The Film Experience

by Cláudio Alves

All five Outstanding Period Costumes Emmy nominees come from a Netflix, a strong indicator of that streaming titan's dominance over the kind of lavish prestige television that tends to the well in this category. Indeed, this well-appointed quintet is united by a glitzy love of glamour. Realism, or indeed historical verisimilitude, feels as if it's only ever pursued if it coincides with these shows' need for contrast and spectacle. Sometimes this feels at home with the material. In other instances, it comes off a bit forced, opulence for opulence's sake and to the detriment of the dramaturgy. Their wardrobes demand attention, catching the eye of even the most casual of viewers. Whatever the case may be, these are some eye-catching programs, so much so that it's difficult to predict who'll win. All five contenders feel like potential victors. The nominees are…

"Diamond Of The First Water" (Season 1, Episode 1) from Bridgerton
Ellen Mirojnick, Costume Designer
John W. Glaser III, Costume Designer
Sanaz Missaghian, Costume Supervisor
Kenny Crouch, Costume Supervisor

Description (from the ballot): Daphne debuts on London's marriage market as a new gossip sheet sets high society atwitter and Simon, the eligible Duke of Hastings, returns to town.

As much as one might love historical accuracy in costume design, it's always fun to find a project that so decidedly runs away from it. For Bridgerton, Mirojnick and Glaser III devised an aspirational dream of Regency England, appealing to modern sensibilities and the show's ideals of pastel progressivism. ShondaLand's most exuberant confection looks like it's populated by living pastries, every feminine figure bedecked in anachronistic textiles and a cornucopia of frothy frostings, spangles, lace, and heaps of machine embroidery. The men are closer to period reality, but their accouterments are dialed back, 19th-century dandyism made sexier for a modern audience.

I can't say I'm on board with all the costuming decisions – the Bridgerton girls tend to look inelegantly prom-y, and the simplified masculine attire often feels too subtle for the surrounding maximalism. However, it's difficult not to clap at the deliberate gaudiness, especially when it coalesces in some truly ravishing visions. Lady Danbury's costumes, for instance, strike the perfect balance between period lines and fantasy fashion. She's one of the best-dressed characters of the Emmy season. If it weren't for a particular royal drama, I'd be ready to call Bridgerton the frontrunner for the prize.

"Versailles" (Season 1, Episode 2) from Halston
Jeriana San Juan, Costume Designer
Catherine Crabtree, Assistant Costume Designer
Cailey Breneman, Assistant Costume Designer
Anne Newton-Harding, Costume Supervisor

Description (from the ballot): Halston considers a fateful business deal and meets a charismatic escort while struggling with old insecurities ahead of a historic fashion show.

While this submission is understandable considering the historical importance of the Battle of Versailles Fashion Show, it feels like a missed opportunity not to submit Halston's finale. That episode features recreations and imagined prototypes of the designer's incursions into stage costuming, as well as a montage of all the series' greatest sartorial hits. Not that "Versailles" is a bad submission. San Juan gets to showcase the delicate balancing act between copying archival clothes from legendary couturiers and narrative compromise.

While the diminished scale of the showdown's presentation within the show is disappointing (look at Bonello's Saint Laurent for a more exciting portrayal), the individual costumes are a success. It's amusing to take a peek behind the scenes of the runway glamour, seeing San Juan's deconstructions of iconic outfits in the annals of American fashion. The flow and interplay of textiles, a vital part of Halston's craft, is especially well-reproduced. Even before we see them in motion, the garments have a kinetic quality, their waves of pleats and shiny spandex begging to be stretched and twirled.

"Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) from Ratched
Lou Eyrich, Costume Designer
Rebecca Guzzi, Costume Designer
Allison Agler, Assistant Costume Designer
Betsy Glick, Costume Supervisor

Description (from the ballot): Nurse Mildred Ratched seeks employment at Lucia State Hospital as it prepares to admit a new psychiatric patient: notorious killer Edmund Tolleson.

