Atwood vs Powell: Battle of the costuming titans
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at 10:45PM 
Our look back at the cinematic year of 2005 and its Academy Awards continues. This time, we're examining the work of two titanic talents who battled for the Oscar in the Best Costume Design category as they were prone to do. We're talking about the magnificent Colleen Atwood and the sublime Sandy Powell…
Oscar's current favorites, when it comes to costume designers, started their careers roughly at the same time and lived their initial brushes with the Academy at a similar point too. Powell's first nod came in 1993 when her century-spanning work in Sally Potter's Orlando earned some well-deserved attention come awards season. At that time, Powell was already internationally respected thanks to her collaborations with Derek Jarman, though none of that auteur's movies ever got close to AMPAS validation. Atwood's first nod, on the other hand, would come a year later, in 1994, for the naturalistic recreations of mid-19th century fashions in Gillian Armstrong's Little Women. Like Powell, Atwood had conquered plenty of critical admiration before the nomination, thanks, in great part, to her works with Tim Burton and Jonathan Demme.
It might seem weird to pit these two genius costume designers against each other, but that's what the Academy did repeatedly from 1998 to 2010. At a certain point, it even seemed like they could only win when the other was among their direct competition. Atwood's victory for 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would break the pattern, but their parallel Oscar histories are still a bit of fascinating trivia for those who obsess about the Academy Awards. With that in mind, let's look at their six Oscar face-offs and see if we agree with AMPAS' eventual choices. In the war of Atwood vs Powell, who's the biggest winner?
;)
1998
- Colleen Atwood: Beloved
- Sandy Powell: Shakespeare in Love (winner) AND Velvet Goldmine
1998 truly was Sandy Powell's year. Velvet Goldmine is a masterpiece on every level, but the costumes deserve particular admiration, fusing fantasy and rock history, an array of pop references, and the esoteric glam of the underground. Shakespeare in Love is similarly theatrical, though its Elizabethan designs are a bit more grounded than Velvet's craziness. Comparatively, Atwood's 19th century looks for Jonathan Demme's Beloved feel downplayed and naturalistic, even if they're still rich in idiosyncratic detail and playful games of color, pattern, printing and odd stitching.
Verdict: Powell all the way, though not for the film that earned her the gold.
;)
2002
- Colleen Atwood: Chicago (winner)
- Sandy Powell: Gangs of New York
Atwood's collaborations with Rob Marshall have earned a lot of Oscar recognition over the years and it's easy to see why. Her creations for Chicago toe the line between overtly theatrical razzle-dazzle and cinematic realism, between Fosse sensuality and historical glamour. Still, I often feel like she leans a bit too hard into well-worn clichés of 1920s costuming when a bit more originality would have been appreciated. That being, it's a glitzy delight overall. As for Powell, I've previously written about the genius of her work in Scorsese's Gangs of New York. Long story short, Powell's a genius and her use of color is a movie miracle of the highest order.
Verdict: In a tight race, Powell's love for wild textiles gives her the victory.
;)
2004
- Colleen Atwood: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Sandy Powell: The Aviator (winner)
A Series of Unfortunate Events often feels like an attempt at doing Tim Burton by another director. In that regard, Atwood's gothic designs do their job splendidly. Jim Carrey's extravagant disguises are especially fun, and the designer's love for stripes is on full display too. Powell, however, turned in one of her most historically accurate wardrobes for Scorsese's The Aviator. Her designs evoke Hollywood's Golden Age while helping the movie's delineation of time through the change of its color palette. It's wonderful to see Powell's wardrobe getting progressively more colorful as the story moves from the washed-out two-strip processes of the 1920s to full Technicolor in the 40s.
Verdict: The Academy chose Powell and we concur.
;)
2005
- Colleen Atwood: Memoirs of a Geisha (winner)
- Sandy Powell: Mrs. Anderson Presents
I'd like to have seen a Japanese costume designer tackling the challenge of Memoirs of a Geisha, one but can't deny that Atwood's designs are breathtakingly lavish. Instead of going for strict verisimilitude, she glammed up traditional Japanese clothing and made it feel like history philtered through the prism of Old Hollywood. Powell had a different challenge all-together, needing to suggest the reality of London during the Blitz while dreaming up theatrical styles of times gone by. Her wardrobe is so brilliant that it's often more interesting to look at the clothes than even the most ravishing displays of staged nudity offered by Mrs. Henderson Presents.
Verdict: Between these two excellent showcases, Atwood takes the win, just as she did with the Academy.
