A Conversation with Edith Head

Edith Head may not be a household name these days, but in her prime she was one of the most colourful characters in Hollywood. She was dishing out caustic fashion advice years before Trinny and Susannah made careers out of it, and was confidante to the stars long before Celebrity Sleuth broadcast their measurements.

A consummate pro, Head would never have been so indiscreet as to spread gossip – those in search of titbits about the likes of Grace Kelly, Cary Grant and Bette Davis may need to read between the lines during this cosy encounter… or at least, between the host’s eyebrows.

Photographs of screen idols adorn the walls of a home-from-home into which an audience of adoring fans has been generously admitted, but the real star is the formidable designer herself. This is a solo show by Susan Claassen, unless you count the gentleman in the audience whose frequent questions highlight her designer’s tendency to bend the truth, particularly if it involves defending any of her eight Oscars.

It’s a leisurely paced hour that will have added appeal for fans of Hollywood’s Golden Era, although those with an interest in fashion may find themselves longing for more costuming anecdotes and trade secrets.

An hour can’t begin to do justice to the work of a tremendously ambitious woman who worked on hundreds of films over an incredible seven decades. However, as an introduction to the designer behind countless iconic images this is a neatly constructed and enjoyably old-fashioned affair.