Edith Head "The Dress Doctor" - Book Review
Filed under: Celebrities with Style, Books
Have you heard the expression, "A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady"? That was one of many memorable -- and true -- epigrams from Edith Head, the most famous and celebrated costume designer of all time. This, and many more of Miss Head's words of wisdom are captured in, The Dress Doctor, Prescriptions for Style, From A to Z. charmingly illustrated by Bil Donovan and published by Harper Collins.
The book collects some of her best known bot mots, like "Even a perfect figure looks better if it doesn't resemble a sausage," along with her wardrobe advice for a wide variety of occasions, like ice skating (a skirt if you skate well, pants if you fall!), bowling (pedal pushers) and the dog show, with advice for spectators as well as the dog handlers.
With eight Oscars wins, and 34 nominations, Edith Head is the queen of film wardrobe designers. But she also dressed Hollywood Royalty offscreen, wrote an advice column and two books, The Dress Doctor (the original version) and How to Dress for Success. This woman was the very definition of a style expert, and her advice is filled with words to live by.
Those who love film gossip will enjoy the tidbits that fill this book, with anecdotes about Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman, among others. Those who love classic style will enjoy the timeless guidelines. And those who love fashion illustration will enjoy Bil Donovan's clever juxtaposition of Miss Head's pre-goth LBD-chic with amazingly accurate caricatures of Hollywood's fairest and finest.
The Harper Collins site has a cool browse inside function for this edition. Checking out the pages about Bette Davis, what to wear to the circus, and a few more Dos and Don'ts, will make most fashionistas want to add this book to their holiday wishlists!