;)
2009
- Colleen Atwood: Nine
- Sandy Powell: The Young Victoria (winner)
It's no easy feat making the disproportionate silhouettes of the 1830s and 1840s fashion look appealing to a modern audience. Still, even when faced with such a challenge, Sandy Powell triumphs. I only wish her use of color was a bit more disciplined for it often feels like the designer grew bored with the project and tried to distract herself with glitzy fabrics. Nine, on the other hand, showcases Atwood's penchant for retro stylings in splendid fashion, at the same time it puts forward a carefully curated collection of color stories and visual references. I especially love the hints of Fellini hidden among the dancers of the bigger musical numbers.
Verdict: AMPAS crowned Powell's royalty porn, but Atwood's sexy stylings win here.
;)
2010
- Colleen Atwood: Alice in Wonderland (winner)
- Sandy Powell: The Tempest
Honestly, neither of these costuming queens deserved to be nominated in 2010. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is too garish for its own good and Atwood's costumes tend to follow the rest of the movie's failings. There's a lot to love about individual costumes, but they are too much as a movie wardrobe. The Tempest, similarly, is full of interesting couture. However, for every inspired design, there's another Powell-created flight of fancy that doesn't work. In both films, the designer's odd takes on Elizabethan fashion (a torrent of red for Atwood and anachronistic zippers for Powell) are the highlights.
Verdict: Atwood wins out in this lackluster face-off.
Who'd have you voted for, between Atwood and Powell, in these six years?
Reader Comments (15)
Good article as always.
For me Powell is the best, but Atwood is very close, in 1994 Powell deserved a nod for Interview with the vampire and not Atwood for Little women, I prefer her work in Ed Wood.
Nine is a bad movie with nice costumes but the director really didn't show them properly.
Atwood vs. Powell... put them in a cage match. That's $$$$$$
I actually quite like Atwood's costumes as photographed in the Vanity Fair spread, but once the enter Robert Stromberg's CGI hellscape they look so garish. It's a real shame.
I also love Atwood's Nine costumes too despite the film's shortcomings. Those Cinema Italiano outfits are divine.
One of Powell's wins being for The Young Victoria is such a shame given her diverse filmography. Edward II, The Favourite, Far From Heaven and, especially, Orlando would have been more fitting wins for her. The greatest costume designer of her time.
I usually am attracted to the work that Powell does because I feel like the directors she commonly works with highlight the costuming especially the vibrant colours. Atwood's work with Burton and Marshall while great is just not as greatly captured as it should be.
I look forward to what Powell is gonna do more because when your main directing collaborators are Todd Haynes and Martin Scorsese your great
Atwood liked using colors to define the characters in Geisha. Hatsumoto has some kind of red, yellow, or orange in her costume while Siyuri has shades of blue. Fire vs water costume theme.
I'd generally go with Powell, although I think Atwood's win for Chicago was appropriate. That said 2004 is an extremely tough call - and I think I'd go with Atwood there too. Overall the crafts in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events were outstanding.
I’m gonna put every copy of Alice in Wonderland in a box and set them all on fire. That movie doesn’t exist anymore. Sorry Colleen, your work was for nothing.
I'm pretty sure I would have voted for Jacqueline Durran.
Cafg -- I love what Atwood does in LITTLE WOMEN, especially the subtle ways in which she conveys the financial struggles and later disparities of the sister's lives. I agree that Powell should have been nominated for INTERVIEW, though. I'm still surprised she wasn't.
thevoid99 -- Thanks for the laugh.
Andrew -- Even Powell seemed a bit disappointed at her victory for THE YOUNG VICTORIA. It's good work, but so far from her best. What you say about the Vanity Fair photoshoot is part of the reason why I give Atwood the win in 2010 - the costumes themselves are quite good, they just get lost in the ugliness of the movie.
Eoin Daily -- I heartily agree with everything you said.
Tom G -- Hatsumomo's costumes are divine, especially that chinchilla collared coat. I admit to wishing Atwood had strayed a bit from dressing Sayuri in watery tonalities. Sometimes it felt a bit too heavy-handed, even if it's always beautiful.
Owen -- It wouldn't be a great loss, I must admit.
Peggy Sue -- In 2005?
Thank you all for the feedback. It's always appreciated.
For me, in 2002 Best Costumes was Frida by Julie Weiss
ZxM -- Out of the Oscar nominees, my vote also goes for Weiss' FRIDA. Overall, though, I think I'd chose Powell's FAR FROM HEAVEN as the best of the year.
i like Atwood's work, but sometimes it feels very safe in terms of not offering anything new or challenging, it's opulent and well crafted, but rather uninspired, like she does what the movie requires and that's it.
Powell's work on the other hand is exhilarating, she understand the importance of costumes in a movie and how they can become another character without overshadowing the other elements, she does what the characters require in order to accentuate their personalities
Colleen Atwood, definitely.
Powell
Powell
Atwood
Atwood
Powell
Atwood
That's all
Where is Powell’s fourth?!