The most glamorous night of the year will take place in Hollywood on Sunday, Feb. 24, at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its annual awards show, better known as the Oscars, to honor the best films, actors, producers, directors, songs, and costume designers of 2012.
As a movie’s action unfolds, the visual effects of the scenery and the costumes bring the script’s interpretation to life on the big screen.
With this in mind, let’s review the five Oscar-nominated costume designers and their captivating and exquisite costume creations. Each nomination reflects the culture of the period and the lifestyle depicted in the movie.
In creating wardrobes, the designer considers color, shape, fabric, fit, and fashion history. However, unlike fashion designers, costume designers create looks that suit specific events and characters.
“What we do is a cross between magic and camouflage,” said Edith Head (1924–1981), the most decorated award winner with a record of eight Oscars for costume design, as quoted in an article for Entertainment Weekly’s Oscar guide. “We ask the public to believe that every time they see an actress or actor that they are a different person.”
The intimate creative collaboration among great filmmakers, actors, and costume designers is expressed vividly in the five movies nominated for Best Costumes.
‘Anna Karenina’
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law
Costumes by Jacqueline Durran
Jacqueline Durran’s work for “Anna Karenina” has been hailed for its creativity and ability to blend 1870 Russian-style silhouettes with 1950s couture.
Keira Knightley is resplendently attired in Durran’s lavish and exquisite costumes for Anna Karenina. Outfitted in veiled hats and sumptuous gowns, Knightley’s Anna is stunning—a vision Leo Tolstoy could have been pleased to see in his chronicle of love and betrayal among Russia’s 19th century aristocracy.
This is Durran’s third nomination for the Oscar. She was previously nominated for her work in the films “Atonement” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
‘Les Misérables’
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe
Costumes by Paco Delgado
Though his past work has been mostly for smaller projects, Spanish costume designer Paco Delgado was called on to create an epic wardrobe for “Les Misérables” with its cast of 4,000.
There was specific consideration for supporting actress Anne Hathaway, who lost 25 pounds for the role of Fantine.
“We worked with clingy fabrics,” said Delgado in an interview for Entertainment Weekly (www.ew.com). “And we used an airbrush to darken the sides of her costumes to make her look even thinner.”
“Fantine was originally a seamstress and had nice clothes in the past, but now she doesn’t have any money,” Delgado said. “So Anne was very keen on the idea that her costumes would have a lot of mending, like they were old and mended by her character.”
This is Paco Delgado’s first nomination for an Oscar.
‘Lincoln’
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field
Costumes by Joanna Johnston
To bring authenticity to the characters in “Lincoln,” director Steven Spielberg chose British costume designer Joanna Johnston. The task was to help transform Daniel Day-Lewis into The Great Emancipator and Sally Field into his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.
Johnston’s experience in costume design includes Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.” She did extensive research to prepare for the challenge of “Lincoln.”
A video interview with Johnston on Entertainment Weekly revealed that Sally Field had to gain quite a bit of weight to reach Mary Todd Lincoln’s real waist measurements. Johnston expressed that this was a “brave and brilliant thing to do” for the role. It also helped her structure the architectural base for some of the dress designs.
“I gained 25 pounds—she was much heavier, or more round, so we tried to replicate her measurements,” Field, 65, said in an interview for CNN. “We had her dress size, because it’s documented when they made dress[es] for her ... We replicated what she was, and it wasn’t easy. It was sort of horrifying to be a woman of a certain age and to put on 25 pounds.”
This is Johnston’s first nomination for an Oscar.
‘Mirror Mirror’
Directed by Tarsem Singh
Starring Julia Roberts, Lily Collins
Costumes by Eiko Ishioka
“Mirror Mirror” is the final visual masterpiece of costume designer Eiko Ishioka. The artist passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2012.
Her fantasy-inspired, surreal costumes “elevate the Grimm’s fairy tale to a spectacular, visually stunning, cinematic experience,” states an article in The Hollywood Reporter (www.hollywoodreporter.com).
The gowns’ sizes alone are staggering, according to the article. The queen’s pièce de résistance—a resplendent wedding gown—weighed in at 60 pounds and was eight feet in diameter.
“They’re stunning ... They were completely original and authentic to what we were trying to accomplish,” Julia Roberts said in People StyleWatch.
“Mirror Mirror” marks the designer’s second Oscar nomination following her first win in 1992 for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula.”
‘Snow White and the Huntsman’
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Starring Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart
Costumes by Colleen Atwood
Colleen Atwood’s work on “Snow White and the Huntsman” marks her 10th nomination. She previously received Oscars for her work on “Alice in Wonderland” (2010), “Chicago” (2002), and “Memoirs of a Geisha”(2005).
She created more than 1,000 costumes for Rupert Sanders’s film, including for two armies, an evil queen, and Snow White herself.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the most dramatic collection of costumes went to Charlize Theron as the evil queen.
Theron wears some stunning gowns, including Atwood’s current favorite—an off-white and gold wedding gown with a collar that is “made out of parchment paper that had been manipulated into a complicated structural shape,” states the article.
Her costumes always had something that represented death, whether it was skeletons on her wedding dress or a turquoise gown made with thousands of iridescent beetle wings found in Thailand.
As we await the verdict determining which of the five “frock stars” will win the Oscar, my personal vote goes to Jacqueline Durran for her illuminating costumes designed for “Anna Karenina.” But you be the judge.
See you at the Oscars!
Lina Broydo writes about the arts, style, and travel. She currently lives in Los Altos Hills, Calif., and can be reached at: [email protected]
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