Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, costumed by Academy Award nominee Ruth Myers.

Fashionable Emma Woodhouse: Costuming Austen’s Emma Adapted

Before the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries came out – and before I’d even started this blog – my friends Vic and Laurel Ann of Jane Austen Today kindly asked me to do a quick piece about costuming in the three previous major adaptations of the novel: the 1971 BBC tv miniseries starring Dorin Godwin, the 1996 Miramax theatrical release starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the 1996-1997 A&E/ITV movie starring Kate Beckinsale.

It’s based on a previous article on Emma costuming I prepared for Ellie Farrell’s excellent Celluloid Wrappers site, which is dedicated to film costume. Eventually, I’ll be adding a section on the Romola Garai Emma to that article.

My dad sent me this amazing 1936 footage of a Pontiac car assembly plant, remarking that it reminded him of the machine scenes in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. And he’s right; there’s such precision on the part of the workers.

As his friend Bob (who initially forwarded the video) stated, every one of those guys knows exactly what he’s doing…

This is really awesome footage… A 1936 Pontiac assembly factory… Note,
automation was already in place, the workers lack any & all safety equipment, glasses & helmets: and they ALL know exactly what to do & it’s getting done.

Note also that when the body comes together with the chassis that it is in FULL trim! Interior, windshield, all glass etc., is already in place as it is dropped onto the awaiting rolling chassis. “AMAZING” Simplicity @ its best.

Note too, when the metal finishers are checking the sheet metal for minute & tiny flaws & defects, that they are wearing heavy leather work gloves. How would YOU like that repetitious job of placing ( 3 ) rivets in the ( 3 ) holes on the chassis for about 35 to 40 years?

Edith Head in the 1970s.

This piece was originally written for the Greater Bay Area Costumers’ Guild’s Finery newsletter, in anticipation of our Vertigo-themed costume event on February 11.

Despite her long studio career and a stunning cache of major awards (including a record-setting 8 Oscars, the most ever for a woman, and 35 Oscar nominations), costume designer Edith Head is a star whose name isn’t readily recognizable to most people. Her work, however, is instantly familiar to virtually everyone. She’s the woman responsible for the iconic fashions appearing in midcentury classics such as Roman Holiday, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Head spent 43 years at Paramount, worked 14 years at Universal, and collaborated on various projects for other studios over the years, aggregating a portfolio of work totaling several hundred movies. “I do so many films that I would only like to send you work that is outstanding, or of importance to your collection,” she wrote in 1967 to the Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research, in response to a request to create an “Edith Head Collection” at the University of Wisconsin.

Her diverse collection of designs includes everything from period fashions to fantasy creations. Though she downplayed the importance of cutting-edge contemporary fashion to her work (“What is shown in Paris today is a dead duck tomorrow” she once said), Head was also in many ways a fashion trend setter. The popular demand for sarong-style dresses in the late 1930s and 1940s, for example, grew out of Head’s iconic designs for Dorothy Lamour in The Jungle Princess (1936).

Originally an instructor of French and art, Head broke into the movie business in 1924 as an inexperienced costume sketch artist. She honed her craft under Paramount head designer Howard Greer. Over a fourteen year period she graduated from styling and designing for background players to the studio’s head of costuming in 1938.

From the 1920s through the 1970s, Edith Head clothed a veritable who’s who of Hollywood stars including Clara Bow, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Audrey Hepburn. In addition to her film work, she designed personal wardrobes for personalities like Lamour and Barbara Stanwyck, who relied on her to make them “look like stars.”  Head designed two stunning gowns for her friend Joan Crawford to wear as a presenter at the 1965 Academy Awards ceremony. Over the years, she also advised a number of other stars as they prepared their Oscars wardrobes.  “One of my extracurricular duties is as a consultant to the Academy,” she wrote in 1959, “and during the month of March the number of problems and diagnoses are of epidemic proportions.”

Befitting a designer of her stature, Head also developed her own tremendous personal style. Her striking round glasses, Anna May Wong-inspired bangs, and understated yet elegant suits became her trademarks in later years, while sleek bobs and flapper togs set her apart as a younger professional. Always imaginative, in childhood she recalled collecting scraps of fabric that she would use to “dress” her animal friends and decorate her homemade doll house. “Anyone who can dress a horn toad can dress anything!” she once wrote. As a designer and stylist, Edith Head did indeed dress everyone, dreaming up ensembles for men, women, and even animals (including elephants, which she draped in decorative vegetation for 1925’s The Wanderer).

Miss Head (she was often professionally known as Miss Edith Head, though she was married twice) possessed diverse abilities as a designer and stylist, but always retained a particular interest in feminine shapes and details when dressing leading ladies. “She was a ‘dress girl,’ that is, she expressed her rebellion against the current mannish trends by wearing simple dresses,” Stanwyck once said of Head, referencing the sometimes severe, tailored styles of the later 1930s.

