Edith Head, Googled
Monday, October 28, 2013 at 9:00AM I miss the Google Doodle's that were interactive. Sigh. The glory days that evaporated so very recently. But today's honoree is a rare TFE appropriate treat. Google's banner is honoring Edith Head, 8 time Best Costume Design Oscar winner on her 116th birthday.
She won her Oscars for The Heiress (1950), Samson and Delilah (1951), All About Eve (1951), A Place in the Sun (1952), Roman Holiday (1954), Sabrina (1955), The Facts of Life (1961) and The Sting (1974) but the nominations were practically endless. For comparison's sake, today's reigning costume queens Sandy Powell and Colleen Atwood have but 10 nominations and 3 wins each -- stunning track records unless you place them next to Edith's 35 & 8!
My favorite modern tribute to Edith Head's costuming dominance, though, is still "Edna Mode" from The Incredibles (2004). The resemblance being perfectly uncanny, though Edith would still tower over her mini-me Edna at 5' feet 1½
This is as good a time as any to tell you that TFE will be debuting a new series this week "Threads" wherein we'll start giving Costume Design its (weekly) due. We'll begin with 82 year old Patricia Norris who after a longish absence from the movies is back with 12 Years a Slave.
Reader Comments (9)
That Norris tidbit is a great piece of info-Norris is currently tied with Piero Tosi for most nominations for a living person in Costume Design without a win. It'd be awesome if they both ended up winning in the same year (since Tosi is going to be getting the Honorary Oscar).
Nathaniel- This is why your blog is the best! Edna is one of my favorite animated characters! "No cape!," is our household phrase for "don't leave the house wearing something stupid!".
Looking forward to Threads.
Edith Head gives good wardrobe.
Wasn't her Oscar streak helped by the fact she was in charge of the costume department at Paramount and took credit for for the work of in house designers?
What a great idea. Costuming is so important and often gets short shrift from any and all. Looking forward to it.
The visual of that character is so Linda Hunt to me.
From "Love with the Proper Stranger'til her last picture ... Natalie Wood exclusively used Head on all her WarnerBros. pics -- and even some that were nnot Warners.
Yes to Threads!!
Yay, weekly costume design posts.
I love me some Edith Head looks (or stylings, to put it more accurately than designing) but I will never forgive that bitch for bumping Givenchy out of his deserved credit for his beyond fabulous work in Sabrina. A credit that would've won him an Oscar, as it did for her.
Luckily this wrong was put right by the time Funny Face came around but still. SHAAAADY.
Edna Mode is just one of the reasons The Incredibles remains my favorite Pixar. That movie has so many secret weapons (stitched into its costume) at its disposal, it's not even funny.
Air Kisses for Everyone!!!