Many of us remember the out-spoken character Edna Mode from the Disney film, “The Incredibles.” Edna was the designer for superheroes, just as Edith Head (who Edna was based on) was the designer of the stars. Instead of superheroes, Head dressed some of the most iconic actors and actresses, from Grace Kelly to Paul Newman. Her fashions were some of the most iconic to ever grace the screen, winning her eight Academy Awards and 35 nominations.
Head brought magic to the silver screen by transitioning the actors from who they are into their characters. In a 1975 interview, Head said, “We the costume designers are magicians. We ask the public to believe the same actor and actress over and over again, the same person, is another character.” Like a magician, she transforms actors right before your eyes. Head was sought after talent in Hollywood, and although she was under contract with Paramount Pictures, she was often ‘shared’ with other companies because stars demanded to work with her.
Just as Edna had a way of customizing every superhero outfit, Head had a specific way to get it right every time. In a television interview, Edith explained that she took every actress through a ‘personality test.’ First, they would observe how the actor walked, talked and appeared on screen. For example, when she created costumes for Audrey Hepburn in the renowned film, “Roman Holiday,” the studio filmed Hepburn in Europe and sent the tape to Head in Hollywood where she would observe Hepburn's movements. Then when the wardrobe was finished, they filmed a ‘costume test’ where the actor, in this case Hepburn, would twirl, walk and sit in Head’s creations, watching how the costume would work in the mist of action during filming.
As a film’s plot takes twists and turns, the character begins to change, along with their costume. Head calls this “transformation through wardrobe;” you are able to get a greater sense of the character through the clothes they are wearing. With a swish of her pencil on her sketch pad, Head transformed Hepburn from a princess into an ordinary girl in “Roman Holiday.”
Not only did Head dress the stars, but she truly got to know them. Part of Head’s success in creating the perfect wardrobe was to truly get to know who she was dressing. She believed that when both the actor and the designer felt comfortable, Head could get a better essence of who the actor is and what they should be wearing. Famous actress Grace Kelly and Head became close friends through an array of designs and costume both in films and on the red carpet.
Unlike most costume designers who work behind the scenes, Head was center stage with her signature black bangs, circle glasses and her forthright personality. Throughout her long career, Head became a household name and her legacy continues to live on.
