What's Oscar's all-time favorite Costume Design era?

by Cláudio Alves

The legendary Ann Roth is our reigning Best Costume Design Oscar queen, having won her second statuette for the jazz age designs of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. I'm ecstatic about her victory. Both because it's an outstanding artistic achievement and because hers is a filmography that undoubtedly deserves more than one Oscar. That being said, this year's Costume race (which I previously reviewed in depth) did remind me of a pet peeve I've long had with the category—namely, the overwhelming predominance of period films and the rarity of recognition for contemporary-set narratives. As usual, all of this year's nominees featured period costuming, with even the lone fantasy film, Pinocchio, basing most of its look in mid-19th-century fashion.

With all this in mind, I decided to do some research and find out what era is most common in Best Costume Design Oscar winners. From Ancient Egypt to post-war London, this category has rewarded many styles, though some do stand out as AMPAS' favorites… 

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5 days til Oscar. Will Ann Roth win again for her 5th nomination?

by Nathaniel R

Ann Roth on the set of "Ma Rainey"

With five days until Oscars we were looking for a way to celebrate the number five today that related to this year's Oscars. The only fifth time nominee we could find (though perhaps we missed someone) is Ann Roth who we've celebrated before. The 89 year-old costume designer has somehow won only one Oscar and one Tony despite a prolific and eye-poppingly rich career on both stages and screen. Her Tony win came for the Nathan Lane play The Nance (which we think would make a pretty great movie) and these are the film designs for which she was nominated...

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Anthony Powell (1935-2021)

by Cláudio Alves

Just the other day, I was writing about Peter Ustinov's Poirot movies, praising their sartorial exuberance, their delectable Oscar-winning costumes designed by Anthony Powell. Not long after publishing that, while perusing Twitter, I encountered unexpectedly sad news. According to some of the stars he dressed, like Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley, the great Anthony Powell died at 85 years old. It happened just the other day and, while most movie sites seem to be ignoring the tragedy, here at The Film Experience, we couldn't let the news pass by unnoticed. Powell was one of the most fabulous costume designers in recent Hollywood history and one of the most generously rewarded, with three Oscar victories and three other nominations. Throughout his career, he dressed numerous stars and even more iconic characters…

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93rd Academy Awards: Best Costume Design

by Cláudio Alves

Costume illustrations by Gloria Young Kim (left) and Matthew JLeFebvre (righ)

After last year's dispiriting domination of Best Picture contenders in craft categories, this year's Best Costume Design lineup feels like a breath of fresh air. While the branch is resistant to contemporary narratives, their reluctance to honor new names has alleviated a bit. For the first time since 2006, we have three first-time nominees among the costume designers competing for gold. Better yet, the five achievements honored by AMPAS offer a dizzying variety of film styles, aesthetic strategies, genre, and tone. From Disney remakes to Italian literary adaptations, from biopics to biting period comedies, this batch of nominees has it all.

Still, in the end, one must win. With that in mind, here's how I'd rank the five Best Costume Design nominees at the 93rd Academy Awards…

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Julie Harris: The woman who dressed 007, Sherlock, and The Beatles

by Cláudio Alves

The word 'iconic' gets thrown around a lot these days. So much so that its essence has become diluted, nearly meaningless. Nonetheless, some people do deserve to be called iconic. Costume designer Julie Harris, who was born 100 years ago, is one of them. If not her, then her work deserves the moniker. From the 1940s until 1991, Harris helped define the look of British cinema and pop culture, dressing a myriad of international stars and idols, working for some of the greatest directors ever.

Her impact was particularly felt in the 1960s when - designing films like Darling, the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Help! - she defined mod fashion on the silver screen. Furthermore, Harris dressed such iconic characters as James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and the Muppets. Her filmography's the stuff dreams are made of…

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