Hitchcock's Heroines

The women in Hitchcock’s films are regal and stylish, with an elegant yet icy demeanor that masks a fire inside. They are, he said, ‘…the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they’re in the bedroom.’

From his early days as a director in the 1920s, Hitchcock always had a strong sense of how his stars would look on screen, from their hairstyles to the colour of their underwear. He worked with a trusted team of contributors, including costume designer Edith Head, to translate his vision onto the screen. ​

Hitchcock’s female leads were often fashion icons in their own right, and the clothes they wore imbued the films with contemporary style; Kim Novak in the grey suit in Vertigo, Tippi Hedren’s simple eau de nil suit in The Birds, and Janet Leigh’s black and white sets of underwear in Psycho. Caroline Young details these iconic actresses, and their costumes, from Ingrid Bergman to Eva Marie Saint, exploring Hitchcock’s favourite blondes including Grace Kelly and Carole Lombard.​

Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated with publicity photographs, film stills and original drawings of the costume designs, this book offers a revealing insight into the golden days of Hollywood, and the troubled relationships between one of its leading directors and his female stars.