The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster is hosting Designing Woman: Edith Head at Paramount 1924-1967 now through Aug. 17.
During her 60-year career, Edith Head, an iconic film fashion designer, worked on more than 1,000 films, received 35 Academy Award nominations and won eight, which set a record that has yet to be broken.
She became one of the first Hollywood designers to “brand” herself. Her distinctly shaped glasses made her recognizable, but their blue lenses also made it possible to see how the colors in her designs would appear in black-and-white film. This, combined with her uncanny ability to hide figure flaws with her designs, helped make her a household name.
Her extensive consultation with her subjects made her a favorite among such iconic actresses as Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Betty Hutton, Veronica Lake, Joan Fontaine and Dorothy Lamour.
Her works on display range from evening gowns and day wear to performance costumes, Victorian ensembles and medieval finery.