Xavi Muntané

Talking about enemies

Rewinding the tape a little, returning to Hollywood’s golden era when costumers made spectacular dresses for beautiful actresses and designers made Haute Couture dresses for wealthy women. Two separate worlds.

Audrey and Edith. Edith and Audrey. They were the brightest stars of their generation, along with Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor. Edith was the head of Paramount’s costume division and dressed Audrey Hepburn in her designs for her parts in the movies they made together. As these two extraordinary Oscar winners chat, who would not want to eavesdrop on their conversation, and dream of being invited to join them.

“Hubert de Givenchy will alter your dress for me to wear at the Oscars” Audrey tells Edith. “How dare she alter my design? It is my creation.” Edith thunders in reply. The war between Givenchy and Head was about to start. Audrey- a fashion icon- would dictate the winner.

Edith started out as a sketch artist at Paramount Pictures. Hubert started designing for Jacques Fath. There is a time gap between these. By the time Edith was a success at Paramount, Hubert was concluding his degree. But she did not earn her first Academy Award until 1950; just two years before Hubert opened his own couture house at Paris.

There was fierce competition between studio costumers and fashion designers. Edith was certainly no exception. She refused to share credits with Sonja de Lennart and Givenchy for her two Oscars. Coincidentally, Hepburn wore the designs that won her both those Oscars. So, as we spy on this moment, perhaps we can imagine Audrey trying to tell Edith that she prefers Givenchy. Even though Edith Head took the credit for the wardrobes for Roman Holiday, and then Sabrina. Givenchy’s influence in the Sabrina was clear and it was he who took finally over for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, arguably Hepburn’s most iconic role.