It’s that time of year again, awards season. Here at DAMChic, what more would we be looking at than those nominated for best costume design at the 2024 Oscars?! From the year of Barbie pink to the french revolutionary uniforms of Napoleon, the costume designers went above and beyond this year to help build the worlds we see on the big screen. Here I will be breaking down the costumes in this year’s nominated films, what made them great, who got snubbed, and giving my prediction for the winner!
Biggest Snub: Priscilla- Stacey Battat
Before we get into the nominees, it is important that we
acknowledge the biggest snub for the best costume design category at the Academy Awards; Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. To say that wardrobe is an important aspect to Coppola’s films would be an understatement, if anything, it could be considered the priority. Coppola recruited her frequent collaborator Stacey Battat as the costume designer for this film and Battat showed the life of Priscilla Presley through her clothing. At the beginning of the film, Priscilla is 14 years old and at the end she is 34. We see this transition through her 1950’s pastels at the beginning of the film, to her 1970’s boho chic and flared jeans she wears towards the end of the film.
If there is one thing we know about Elvis and Priscilla, it is that they never went anywhere, including the birth of their child, not dressed to the nines. When Priscilla starts seeing Elvis in the film, she ditches the paisley dresses for custom Chanel. This comes to the forefront in the 1967 wedding scene where we see Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) in a Chanel dress and heels and Elvis (Jacob Elordi) in a Valentino tux.
When Coppola announced she was making Priscilla with her $13 million budget, designers were at her feet wanting to partner in this film; “Battat credits sustainable label Eólas for some of Priscilla’s sweaters in Germany, Fabrizio Viti for shoes and Valentino for Elvis’ knitwear and suiting” (Soo Hoo, 2023).
Although Priscilla was not nominated for this category, or any Oscars, Sofia Coppola’s love for fashion and making it a priority for her films means there could be a potential award for frequent collaborator Stacey Batter in the future.
Nominees:
Napoleon – Janty Yates & David Crossman
One of the highly anticipated yet underachieving films that came out of 2024 was Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.” Scott collaborated with costume designer Janty Yates for the film Gladiator, and yet again for Napoleon. The question is whether or not this collaboration will win Yates another Oscar. Historical accuracy with costume can make or break a movie. Sometimes, accuracy is not the priority, an example being Milena Canonero’s costumes in Marie Antoinette, but it can still win you an Oscar. This is not the case with Napoleon. Although historical accuracy in costume was not the priority for Ridley Scott when making this film, it ended up being the result. Along with David Crossman, Yates made “thousands of uniforms, hundreds of civilian outfits and dozens of elegant ensembles for royalty and aristocrats” and learned that it “takes an army to dress an army” (Herman, 2023).
Hours of research went into this film regarding the Napoleonic era which is predominantly recorded through paintings. With a directory like Ridley Scott, the world is at your fingertips. Crossman said to the LA Times that they “were able to borrow lots of original French Revolution coats and breeches, [they] then took patterns form and made copies of. [They] used that for mass production” (Herman, 2023). Each of the hundreds of background actors had multiple historically accurate costumes, some of which can’t even be seen during the film. We haven’t seen many period piece films win in the costume design category in recent years, but Napoleon could quickly change that.
Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
There is no argument that the color of the year was ‘Barbie’ pink. Whether worn to the theater or on a night out, inspiration from Greta Gerwigs ‘Barbie’ costumes is undeniable. From the Chanel plaid patterns to the baby blush pink Birkenstocks, the prominent aesthetic has taken the world by storm. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran created outstanding life-size replicas of some of Barbie’s most iconic outfits from throughout the years. Most iconic included were Original Barbie, in her black and white strapless bathing suit, and 1994’s Hot Skatin’ Barbie and Ken consisting of neon rollerblades and 80’s workout attire.
In a similar way that Napoleon’s costume designers had a responsibility to represent the period of the French Revolution, Durran had the responsibility of accurately depicting Barbie herself, through her wardrobe. With almost a generation’s worth of Barbies to choose from, Durran had the task of turning Margot Robbie into the “perfect stereotypical Barbie.”
