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| Edith Head |
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| Legendary Costume Designer |
Edith Head wrote about
Gloria Swanson in her
autobiography Edith
Head's Hollywood,
written with Ms.
Paddy Calistro;
E.P. Dutton, Inc.;
1983; pages 90 to 91:
While we were working on Sunset Boulevard (1950)
U was aooregebsuve about wrking with Gloria. Yes, I had dressed a great number of stars, but in my mind Gloria represents
the greatest from the days when I was just a beginner. She was a legend when I was walking around with stars in my eyes.
Dressing her meant dressing an idol; that was frightening. She had been dressed by my teachers, [Travis] Banton and
[Howard] Greer. They had told me that she was especially meticulous about her costumes--that she fancied herself a designer
as well as an acctress. I knew, too, that she had owned her own apparel manufacturing company in New York for a while,
she actually was savvy about design and construction. Shince she had worked with all the great designers of Hollywood's
past, I wondered how she would like me, a relative newcomer. It was not until many months later that I learned she had requested
me.
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The first day we met was
in Billy Wilder's office at Paramount. I immediately noticed her tiny feet. I had forgotten how small they were.
I had seen the size 2 1/2 marked Swanson in wardrobe stock,, but to see such a small shoe actually on a foot was extremely
impressive. She complimented me by saying that she was aware of my work and glad that we were finally doing a film together.
I found her not only easy to work with but particularly helpful becaus she had so many costume salready planned in ther mind.
It was re-creating a past that she knew and I didn't.
She showed me how she would be moving in
each scene and she was careful to point out the differences between how she would have done things in the early days of Hollywood
and how they were being done in 1950. She didn't want me to be confused. She was very aware of the nuances that
were involved in this role.
Imagine . . . an actor who knows
her own job and the designer's but respects Edith Head enough to be able to work WITH her!
It's quite a difference to now with the likes of Tom Cruise going on the
Today Show and telling the country that he knows more than we do!
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