by We both really enjoyed the large exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Edith Head (1897-1981), who was an acclaimed costume designer at Paramount and Universal Studios in Hollywood for many decades. Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer features 70 costumes from the 1930s to 1960s, most with accompanying photographs showing a famous actor or actress wearing the outfit in a film. There were also sketches (which I particularly liked) and a short film.
Head didn’t just read a script and create the required costumes. She worked extensively with the actor or actress to understand their traits and movements, and listen to their personal preferences. “I don’t consider myself a designer. I’m a scientist using fashion as the catalyst to bring out the best in a person, and to help develop a whole new character,” she said.
Head had over 400 films to her credit, and a whopping 35 Oscar nominations and eight Oscar wins. The exhibit took up most of the third floor of the museum!
Head was famous for her large dark sunglasses, which actually served a practical purpose: they allowed her to see how the costumes would look when photographed in black and white
“What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not.”
