Costume designer Edith Head has become a Hollywood legend in her own right. She is so recognizable, her look inspired the design of The Incredibles' superhero seamstress Edna Mode. Over her career, Head earned 35 Academy Award nominations. Out of those nominations, she won 8 Oscars—more than any other costume designer.
Those 8 wins also make Head the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head was the costume designer for many of Alfred Hitchcock's films. Through her partnership with the auteur, she dressed some of his most recognizable leading ladies, including Kim Novak, Ingrid Bergman, and Grace Kelly.
Notorious (1946)
Head's first collaboration with the director, Alfred Hitchcock's spy noir Notorious stars Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains caught in a love triangle during an espionage mission. A government agent recruits a convicted Nazi spy's daughter for a mission in Brazil, the two falling in love in the process. Things get complicated when Bergman's Alicia must seduce one of the leaders of the Nazi organization she's infiltrating.
Notorious is one of Grant's best films, and he looks like the roguishly handsome spy he was always meant to be. Bergman looks polished in every costume she wears, each outfit fitting the 1940s silhouette perfectly while still feeling elevated. Head also uses accessories, like necklaces and hats, to make Alicia's simplistic wardrobe pop in the black-and-white film.
The Heiress (1949)
William Wyler's romantic drama The Heiress won Head the first Academy Award of her career. Adapted from the 1947 play of the same name, The Heiress stars Olivia de Havilland as a naïve woman who falls in love with a handsome playboy her father distrusts. De Havilland won the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance as Catherine Sloper, and The Heiress is often cited as her best film.
Before 1967, the Best Costuming category was split between color and black-and-white films, Head winning most of her Oscars in the latter category. The designer makes de Havilland look incredibly expensive, showing off her status with rich fabrics and oversized jewelry. Head embraces the fashion of the 1850s, making the 100-year-old trends feel luxurious instead of stuffy.
All About Eve (1950)
Better Davis plays an aging Broadway star whose biggest fan becomes her biggest competition in All About Eve. After slipping her way into the actress's inner circle, Eve Harrington threatens Margo Channing's career and personal life. Featuring knockout performances from Davis and Anne Baxter in the titular role, the drama won 6 Academy Awards.
Head won Oscars in both costuming categories at the 23rd Academy Awards ceremony. For color, she won for her work on Samson and Delilah. But it's her work in the black-and-white drama All About Eve that's incredibly memorable. She embraces the tapered waist and full skirt combination the 1950s would become known for, and the black party dress worn by Margo is a memorable costume in film history.
Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window, a mystery thriller, stars Jimmy Stewart as a wheelchair-bound photographer who believes he's witnessed a murder committed by one of his neighbors after spying. Rear Window is one of the best films from the decade, receiving critical acclaim and earning 4 Academy Award nominations.
The second time Grace Kelly played one of Alfred Hitchcock's infamous icy blondes, she wore an exquisite wardrobe of just 6 costumes, all designed by Head. Kelly stars as Lisa Fremont, the socialite girlfriend of Stewart's Jeff. Head embraces Lisa's wealthy upbringing to create some beautiful costumes, the black and white gown she wears during her dreamy entrance is one of the best costumes in the film.
White Christmas (1954)
Michael Curtiz's classic Christmas musical White Christmas was the first film to use VistaVision. Featuring the songs of Irving Berlin, it stars Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as two soldiers who return from war and become a performing duo. The two go from performing to producing, meeting the sister act of Betty and Judy Haynes, played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, along the way.
They fall in love while transforming the Columbia Inn into a travel destination, staging the in-world hit musical Playing Around at the inn. For White Christmas, Head embraces the oversaturated nature of technicolor, using rich reds and bright blues to make the performance outfits pop. For those looks, she also played with exaggerated embellishments. The everyday wear in the film was not quite as loud, but still wonderfully tailored and reflective of the 1950s style.
To Catch a Thief (1955)
The last Alfred Hitchcock film to star Grace Kelly, the romantic thriller To Catch a Thief teams the actress up with Cary Grant. Following a retired jewel thief trying to save his reputation after an imposter begins targeting wealthy tourists in France. To Catch a Thief is one of the actress's most critically acclaimed films, and her performance as Frances Stevens is one of the best in her short career.
Kelly and Head became close friends, working together on 4 films. To Catch a Thief was the duo's final film together, and Head made sure to go out with a bang. Like many of Kelly's characters, Frances was a wealthy woman with style and Head made sure to create a wardrobe to reflect this. To Catch a Thief earned the designer an Academy Award nomination in the Best Costume Design — Color category.
Funny Face (1957)
Head worked with famous French designer Hubert de Givenchy on the 1957 musical Funny Face. Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire star in the romantic comedy about a fashion photographer whose newest muse is a philosophical and shy shop assistant. Givenchy created custom gowns for Hepburn, while Head designed the wardrobes for everyone else.
The duo split the Academy Award for Best Costume Design — Color nomination. This was not the first time either dressed Hepburn, Head winning back-to-back Academy Awards for Roman Holiday and Sabrina, though Sonja de Lennart and Givenchy designed costumes featured in both. Funny Face allows Givenchy's chic designs to take center stage while still letting Head's impeccable tailoring shine through via costumes for Astaire and Kay Thompson.
Vertigo (1958)
Another notable collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and Head, the psychological thriller Vertigo stars Jimmy Stewart as a private investigator and Kim Novak as the woman he's been hired to follow. John "Scottie" Ferguson retired from the police force after developing a fear of heights and vertigo. Madeleine Elster is the wife of Scottie's college friend who he slowly becomes obsessed with until her untimely death.
In Vertigo, Novak plays the dual roles of Madeleine and her doppelganger, Judy Barton. Scottie uses Madeleine's wardrobe to slowly transform Judy into his lost obsession. Much like Scottie, Head uses her costumes to tell the stories of both women. Madeleine prefers more polished, less garish clothing while Judy favors colors and younger-looking silhouettes.
What a Way to Go! (1964)
The black comedy What a Way to Go! stars Shirley MacLaine and a rotating door of leading men. MacLaine plays Louisa May Foster, a woman whose wealth grows after she's widowed multiple times due to a variety of circumstances. Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Gene Kelly, and Dean Martin are the 5 men who wed Louisa, only Martin's Leonard living until the film's end.
The black comedy embraces the camp aesthetic, Head using bright colors and theatrical designs to make each character in What a Way to Go! pop off the screen. One of the film's best costumes is a monochromatic pink ensemble, wig included, Louisa wears after marrying Kelly's Pinky Benson. Head earned an Academy Award nomination for her costumes in the comedy.
The Sting (1973)
The Sting is the last film featuring Academy Award-winning costumes designed by Head. Robert Redford and Paul Newman reteamed with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill for this 1930s caper following a grifter and a veteran con man who team up and seek revenge on a crime boss. The Sting features career-best performances from both lead actors.
The film earned 7 Academy Awards, including Head's win for Best Costume Design. The menswear she designed for The Sting allowed Head to show she didn't just make pretty gowns. She embraced the 1930s aesthetic, creating period-specific ensembles that still let Redford and Newman look great on screen.