The Dress Doctor

by Edith Head

Long before celebrity stylists became as renowned as the Oscar-winning film stars they advise, the legendary costume designer Edith Head was dressing Hollywood's most fashionable women and men on screen and off-and lending her sartorial wisdom to women across the country on radio and television. In 1959, she published a best-selling memoir and style guide, The Dress Doctor, in which she shared tips on style and dozens of entertaining anecdotes on Hollywood's A-list with her fans. Now, The Dress Doctor has returned in this special edition of the original volume, an alphabetical romp through the art of getting dressed and dressing Hollywood, with specially commissioned illustrations and the best advice and stories culled word for word from the original book.

From Audrey Hepburn to Zooture, The Dress Doctor is filled with Head's timeless her expertise on developing a personal style, dressing to flatter one's figure, building a wardrobe, and judging quality. Her prescriptions for dressing properly for various activities from archery to house cleaning to roller skating are a charming mix of perennially chic and, now, with the passing of time, tongue in chic. Fashion illustrator Bil Donovan's stunning re-creations of Head's most famous gowns, along with illustrations of myriad other stylish ensembles, bring the designer's work vividly to life again, along with Hollywood icons Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Cary Grant, and many others.

This irresistible, elegant volume is a unique treasure for those who love film, style, and the glamour of Old Hollywood.

Genres: Fashion, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Media Tie In, Memoir

249 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edith Head's book is "firmly dedicated to Mrs. Average American," who would enjoy the greatest costume designer's quaint celebrity anecdotes: Mae West's white-furred apartment! Kim Novak's rabbit food! Cary Grant matching his shorts to Grace Kelly's dress! The book's more serious therapeutic mission, according to the tough and stern Dress Doctor, is to bring happiness to women with color and texture, and to make them fully participate in life by dressing appropriately. This last goal is undertaken in the appendix, in which Head lists the outfits appropriate to every possible activity:

BREAKFAST. It's good psychology to start the day with bright colors, so choose something gay in a washable fabric.
PING-PONG. Any length slacks or shorts with action blouse or sweater; or active sport dress; + flats or tennis shoes.
MOTION PICTURES. Evenings: Day or afternoon dress, or suit (dressmaker, tailored or sport) + dress shoes + wrap as needed. Gloves optional.

Oui, 1959's dress standards are a long way from our recent kerfuffle over best-selling see-through yoga pants. This book made me think of Dapper Day at Disney parks, an unsponsored grassroots "take back the night" when visitors make themselves look great, then visit an amusement park. They reclaim the old practice of dressing appropriately as a way to enhance their enjoyment of a special occasion.

Edith Head's last words of advice are timeless:

"1. Be dressed for what you are doing.
2. Have the right accessories.
3. Don't wear your clothes too tight. A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady."

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Edith Head told me on the first page that Marlene Dietrich and Roy Rogers were the only two living people who should wear leather pants, I knew this was my kind of book.

Very lightly a memoir of the legendary Paramount costume designer, written at arguably her peak (1959), this book is more Head's tales of dressing the Hollywood greats. She compares their differing attitudes to coming in for costume fittings, their demands, entourages, etc. Mae West hated green! Barbara Stanwyck hated brown! She follows all this ancient gossip with an extremely detailed section on how us non-famous people can dress for every occasion from bowling to a formal evening wedding to grocery shopping. And the whole thing is illustrated with her crisp, mid-century line drawings. Gay (in both senses of the word) and fun.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was light and fun, seemingly intended for women who wanted some behind-the-scenes dish on movie stars of the '50s. What amused me most was that Edith Head somehow managed to compliment each of the stars in slightly different ways. This had to have been a carefully written book; movie stars' egos are so fragile! But with some serious reading between the lines, the reader can figure out whom she really liked (Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis) and who got on her nerves (Mary Martin, Kim Novak).

She mostly talks about the women -- Grace Kelly, Olivia de Havilland, Elizabeth Taylor -- but there's also a short chapter about designing costumes for men that mentions Cary Grant and Danny Kaye. I most enjoyed reading about her costumes for Vertigo, which she was working on at the time of writing.

Head's stylish sketches serve as witty chapter illustrations, and though this is an autobiography, there aren't many personal stories other than those related to her work -- which feels just right.

At the end, there's a handy guide on what to wear for any occasion (supermarket trips, archery matches, cocktail parties).

All in all, pretty delightful, if you're interested in both fashion and old Hollywood and are able to get into the spirit of it. Anyone looking for something substantial about the stars or about Head herself will be disappointed.

[Grace Avender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Edith Head and the old movie studio system, you'll want to read this book. While this was written as a "how to dress" type of guide, its real value is in the stories she tells about dressing Hollywood celebrities. The "doctor" analogy wears thing pretty early, but it was easy to get past when you get into the stories, and her opinions of, some bygone stars. This book was a lot of fun.

[Noreen Strehlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Head was my idol as a young girl. The clothing she designed for the movies made me even more sure that I also wanted that as a profession although women were pretty much limited to teacher, nurse, secretary, or housewife. I kept my dream through high school and then became a housewife.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. It's very praise-y, gossipy but her analysis of figures and how to dress yourself in the most flattering way holds up even 60 years later. It's a super fast read. If you are a fan of old movies and interested in movie star style from the 20s-60s, you will enjoy this book.

[Diana Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fashion and Hollywood tittle-tattle, plus some interesting bio snippets of Head's life (who knew the dresser of stars grew up in a desert mining town?) Some lifestyle/fashion advice, too... a bit on the old-fashioned side. Simply a reading just for fun

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was very young and at the time, it was worth the read. I greatly enjoyed it.

[Lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read about Edith Head's career as head costume designer at Paramount. Great writing, this isn't, but an amusing romp about her experiences with Hollywood stars.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. (Read for 2018 Read Harder Challenge - a celebrity memoir).

[Sandra de Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Includes sketches by Ms. Head, and photographs of some of her dresses. This is a memoir of sorts, an attempt to describe her career, and some of her clients. It is all written in a breezy, easy manner, nothing in depth, plenty of name-dropping. It left me wanting more, much more insights, gossip, something. More sensory detail, more emotion. The book is of its time, and feels sanitized. Body shaming, beauty standards abound, and made me sad. At the end of the book is a whole section of Head’s “prescriptions” for how to dress based on body type, and how to dress for every possible occasion.

[Theodora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy book with some lovely descriptions of famous Golden Hollywood celebrities. I love Edith’s voice, even if she had a shadow writer, and liked learning more about her story. Definitely the book was dated though, primarily in terms of gender and body size but also in terms of race. I wish there had been more photos or sketches to go along with the descriptions. I loved when I knew a movie well enough to know the outfit :)

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old Hollywood and this book outlines my favourite pieces of it: the clothes

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was visually stunning. The designs were in color!