Product Description

Edith Head is widely considered the most important figure in the history of Hollywood costume design. The glamour and style of her creations continue to inspire generations of designers. Her career spanned nearly half a century and included such classic films as Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard. Her private life and professional achievements, however, have been the subject of speculation since she rose to the top of her field in the late 1940s. Ruthlessly competitive and intensely secretive, Head had few close friends and many detractors. In his unprecedented biography, David Chierichetti offers a privileged glimpse into the personality and emotions behind the famously impenetrable "scboolmarm" façade, as well as a comprehensive account of her creative process.

As Head's longtime friend and confidant, Chierichetti enjoyed rare access to her home life and reflections on Hollywood. The author's intimate view of Head's life and work, combined with his extensive research and design expertise, result in a clear-eyed portrait of a career often shrouded in misinformation. To find the truth in the notoriously fictionalized accounts of Edith Head, the author turned to her friends, co-workers, and competitors. The result of Chierichetti's meticulous, original research is a fresh and vital portrait of the designer, as well as of the studio era she epitomizes.

Edith Head is richly illustrated with more than 150 images, including family snapshots, sketches, and studio portraits of the stars and roles she helped to create. With a full-color photo insert, this informative, thorough, and important biography is also engaging and entertaining, and will appeal to designers, scholars, and film buffs alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #183489 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Released on: 2003-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Film historian Chierichetti pays tribute to the grit behind one woman's glamorous career. Head spent more than 40 years at Paramount, won eight Oscars and became as famous as the stars she dressed. Her longevity came thanks to diplomacy and manipulation, and Chierichetti meticulously details her love affairs, touted designs and public appeal. From 1925 until her death in 1981, Head was a byword in Hollywood and an American fashion icon. She endured long hours, modest pay and studio machinations, yet never lost her cool. And she dressed everyone, from Barbara Stanwyck and Grace Kelly to Paul Newman. Draped in dark glasses and severe suits, Head was a master at playing politics and keeping competitors at bay. She was also an accomplished liar, which haunted her throughout her life. Head accepted the Oscar for Sabrina, though the gowns were designed by Givenchy. She gambled that the unknown Frenchman would remain silent-and he did. Not that the impenetrable Head wasn't a talent in her own right. Her ability to stay within budget and placate divas-"I might have to dress her again"-was as legendary as her fashion virtuosity. Olivia de Havilland dubbed her "a marvel." Yet the twice-married designer was also insecure and aloof; keeping secrets kept her in the game. Few, save Chierichetti, ever penetrated her inner core. He paints an absorbing sketch of an ambitious woman whose career defined Hollywood's golden years. Fashion lovers will enjoy his homage, and his devotion to movie magic. Photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-When Hollywood was young, a teacher named Edith Head passed off her students' sketches as her own to get a job at Paramount Pictures as a costume designer's assistant. This ruse was the beginning of the career of one of the most talented and honored individuals in the history of motion pictures. She continued to pass off the work of others as her own, was frighteningly insecure, and played politics to the hilt to get ahead. By the end of her career, however, these qualities detracted only slightly from her natural talent and creativity. In interviews with the author, Head dished dirt on the figure flaws of such leading ladies as Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck. While these are not household names to today's teens, Hollywood glamour has changed little over time. The loyalty Head received from these stars for making them look so flawless contributed much to her success. Photographs show how well her designs worked. The list of film credits spans more than 50 years and hundreds of movies. Teens with an interest in fashion and film will find this biography fascinating.
Jamie Watson, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Sometimes gossipy, at other times straightforward, this biography of movie costume designer Edith Head is best for its sympathetic portrait of an insecure talent trying hard to survive in a den of thieves--Hollywood. Chierichetti (Hollywood Costume Design, 1976; Mitchell Leisen, 1995) certainly knows the business; as a former costumer and long-time acquaintance of Head's, he gives life and vitality to the business of movie fashion. Thanks to his descriptions, we understand the daily feuds and rivalries, the temperaments of actors, and the fussiness of producers and directors. Over her 44-year career with Paramount, Head is shown in all her personalities and in her relationships with Veronica Lake, Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bette Davis, among many others. Illustrations and photographs give a snapshot of her Oscar-winning talent; more to the point is the revelation of her longtime friendship with husband Bill Ihnen in a studio system that quickly upended most relationships. Film credits and Oscar nominations/awards appended. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

a failure
Edith Head was a fascinating woman who worked in a lost world. How could you go wrong with a book about her? This book does just that. Edith Head was a costume designer so you would expect to see page after page of glorious photos of her work, right? This book skimps on photos. You might expect to read some saucy tales of old Hollywood, but this book fails to provide them. It's too stiff, too careful--it reads like a libel attorney was the final editor--and it bored me. Hunt down the Dress Doctor instead.

Why is this book so terrible???
This is, most probably, the worst book I have ever read. I have been struggling to come up with concise reasons as to just what makes it so terrible. This book is so bad, that I am at a loss as to where to start.
First, the choice of photos is dismal. There are few photos of any costumes that won awards. The majority of the photos are head & shoulder shots, that reveal nothing of the lines or designs. The few sketches are done by others. The inclusion of them adds nothing to understanding Head's work.
Second, the writing is abysmal. The author starts in on an event, topic, subject & disposes of it in one or two sentences. Not one subject is dealt with in any depth. Things are thrown in for no apparent purpose except to take up space. As an example, we are told Head thought, after viewing Star Wars, Princess Leia's costume should have a side zipper. That's it - why is this important at all? This is not a film she had any connection with. The author tosses off a remark that someone doesn't want to hire Head because she has told too many lies. (When, to whom, what, WHAT???) One is just left with this statement, it has not been explained previously & it is never explained.
The book is merely cover-to-cover filler. The publisher & the editor should be ashamed.
If you are interested in Head's fashions, save your money & rent the movies - they will give you more information than this book.

Would have been a great article
Chierichetti has produced what would have been a fascinating article for Vanity Fair or Vogue, but falls short as a full length biography. His subject spent many celebrated decades as a Hollywood costume designer but we learn little about Edith Head's actual creative process, her interactions with the stars she dressed or even how she felt about her job (other than she seemed monumentally insecure about her success). The book is also missing photographic documentation that would help the reader understand how great her impact really was. In the end, we don't learn much more about Edith Head or her life, but rather we learn the same stuff over and over: she was a champion dissembler, she had a complex emotional life, she was conflicted over her parentage and upbringing. Check, check, check. Anything else?