Dressing Up The Stars Book Review

4.Dressing Up The Stars

Dressing Up The Stars is the story of famed costume designer Edith Head. Curious to how a shy girl growing up outside of the small mining town Searchlight, Nevada became one of the most celebrated costume designers of all time?  Jeanne Walker Harvey’s picture book will take you on the unlikely journey.

When we first meet Edith she has few playmates but she spends her time creatively. She dresses up animals, toys and even cactus plants with strips of fabric gathered from townspeople. She dreamed of moving “far away from the desert”.  Edith’s wish came true when her mother sent her to high school in Los Angeles. Once there she escaped her shyness by going to see Hollywood films every chance she could.

After college and teaching for a few years Edith took a job as a sketch artist for Paramount Studios. The only problem?  The future 8x Academy Award winning costume designer couldn’t draw! Persistent and stubborn, Edith tirelessly worked her way up from designing for the animals on set to dressing some of the most famous Hollywood legends! Edith  became the first woman to head a major Hollywood movie studio costume department.

Review:

Edith Head, famous for her sleek bob haircut and classic wardrobe. She always wore gray white or black when dressing her clients.  She liked to fade into the background and highlight the actors. One of the most darling aspects of this book are Diana Toledano’s colorful illustrations. Toledano’s art brings Edith’s life into colorful focus while holding true to the icon’s preferred color palette. The art brings Jeanne Walker Harvey’s words to life with a subtle nod to Edith’s aesthetic. Dressing Up The Stars is a short but sweet book that will excite the imaginations of dreamers of all ages. The author’s note at the end of the book is particularly informative and inspired me to delve more into Edith Head’s fascinating story.

More About Edith Head:

Rumor has it that Edith served as the inspiration for the iconic character Edna Mode in the Pixar film The Incredibles. Find out if that is true –>HERE<– 

Dressing Up The Stars:

Dressing Up The Stars is available from Amazon and other major retailers.

 

Love this book by Jeanne Walker Harvey?  Then you must read Ablaze With Color!


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