embrace of Edith Head’s tape measure. Click through our slideshow of 30 of her most fantastic costumes from film — and get some inspiration for your Netflix queue.
- Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina
- Mae West in She Done Him Wrong
- Ginger Rogers in Lady in The Dark
- Tippi Hedren in The Birds
- Bette Davis in All About Eve
- Hedy Lamarr in Samson and Delilah
- Veronica Lake in This Gun For Hire
- Grace Kelly in Rear Window
- Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity
- Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday
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The behind-the-scenes drama of Sabrina arguably marks one of the most tumultuous costume design fiascoes in the history of film. Sabrinacenters on the striking transformation of Audrey Hepburn’s titular character, who begins as the mousy, unnoticed daughter of a driver and ends as a well-dressed sophisticate. To thematically compliment this narrati...
Head received her big break for designing Mae West’s outrageous costumes in She Done Him Wrong. With the story set in the 1890s, West wears several gorgeous period ensembles; here, she wears sparkling, corseted gown with tree and fireflies-esque ornamentation. The statuesque gown and decadent accessories perfectly capture the grandeur of The Gay Ni...
In the dated but mesmerizing Lady in the Dark, Liza (Rogers) projects her inner fantasies, ambitions, and desires while undergoing psychoanalysis. Ginger Rogers wears her most extravagant costume for “The Saga of Jenny” Daliesque dream sequence fittingly set in a circus. (Rogers actually appears in two different dresses for the scene, one for singi...
In The Birds, Melanie (Hedren) only wears a handful of outfits, but the slim green jacket and wool dress stands out as the most eye-catching and era-defining. A chunky buckle belt, beige crocodile purse, and taupe flats completes the sharp, polished look. With striking similarities to a Chanel suit, the outfit perfectly epitomizes the modernism of ...
“Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night,”Margo (Davis) says with a devilish smile. This line — one of the most ubiquitous in all of cinema — would be incomplete without Margo’s assured, dramatic off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. Head’s original sketch entailed a square neckline and tight bodice, but the measurements were incorrectly m...
As Delilah, Hedy Lamarr wears a variety of exaggerated, opulent ensembles in Cecil DeMille’s lavish biblical epic, Samson and Delilah. Lamarr’s final costume is a revealing two-piece gown, consisting of a halter and long skirt meticulously embellished with peacock-feathers. The turquoise color, rich fabric, gloriously long cape, and luxurious acces...
Through the sensational outfits in the exhilarating film noir This Gun For Hire,Head cemented Veronica Lake’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s biggest sex symbols in the 40s. Using a monochromatic color scheme, long sleeves, and floor-length outfits, Head allowed the petite Lake, who stood at 4’11, look taller. While singing “I’ve Got You,” Lake we...
In one of the greatest character entrances in film, Kelly’s Lisa sweeps in Jeff’s (Jimmy Stewart) apartment wearing a cocktail dress with an off-the-shoulder velvet bodice and a layered organza skirt. The dress is an absolute triumph in costume design: it’s poised, perfectly proportioned, and awe-inspiring. The subtle black heels, pearl necklace, c...
While Wilder envisioned one of cinema’s most legendary femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck), as sleazy and cheap as possible, Edith used her costumes to imbue more ambiguity and nuance into the character. In Phyllis’ introduction, Head dresses Stanwyck in a provocative anklet, heaps of jewelry, and a dainty, ruffled shirtdress. The anklet u...
As an incognito princess, Anne (Hepburn) spends a breezy summer day in Rome with Joe(Gregory Peck) while sporting an attainable and casually sophisticated look: a white button-up blouse, a full circle skirt, and flat leather sandals. Throughout the film, Anne modifies the outfit; she adds a neck scarf, folds her sleeves, and, in a more obvious act ...
A tribute to the legendary costume designer's most renowned, enviable, and over-the-top ensembles. See how Head dressed stars like Grace Kelly, Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn, and more in over 1000 films.
- Madison Patterson
- Sunset Boulevard (1950) Although Head didn’t even get an Oscar nomination for her costume work on Sunset Boulevard, it is undoubtedly the greatest intersection of her costume prowess and overall film quality.
- The Sting (1973) Perhaps not the most visually exciting entry on this list, The Sting certainly is one of the most masterful executions of costume. Unlike What a Way to Go!
- What a Way to Go! (1964) This film is not the mountaintop of cinematic excellence. But it is perhaps the greatest showcase for Edith Head’s enormous talent and wildly intoxicating imagination, earning it a high spot on this list.
- Roman Holiday (1953) Not all makeover sequences are created equal. We have Head to thank for that. When Princess Anne (Audrey Hepburn) gets tired of the dull life of a royal, she runs away for a day of pure fun in the Eternal City with hunky reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck).
Jan 19, 2024 · Edith Head Dresses for Rear Window (1954) Edith Head designs a glamorous wardrobe for Grace Kelly's character, Lisa, a socialite in Rear Window. Her wardrobe is used to highlight the difference between her characters and Jimmy Stewarts (a photographer vs a society girl).
- Tippi Hedren in 'The Birds' (1963) Alfred Hitchcock clearly liked working with Edith Head — the director and costume designer worked on 11 films together.
- Grace Kelly in 'To Catch a Thief' (1955) Head's biographer, David Chierichetti, notes that To Catch a Thief was the designer's favorite all-time film and Grace Kelly one of her very favorite actresses to dress.
- Audrey Hepburn in 'Roman Holiday' (1953) This was the film that made Audrey Hepburn a star. Edith Head told the press that Hepburn had, '' a lovely, audible face, and expressive body and the slimmest waist since the Civil War — nineteen and a half inches.
- Gloria Swanson in 'Sunset Blvd.' (1950) This Billy Wilder classic film noir starred Gloria Swanson as faded star, Norma Desmond. '' You don't design a picture for Gloria Swanson,'' Head told her biographer. '
Edith Claire Head (née Posenor, [ 1] October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design [ 3] between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history.
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Edith Head. SHARE. A winner of eight Academy Awards for Costume Design, Edith Head helped define the style of classic Hollywood with her striking work at Paramount and Universal. Some of the movie stars she dressed included Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Lana Turner, Paul Newman, John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich and many ...
