Today there was an elegantly designed Google Doodle about one of the most celebrated costume designers in moviemaking history: Edith Head. Here is an article from the Christian Science Monitor that features an excellent embedded video in which Edith Head discusses her work with Audrey Hepburn, one of the most stylish actresses of Hollywood history. Edith Head’s story provides intensely interesting insights into the workings of the studio system — in her case, it was primarily at Paramount Studios (including numerous Hitchcock pictures). In fact, to check out her work at Paramount, I would recommend to go right to one example of a black and white movie and another in color. For B&W, check out the delightful Sabrina, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Hepburn, Humprey Bogart, and William Holden, and in color, the s’wonderful Funny Face, directed by Stanley Donen and starring Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
It should also be noted that Edith Head was certainly one of the inspirations for the unforgettable Edna Mode from The Incredibles, directed by Brad Bird (and who also voiced Ms. Mode). She is quite an appropriate character all about design in a movie that is so seamlessly designed while brimming with the energy and spontaneity of the best creations that Hollywood craftspeople labor to bring to life.
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