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| Photo courtesy of Delta Zeta Sorority |
To help celebrate Women’s History Month, the NPC blog is spotlighting
Panhellenic women who have been influential historical figures. The third
featured Panhellenic woman is Edith Head, an academy- award winning costume
designer and member of Delta Zeta. Head was born in San Bernardino, Calif., and
raised in the mining town of Searchlight, Nev. She attended the University of
California, Berkeley and earned a master’s degree in French from Stanford
University. After completing her education, Head taught school until 1923. In
1924, she began her career as a costume sketch artist for Paramount Pictures.
Although she started as a sketch artist, Head worked her way
up and quickly became known as one of Hollywood’s top costume designers. During
her career, Head designed costumes for black and white films, color films and
television. She designed for the top stars at Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios,
where she constructed many iconic dresses that are still replicated today. Head
was known for her outgoing personality and willingness to work with stars to
create the perfect wardrobe. To honor her contributions to costume design, Head
was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1960, Head was selected by Delta Zeta as an honorary convention
initiate. She was initiated as an alumna member into Mu Chapter at the
University of California, Berkeley. After her initiation, Head continued to be
involved with Delta Zeta. She lent her talents to the Southern California
Council of Delta Zeta for its Lamplighters’ Flame Fantasy fashion show several
times during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968, Head was named Delta Zeta Woman of
the Year. The Delta Zeta Foundation awards
a scholarship in her name for members studying fashion design.
Head died Oct. 24, 1981. In 2013, Google commemorated Head’s
accomplishments and what would have been her 116th birthday with a
Google Doodle. Head’s career as a costume designer spanned over 50 years and
included 35 academy-award nominations and eight Oscars. She holds the record
for most academy-award nominations and the most Oscars for a female.
Edith Head will be forever remembered as a Panhellenic sister
who opened doors for women in the male-dominated field of costume design.
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