Bette Davis read in her eulogy "A queen has left us, the queen of her profession. She will never be replaced. Her contribution to our industry in her field of design, her contribution to the taste of our town of Hollywood, her elegance as a person, her charms as a woman - none of us who worked with her will ever forget."
As we earlier spoke about Edith Head working with Hitch and Grace on 'To Catch a Thief' HERE, this is just a celebratory post including my favourite Hitchcock/ Head collaboration. Rear Window.
Edith said about this film in the book 'Edith Head's Hollywood ...
"Hitchcock told me it was important that Grace's clothes help to establish some sort of conflict in the story. She was to be a typical sophisticated society-girl magazine editor who falls in live with a scruffy photographer, Jimmy Stewart. ...... Hitch wanted her to look like a piece of Dresden China, something slightly untouchable. So I did that. Her suits were impeccably tailored, her accessories looked as though they couldn't be worn by anyone else but her. She was perfect. "
" the black and white dress I used in the first live scene had a simple nec.kline which framed her face in close ups. Then as th camera pulled back, the beaded chiffon skirt immediately told the audience she was a rich girl. "
Watch it tonight to start of your Halloween festivities and gaze a the beautiful Grace in her divinely designed dresses. Happy Birthday Ms. Head, goddess of costume.
Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock
Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head and Paddy Caliistro