The designer enjoyed largely pleasant working relationships with her stars and colleagues, citing educational collaborations with actresses like Mae West and Patricia Morison, a former design sketch artist whom Head invited to work on pieces for Morison’s scenes in The Magnificent Fraud (1939). “The star should be consulted a great deal, because it is the star who has to wear the costume to help them project the character,” Head told film historian Tony Macklin in a taped interview from 1975, describing her philosophy of costume design.

“She was not…one of those flamboyant designers who wanted their name on everything,” Morison remarked. “She…sold the character.”

“The boss is the script,” Head herself essentially concurred in her interview with Macklin. “I as a designer work with every other technical person [on the project...we...] work more or less as a team.”

Edith Head’s job was not without its complications, however. “I don’t usually get into battles,” she once said. “but dressing Kim Novak for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo put to the test all my training in psychology.”  While Head and Hitchcock were apparently on the same page regarding Novak’s costumes, Novak was unhappy with the director’s color choices for the famous gray “Madeleine” suit and accompanying black shoes.

Vertigo suit design created for Vera Miles, original casting choice for the role of "Madeleine."

As early as the 1930s, Head took on the roles of spokesperson for her studio department and representative of her craft, functions she performed until the end of her life. In the process of representing her profession in the media, her practical approach to clothing also made her a fashion advisor to average midcentury American women and a self-described “star” in her “own right.” She wrote books and columns filled with fashion advice, designed sewing patterns for Vogue, hosted her own radio shows, and was a regular guest on television, sitting for interviews and even appearing as herself in a major cameo role on Universal’s legendary Columbo series. According to Head’s former assistant (and now legendary designer himself) Bob Mackie, her work bungalow at Universal became an informal attraction on the world famous studio tours.

In her writings and broadcasts, Head provided expert opinions on various practical wardrobe considerations, such as the right colors, fabrics and shapes for different activities or times of day, and suggestions for dressing to accentuate or downplay various figure elements. To a teenager so concerned about her pear shape that she feared wearing full skirts, Head advised in one 1950s column, “If I were you, I would forget the extra inch or so [at the hip] and wear all your beautiful full skirts. Your hips will be minimized if you color-match waist or sweater to your skirt.” To another girl worried about money, she recommended a tightly coordinated wardrobe of interchangeable separates: “For anyone who is on a strict budget, I would advise separates,…and hold to one or two basic colors…[that way] it is less expensive to have matching bag and shoes.”

Highlighting both the confidence-building qualities of fashion and the idea that style is accessible to everyone, Head stated in her 1959 book, Dress Doctor, that “clothes are a practical therapy, and a woman’s happiness – her outlook on life, her ability to meet the terrible competition in love and in war, in business and before the eagle eye of her sisters – can be decided by what she wears.  The way you dress affects you; it also affects the people around you.”

While her most high-profile legacies are undoubtedly her spectacular film wardrobes, Edith Head’s broadest, and most practical, contributions are those she made to the American everywoman.

Sources:

• Fishko, Sara. The Fishko Files. < http://www.wnyc.org/shows/fishko/2011/feb/25/ >
• Fleckner Ducey, Maxine. “Elegance by Design: The Edith Head Collection in Wisconsin.” Wisconsin Magazine of History, Winter 2001-2001, pp. 18-27.
• Edith Head Papers. Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. < http://www.wcftr.commarts.wisc.edu/collections/featured/edithhead/index.html >
• Head, Edith, and Jane Kesner Ardmore. The Dress Doctor. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co., 1959.
• Jorgensen, Jay. Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood’s Greatest Costume Designer. New York: Running Press, 2010.
• Macklin, Tony and Nick Pici, eds. Voices from the Set: the Film Heritage Interviews. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2000. < http://tonymacklin.net/audio/head.mp3 >
• Edith Head’s patterns: http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Edith_Head

This is Haunted Halloween!

Hi everybody! Fans of our holiday audio compilations will be happy to learn that we’re reformulating our Halloween music collection for 2011. Jason and I can’t give you any details yet, but it’ll be unique and lots of fun!

I’m also brewing a new design for this blog and Strangegirl.com as a whole, in addition to some new fashion-related posts. Yay!

More music stuffs from Jason and/or Kali:

• This is Haunted Halloween
• A Christmas Music Box
• Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii rip
• Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Download (St. Patrick’s Day drinking song themed compilation)

I tend to tweet most of my minor updates these days, but here’s a roundup for the sake of completeness. 

Emma comes to the Old Globe in San Diego.

Paul Gordon’s Emma – A Musical Romantic Comedy is now running at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre!  The show – which has already enjoyed successful runs in the Bay Area, Cincinnati, and St. Louis – previewed earlier this month and officially premiers this weekend.  The run will continue through February 27 (with an extension to March 6).

