Synopses & Reviews
The first book to celebrate the irreverent and original style of Katharine Hepburn -- icon of stage and screen. Glamorous when she wanted to be and tomboyish when she didn’t, Katharine Hepburn developed her personal style and public image as a style rebel. Whether on stage, on screen, or in private life, Hepburn had a firm grasp on the power of her appearance. Rather than submit to studio image makers, she controlled her image and drew on her own proclivities to create a distinct antifashion persona. This book presents the famously headstrong star in a new light: as a style icon. Through images of Hepburn’s on-screen and off-screen wardrobes and essays by top fashion historians, this book reveals how modern Hepburn’s insouciance and idiosyncratic manner of dressing really was and shows her as an inspirational, self-styled counterpoint to the over-managed looks of celebrities today. Full of never-before-published images of Hepburn’s costumes and personal wardrobe, Katharine Hepburn is a refreshing look at a true fashion original.
About the Author
Jean Druesedow is the director of the Kent State University Museum and was formerly the president of the Costume Society of America. Barbara Cohen-Stratyner is the curator of exhibitions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Nancy MacDonell is a fashion journalist and author. Judy Samelson is the former editor of Playbill magazine. Kohle Yohannan is a historian, curator, and the author of several fashion books, including Valentina (Rizzoli, 2009).