Glamour is beautiful to behold, and there's no doubt about that. Despite this, there are instances where its indulgence makes no sense, effectively harming a screen story instead of augmenting it. Ratched often points toward vague ideas of postwar austerity and a clinic's crumbling finances, social hierarchies, and the power imbalances that come with money, whiteness, masculinity, and outward normalcy. Those ideas are never reflected in the costuming, nor any design element to be accurate. Still, amid the puerile melodrama of Ryan Murphy's latest horror concoction, Lou Eyrich and Rebecca Guzzi's creations prove to be a needed distraction.

They're a beacon of entertaining splendor that delights as a decontextualized circus of saturated color and New Look silhouettes. Vertigo's Hitchcockian influence injects blue-greens into the palette, curated nurse uniforms that look ready for the runway. On the other hand, a shot of mustard redefines Dior's 1947 fashion revolution as the perfect garb for a camp villain. It's all too much, an orgy of extraordinary outfits that obfuscate the mess while still being an integral part of Ratched's failure.

"Terra Nullius" (Season 4, Episode 6) from The Crown
Amy Roberts, Costume Designer
Sidonie Roberts, Assistant Costume Designer
Giles Gale, Costume Supervisor

Description (from the ballot): On a tour of Australia, Diana struggles to balance motherhood with her royal duties while both she and Charles cope with their marriage difficulties.

Like Halston, The Crown's submission is unexpected, if understandable. Most people were probably expecting "Fairytale" as the show's contender, considering it features the intricate recreation of Princess Diana's iconic wedding dress. Nonetheless, Roberts and her team went with "Terra Nullius" and its dramatization of the royal couple's Australian tour of 1983. As in "Fairytale," there are many outfit copies to appreciate for their accuracy, but one also gets many examples of the designer's dramaturgical finesse.

Notice how Charles and Diana's public life bleeds into personal moments, her flowery prints dominating frames she's barely in while he blends into the background. Then, there are the fantastic crowd scenes, an immersive feat of historical invocation. Finally, one can't ignore the shocking contrast between the People's Princess and the Establishment. Every time we cut to the Royal family observing the tour from afar, it's startling how autumnal they look, both in color story and metaphorical feel. Theirs is an antiquated elegance, outdated and stuffy, even by early 1980s standards. Here, a disruptive vision of unglamorous wealth serves to tell a narrative of stifling shadows snuffing out the brightest of lights. All in all, I don't expect that the TV Academy will be able to resist the Diana effect.

"End Game" (Season 1, Episode 7) from The Queen's Gambit
Gabriele Binder, Costume Designer
Gina Krauss, Assistant Costume Designer
Katrin Hoffmann, Assistant Costume Designer
Nanrose Buchman, Assistant Costume Designer
Sparka Lee Hall, Costume Supervisor

Description (from the ballot): A visit from an old friend forces Beth to reckon with her past and rethink her priorities, just in time for the biggest match of her life.

No television wardrobe was more coveted in 2020 than Beth Hammond's endless collection of chess-themed fashions. Perpetuating an idea of obsession coming out in the protagonist's sartorial choices, Binder dressed Anya Taylor-Joy in an array of subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) checkered patterns and grids, rectilinear graphic lines executed in monochromatic palettes. Indeed, most of the heroine's costumes evoke the black-and-white chessboard while including hints of muted greens and browns, ghosts of traumatizing orphanages, and addictive bicolored pills.

While it's impossible to deny the chicness of The Queen's Gambit, one sometimes wishes for some more messiness, a hint of human idiosyncrasy that disturbed the spotless perfection. Often, it can feel as if we're watching a heavily curated Vogue photoshoot rather than a drama, so overwhelming is this aesthetic. Certain gestures like Beth's symbolic transformation into a White Queen chess piece could have added stylistic levity if the execution wasn't so depurated. Regardless of these minor quibbles, the costumes always look gorgeous.

Predictions

"Terra Nullius" The Crown
"Diamond Of the First Water" Bridgerton
"End Game" The Queen's Gambit
"Versailles" Halston
"Pilot" Ratched

Personal Ranking

"Versailles" Halston
"Terra Nullius" The Crown
"End Game" The Queen's Gambit
"Diamond Of the First Water" Bridgerton
"Pilot" Ratched

How would you rank the nominees for the Outstanding Period Costumes Emmy?

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