If you've ever seen The Incredibles, you've never forgotten Edna Mode-- the superhero costume designer with big glasses and a lot of quirk.

What most people don't know is that the spunky character was based off of a real costume designer-- Edith Head. She might not have designed for superheroes, but she did do dresses for Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor to name a few-- which were basically the superhumans of Hollywood at the time.

She was born in 1897 in San Bernardino, California, some 20 years before Hollywood would start to become the main producer of the world's movies and a culturally influential god. She grew up in various towns across the US, but returned to California for college.

She became a French, Spanish, and art teacher for a few years following, until Paramount Pictures took her on as a sketcher. She worked her way up to designer, and eventually became the chief designer in 1938. She was the first woman to be head of a department at a major studio.

She worked at Paramount and Universal during her career, gaining immense fame for a costume designer, even becoming the best known and most successful one for her time.

She designed many of Audrey Hepburn's famous dresses-- including her gowns in Roman Holiday, Funny Face, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She also helped propel Dorothy Lamour to stardom by designing the sarong she wore in The Jungle Princess. (It was equivalent to Carrie Fisher and the gold bikini at the time).

Her timeless designs were impressive, but there was another aspect of her work that was outstanding. She was famously able to calm difficult actors and directors, and had a personal relationship with many of her coworkers.

She greatly appreciated actors that were easy to work with, always speaking well of Grace Kelly's professionalism. Though she could herd in the wild ones, it was clear she didn't appreciate the spoiled behavior of most actors, saying "You can lead a horse to water and you can even make it drink, but you can't make actresses wear what they don't want to wear", and "I have yet to see one completely unspoiled star, except for Lassie."

Her unique outlook was also reflected in her own unique fashion choices: she refused to wear any but 4 colors-- black, white, beige, and brown, and was commonly found in trademark, coke-bottle glasses.

The glasses served a purpose, however; back when films were in black and white, you would have to peer through blue glass to see what the clothes would look like on screen. So, Edith fashioned glasses made of blue glass so that she wouldn't have to keep looking through a lens.

She left her mark on costume design in cinema like no other, earning 35 Oscar nominations and taking home 8, making her the most decorated costume designer (and woman) in Academy Award history to date.

Edith Head deservedly went down in history as an extraordinary woman and costume designer, all while embodying the quirk and grace which was mirrored in her designs.