Geez, Edith!

(Brad Bird's Tribute to Edith Head in The Incredibles)

Well... I was gonna' do a slam-bang Friday morning tribute to Edith Head. Why? Well because she dressed almost EVERYONE in Hollywood in the "golden glamour years" (except Marilyn Monroe) and because every time we turn on an Alfred Hitchcock movie lately, there she is -- though she never appears onscreen once.

She was -- and is -- famous for her simple long lines, balanced, no-fuss approach and her sweepingly elegant designs. Not too much "noise"; not too many accessories; always chic; always glamorous; always classically cutting-edge; the EPITOME of femininity. I put on my A-line skirt, my button-up shirt (with decolletage) pulled my hair into a low knot and put on a simple beaded necklace (no earrings) in her honor just this morning. On my ride in to work, I thought, It's about time I do tribute to Dame Edith. Her quote, "A dress should be tight enough to show you are a woman and loose enough to show you are a lady" is timeless.

If you've seen an old movie (not just one of Hitch's), you've seen her work.



















Grace Kelly in Rear Window? Edith Head.















Bette Davis in All About Eve? Edith Head.













The entire cast of The Man Who Knew Too Much? Edith Head.















(Proving Head had a sense of humor) Shirley MacLaine in What A Way To Go.

Marnie?

The Birds?

Pocket Full of Miracles?

Vertigo?








To Catch A Thief?































Sabrina?




















White Christmas?










Roman Holiday?




























A Place In The Sun?

Sunset Boulevard?

Notorious?

Yep, Edith Head.

She wrote several books, including one titled, How To Dress For Success, which has no cover image on Amazon, but is probably worth a read.

But when I Googled her and/or her gowns on the "Images" side, the only images I could find were obscure, including one of her sketches: a figure drawing and notes on its design flaws a la What Not To Wear, even though she dressed literally THOUSANDS of actors during a career that spanned 40 years.

WHY is there not a photo book of her vast, VAST work?! And if there is and I have overlooked it, could someone point me to it? This post has taken a ridiculously LONG time and I need a payoff!