Oppenheimer – Ellen Mirojnick
As we get through awards season and closer to the Oscars, it is safe to assume it is the year of Oppenheimer. The question is whether or not historical accuracy in costume will overcome the creative innovation that we see in films like
Barbie and Poor Things. The task for costume designer Ellen Mirojnick is to capture the United States during WWII through clothing; dressing those involved in the Manhattan project, the scientists, politicians, and their families. Director of the film, Christopher Nolan, said he “wanted to make a film that wasn’t stylized or precious” (Coates, 2023), which usually are two of the first adjectives to come to mind when you think of film costumes. According to Mirojnick, Nolan didn’t want anyone in the film to wear a hat besides Oppenheimer, and this singular hat was to go with his only four suits; this means the hat was very important.
The question is whether or not a perfect hat, perfect suits, and being the film of the year, can take home this Academy Award.
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
At a staggering 3 hours and 26 minutes, Killers of the Flower Moon is making history as not only being considered director Martin Scorsese’s best, but more importantly, leading to the first nomination for a Native American in the best actress category for Lily Gladstone. Yet another period film, taking place in the 1920s, Osage County, Oklahoma, costume designer Jaqueline West made sure to do her homework; “she visited museums commemorating plundering oil tycoons and watched rare black-and-white home movies commissioned by Osage families” (Soo Hoo, 2023). West was also fortunate enough to find connections through Julie O’Keefe who ran a shop for 10 years of museum-quality regalia in Pawhuska Oklahoma. Referring to her upbringing and culture, O’Keefe said that “our clothing is very layered. And it can be very difficult, even if you’ve been raised in the culture, to put it all on and really get it right” (Soo Hoo, 2023)
Gladstone plays Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who survived the Osage Indian murders, and in order to depict her accurately, West studied photos and family heirlooms. West also had “William ‘Kugee’ Supernaw, the owner of Supernaw’s supply store, handcraft Millie’s treasured seed-bead necklace and silver circular Wabonka pins, cornerstones of Osage attire” (Soo Hoo,2023). While Lily Gladstone seems to have her nomination in the bag, can the same be said for Jacqueline West?
Poor Things– Holly Waddington
If there is one word to describe the costumes for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, it would be: shoulders. Starring Emma Stone as the witty and charming Bella Baxter, costume designer Holly Waddington got to dress her like a doll. Although set in the 1880s, this is not a period piece. Unlike the other films previously mentioned, historical accuracy was not a priority. Mixing different eras, materials, and fabrics, Waddington had creative control in how the characters looked in this ‘other world.’
As Bella grows “older,” her clothing does too. When she is home and a “child” she is wearing 1950’s knickers, poofy shoulders, and a Victorian era bustle, that has clearly been dismembered or thrown off by Bella herself, as children do. Not only are there many references to Victorian clothing, but also late ‘60s-early ‘70s sci-fi costumes, because at the end of the day, Poor Things is a scientific fiction movie. Bella’s optimistic colors of blue and yellow, reflect her naive yet positive outlook on the world she is beginning to know. When Bella is in Paris freed from the shackles of men, “she finally gains the freedom to experiment with her wardrobe, pairing diaphanous skirts with cropped silk jackets and bright yellow raincoats with flesh-colored blouses” (Seth, 2023).
Creative freedom can be the best or worst thing for a costume designer. Having the constraints of a period piece allow for limited options which results in more intentional and delicate choosing of what the characters wear. In a film like Poor Things, Waddington was resorting to her own imagination, and it paid off. Waddington created a look of clothing that has never before been seen in a film, and built a liberated and empowering world for Bella to live in through her wardrobe. Originality is hard to come by these days, especially in film, and this is what makes Poor Things truly a breath of fresh air.
This is why Holly Waddington’s work for Poor Things is my official pick and prediction for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Sources
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2023-12-11/costumes-napoleon-janty-y
ates-david-crossman-dress-an-army
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-visi
on-production-costume-design-1235789737/
https://variety.com/2023/artisans/awards/oppenheimer-costume-designer-cillian-murphy-hat-123
5681839/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a45511003/killers-of-the-flower-moon-costume-d
esigner-interview/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/killers-of-the-flower-moon-costume-
designer-hidden-messages-1235710199/
https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/poor-things-costume-designer-holly-waddington-interview
https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/priscilla-costume-designer-interview