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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Costume Design - 2013 Oscar Nominations

Period films and fantasy rule the costume design category of the Academy Awards this year.  Every nominee was already quite accomplished with numerous awards before this year.  Even so, the work below speaks for itself on its own film's merits:


For the lush Anna Karenina, costume designer Jacqueline Durran first studies paintings of the 1870's then drew inspiration from 1950's silhouettes for a more contemporary feel.  This is the couture candidate, bringing in millions worth of Chanel diamonds and gowns inspired by Balenciaga and Dior.


For the historical biopic Lincoln,  Oscar-nominated costume designer Johanna Johnston found an unlikely muse in Mary Todd Lincoln. Johnston says she became fascinated by the “over-fussed” First Lady, who used clothing to compensate for her plain looks. 

Spanish designer Paco Delgado had collaborated with filmaker Pedro Almodovar and won awards for his theater work.  However, the sheer scope of overseeing over 2200 looks for the grand scale of Les Miserables was intimidating.  He used color and texture in his costumes to tell the stories of his characters.


·         I wasn't the biggest fan of the film Mirror Mirror, the family-friendly take on the Snow White story.  However, I was a huge fan of the late costume artist Eiko Ishioka the first minute I saw the dramatic armor costumes in Bram Stoker's Dracula when I was in high school.  She was a frequent collaborator with director Tarsem.  This was her last film.


       My all-time hero in the art of costume design has got to be Colleen Atwood.  She has a gorgeous dark aesthetic that has dressed some of my favorite films.  Her creations for Snow White and the Huntsman are some of her best yet.  One of my best moments in blogging has been the opportunity to interview her earlier this year before the movie came out.  Check out the post here.  

      Who are you rooting for on February 24th? 
Photos from DAVID JAMES, 20th century fox, MOVIELINE.COM,universal pictures,vogue.com,wwd.com

1 comment:

Photo Pit Master said...

gorgeous, it's why I go to movies

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