Head

Edith (1907-1981). American costume designer. She was a legend in her business. After working on hundreds of films, in which she achieved 8 Oscars and 33 nominations, she died while working on the film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Excellent in all styles and eras, she was capable of adjusting the costume to suit the varied temperaments of different characters. She dressed practically all the great women’s actresses from Marlene Dietrich to Bette Davis, from Liz Taylor (A Place in the Sun) to Audrey Hepburn, from Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity) to the blonde and icy Hitchcock heroines Grace Kelly (Rear Window) and Tippi Hedren (Birds). However she always said to prefer men’s costumes “It’s much easier to work with men. All they want is to be finished quickly.” Her name was linked to several westerns (Shane). She made her debut as designer at Paramount Pictures, where she remained for 29 years, eventually becoming the head of the costume department. She then moved to Universal, where she worked for the rest of her life. Her life was spent on sets, but her creations were copied all over the world, influencing fashion far beyond her world in cinema.