https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_Mode
Describing Edna's physical attributes as "severe", Bird had envisioned the character having glasses and a pageboy haircut, while still wanting her to appear modern and elegant at the same time.[2] According to Thomas S. Hischak, author of 100 Greatest American and British Animated Films, Edna is just as concerned with the appearance of the costumes she designs as she is about their use and practicality,[25] proving capable of designing outfits that can stretch, change their shape and resist oncoming attacks such as missiles and fires.[22] Edna's ethnicity has been identified as half-German and half-Japanese.[8][26][27][28] Both Edna's physical appearance and voice are based on those of costume designer Edith Head,[16] with whom she shares her signature round glasses and black bob cut.[22] According to Head's entry in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the character is inspired by both the costume designer's signature glasses and "forthright personality".[29] Bird described Edna as a combination of both Head and Q,[30] a character featured in the James Bond franchise.[31][3] The director has generally declined to confirm any direct influences on the character, insisting that Edna is "not based on a specific person."[32] However, animator Teddy Newton, who co-designed Edna with Bird, revealed that he and Pixar were inspired by the film Unzipped (1995), a documentary depicting the petulance of fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and stylist Polly Allen Mellen.[31]
Bird stated he has constantly been told by various fans and viewers that the character reminds them of at least 15 different celebrities since the character debuted in The Incredibles.[31] Contributing to Fashion, Erin Dunlop described the character as "a supercharged hybrid of every fashion industry legend we can think of".[33] In an article discussing who Edna is based on, Entertainment Weekly's Steve Daly cited Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, designer Coco Chanel and actress Lotte Lenya as possible influences, while drawing similarities between the character's use of large-framed glasses to architect Philip Johnson, producer Robert Evans, talent agent Swifty Lazar, studio executive Lew Wasserman, and fashion editor Carrie Donovan.[31] Some critics have suspected that the character is also based on Mary Quant and Una Jones.[34] Acknowledging that there are several female fashion designers who wear glasses upon whom Edna could have been based, Bird admitted that the character was inspired by author Patricia Highsmith and actress Linda Hunt, elaborating: "When you're designing a character, you're just saying - who is that? ... We tried a lot of stuff and we kept saying no, no, more like this, but I like the nose on this one, and maybe the pageboy cut, maybe glasses should be bigger ... and you end up with something that reminds you of Edith Head and you of Linda Hunt."[19][35]