Emma is directed by Jeff Calhoun and stars Patti Murin as the eponymous heroine and Adam Monley as Mr. Knightley.  For more…

• Patti Murin Is Emma, Singing an Austen Song, at Old Globe Jan. 15-Feb. 27 (Playbill.com)
• Official Old Globe Emma site – Includes articles, a program in .pdf format, cast biographies, related events, and notes on the production!
• KPBS “These Days” Interview with Emma director Jeff Calhoun and show writer Paul Gordon
• Globe plans fresh take on Jane Austen’s Emma – Pam Kragen, North County Times
• Perils of romance come to the stage in new musical Emma at The Old Globe in Balboa Park – Diana Saenger, La Jolla Light
• Ageless Emma – James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune

In other Emma adaptation news, Romola Garai’s Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television did not result in a win.  Still, it was nice to see her nominated for her starring role in the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries.

In non-adaptation Emma news, Maria Edgeworth’s presentation copy of Emma was sold last month at auction.  According to Sotheby’s auction house, it fetched 79,250 pounds sterling.  Edgeworth was a bit of a novelist idol of Austen’s and an acquaintance of the James Leigh Perrots, Jane Austen’s aunt and uncle.  You can learn about Edgeworth’s opinions on Emma in this roundup of period responses to the book.

Happy new year, everyone!

"This is Haunted Halloween" collection CD art...

- A festive two hour collection of holiday tunes, debuting on October 1, 2010!  -

Disc One is packed with a selection of macabre party hits, from a new extended mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheb Wooley’s campy “The Purple People Eater.”  Disc Two follows with pieces reflecting the darker side of Halloween.  Here, spooky film themes, ghoulish classical favorites, and other grisly tunes mix it up with creepy sound effects perfect for a stormy night.

Produced by Jason Pittman and Kali Pappas, this collection offers new presentations of old classics alongside several fun surprises.  But beware — this is not your average Halloween mix tape.  Listen and share!  If you dare…

Available for download NOW:

Audio files:

- Disc 1 – 17 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

- Disc 2 – 14 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

Expanded notes on the collection and the various tracks:

– Liner Notes.pdf

- Liner Notes.rtf (text only)

Artwork:

- 3 .psd files, complete with gutters and ready for conversion/printing (CYMK)

- 5 .jpg files, at screen resolution for viewing (RGB)

- 1 .jpg file, 800×800 pixels, for use as cover art in your preferred media player

LINKS:

http://tinyurl.com/hauntedhalloween

http://bit.ly/hauntedhalloween

Mirror:

http://tinyurl.com/strangebeat

http://bit.ly/strangebeat

Sir Michael Gambon received a nod during last week’s Primetime Emmy nomination announcements for his portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse in the 2009 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.

In other Emma news, a new Jane Austen horror mashup novel hit Kindles last week.  Emma and the Vampires, written by Wayne Josephson, takes another stab at the novel of manners-meets-horror movie literary genre.

• Buy Emma and the Vampires for your Kindle
• Daily Herald:  Vampires continue to show life, even as parodies roll out

Sonam Kapoor as Aisha.

Aisha, starring Sonam Kapoor, opened this past weekend to fairly positive reviews and strong box office receipts.  Opinions on this film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma ran the gamut from “meh” to glowing.  Have you seen it?  What did you think?  Was it the Clueless rehash some people expected?  Does it matter?

Bits and bobs from around the net relating to Aisha‘s premier:

• Anna’s Review
• Bollywood Ticket:  Skip Aisha
• Aisha…an average movie
• Bollywood Spice Review
• Hindustan Times:  Emma-Spotting in Delhi
• Wall Street Journal Friday Reviews:  Aisha Dazzles Critics
• Bollywood Hungama Review
• Times of India Review
• SiFy Review
• Deccan Herald Aisha Review
• Digital Spy:  Kapoor delighted by Aisha success
• The New Emma:  Clueless in Bollywood (The New Yorker Blogs)
• The Hollywood Reporter:  Q&A with Sonam Kapoor
• Progressive and Fresh: A discussion with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha
• Aisha image collection

Here’s another interview with Aisha directory Rajshree Ojha, this time presented by Yahoo! India.  In the piece, Ojha addresses the fact that viewers will be consciously comparing the film to previous Emma adaptations…

“I am prepared for all the comparisons that are going to come my way but ‘Aisha’ is very Indian. If you remember Jane Austen said ‘Emma’ is a heroine only she is going to love. As a filmmaker when I read something I imagine it and that inspires me to make a film. A good literature, if you adapt it well makes a very good film,” says Ojha.

And for those interested, here’s the Aisha IMDB entry.

IndianExpress.com recently published an interview with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha, highlighting both the challenges she’s faced as a female director in Bollywood and the striking social parallels within Emma’s and Aisha’s worlds.

Hope everyone’s having a great weekend.  Happy Fourth of July!