A Pioneer of Cinema: Edith Head

Written & Researched by Zara Fadli

Edith Head. Photographed by Everett Collection; Sourced from yoursretro.co.uk

Costumes are debatably the most subtle, yet effective tools of storytelling, and no one understood this better, than Edith Head. From Audrey Hepburn’s iconic Givenchy Black dress to her well documented relationship with Hollywood Icon, Grace Kelly, Edith Head cemented herself as one of the most acclaimed costume designers to ever graze the silver screen. 

Edith head was born on the 28th of October 1897 in San Bernardino. Despite not having a background in art design or fashion, Head landed a role as a costume sketch artist in the now notorious Paramount studios. Head stated that it wasn’t her creativity or ingenuity that secured her role, however, her proficiency in languages, which helped her create sincere connections with actresses who were being recruited for the studio’s foreign films ​(Haddock, 2018)​. 

The preparation and research Head would undergo in designing costumes for a single movie was laborious yet necessary. Before even considering the looks, she would conduct a “personality test” where she studied how an actress could move, walk or simply how they would look on screen ​(Head, 1953)​. At this point of the process would be where the relationships between her and her actor counterparts would bloom, as they would engage in extensive exchanges which focused on not only what costumes would be right for the story but also how to enhance the actresses’ unique beauties. After the initial meeting, Head would then come into her studio and create a “callboard”, a revolutionary design method which she had pioneered. The callboard would help her visualize all the costumes to be worn and organize at which scene it would feature ​(Ducey, 2002)​. Not long after, she would meet again with the actress and do a primary screen test, where Head would consider the different elements of film such as the set, lighting, various camera angles and perspectives. An example of this is shown below, from a screen test of Audrey Hepburn’s regal ballgown which she wore in the beloved movie “Roman Holiday”.  

Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday; Screen Test. Sourced from King Rose Archives

Head was torn between two choices. The first being a solid black gown with thoughtful silver embellishments across the neckline and bodice, and the second being a silver gown with similar features. After both dresses had undergone a screen test, Head ultimately opted for the silver gown, as its chromatic colour gave the dress much more depth as shown in a black and white screen and breathed in more life the movement of the fabric during a dance Hepburn had performed on screen ​(Head, 1953)​. This became only one of the many iconic collaborations Edith Head would undergo with Audrey Hepburn, a notable one of course being the black dress worn by Hepburn in the opening of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ which has now influenced the coining of the term “a little black dress”. 

Edith Head’s genius did not only stop at her understanding of colour and texture but also her awareness of the silhouette ​(Kumar, 2023)​​ (Collection)​. During her era, an hourglass figure slowly emerged to becoming the ideal standard, a silhouette reinforced through Elizabeth Taylor’s costume in the movie ‘A Place in the Sun’. Head said, “Elizabeth prided herself on her tiny waist and was always willing to wear her gowns very tight to achieve a waspish look,” going as far too ask for her dress to be ‘Tighter, Miss Head, tighter.’. To no one’s surprise this look became an irrevocably unforgettable piece of costume design in all of cinema history as the adornments of little violets sprinkled along the bodice gave a whimsical and airy feel to the dress while the full skirt made of yards and yards of tulle only accentuated Taylor’s small, sinched in waist that created a dramatic silhouette. The dress became so influential during its time that its elements influenced the design of many other commercial designers as David Chierichetti’s says in his notes from Hollywood Costume Design, “Go to any party this summer, and you’ll see at least 10 of them.” Although Head did not directly earn any monetary compensation for influencing these designers, she would later win her fourth of eight Oscars for her work in A place in the sun, eventually becoming the single most awarded woman in all of Oscar’s history ​(Brookins, 2020)​. 

Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift for A Place in the Sun. Sourced from Screen Chic.

Perhaps the influence of Edith Head’s costume designs is not the most blaringly obvious in today’s films, but it is fair to say she has brought a new meaning to costume design and influenced the way it is perceived today. What made her work so different than that of her peers, was her understanding of transformation and the importance of clothes to a character’s overall storyline. This approach highlighted the role of clothes as more than just merely an ornament to a surface level picture, but another tool in the expression of a character’s inner self in film. Edith Head presented the fantasy of glamour and glitz without sacrificing a character’s nuance and vulnerability, a skill of artistry that every costume designer living today is inspired to achieve.