With the Costume Designers Guild having given out their prizes, it’s now time for us to weigh in on the Costume Design award for the Oscars. In addition to our predictions, you’ll find five facts and our favorite and least favorite wins.

Trivia: Five Facts

• Introduced in 1948, the category started out with Black-and-White and Color categories through 1956 and again from 1959 to 1966.
• Last year, the 101st statuette was given out in this category.
• This is the only category outside of the acting prizes where a woman is the most nominated. Edith Head received 35 nominations in her career, more than double her nearest competitor Charles LeMaire with 16 nods. Irene Sharaff had 15 nominations, Jean Louis had 14 and Dorothy Jeakins with 12. Head is also the top winner with 8 awards. Irene Sharaff received 5, and the remaining top winners all received 3 Oscars: James Acheson, Milena Canonero, Dorothy Jeakins, Charles LeMaire, Orry-Kelly and Anthony Powell.
• From the beginning of the Costume Design category, there’s been a regular link between Art Direction and Costume Design. Between 1948 and 1967, while the categories were split into Black-and-White and Color, 15 races went to the same film (1952 was the only year where both sets or prizes went to the same film) out of 36 contests. Outside of those color/b&w splits, there have been 44 years of competition with 23 correlations.
• This is a category where a single costume designer traditionally wins the award, however several design teams have won the award. 17 such wins have occurred (out of 78 contests) with two teams of three and one team of five.

Predictions

• Bright Star (Wesley, Peter)
• Coco Before Chanel
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
• Nine (Tripp)
• The Young Victoria (Wesley, Peter, Tripp)

KEY: (Winner Prediction) (Alternate Winner)

The Commentary

Wesley Lovell – What I’ve been reading from people trying to predict this category is that they can’t understand why The Young Victoria is being talked up so much. Well, as the image I attached shows, these are the kinds of showy gowns the Oscars love. Not only does each character in this image have a completely different style, it’s easy to tell the class and station of each person on the screen. These showy, yet invisible outfits are what this category was made for. Bright Star, being a part of the same era, could also win, but I’d be a little bit surprised if Vic doesn’t triumph.
Peter J. Patrick – The clothes within the context of the main character’s dresses having been designed by the character herself certainly gives impetus to Bright Star, but the costumes for The Young Victoria are more exquisite and representative of the kind of costumes that win this award. While I’d love to see Bright Star win, I won’t be at all upset by a win for The Young Victoria.
Tripp Burton – This is not a category that tends to award subtlety, instead focusing its attention on big, lavish period pieces. In that case, The Young Victoria jumps to the forefront as the front runner, especially if you consider that the other two period pieces (Coco Before Chanel and Bright Star) are not as flashy as The Young Victoria. Musicals often tend to do well in this category, but Nine (the frontrunner a few months ago) has lost a lot of steam and fallen by the wayside. It may be able to squeak by here, but look for the biggest show to win this one.

Our Favorite Winners

KEY:
Appears on Two Lists
Appears on Three Lists
Appears on Four Lists
Appears on Opposing Lists

Wesley Lovell

1. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (These gorgeous period costumes were stunningly crafted with rich detail making for one of the most deserving winners this category has seen.)
2. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Period films have oftentimes carried this category despite the inventiveness and originality in other pictures. It’s great to see a film like this actually win the award.)
3. Amadeus (Much like Dracula, Amadeus is a sumptuous feast of period clothes that embody the characters that don them. From Mozart’s outlandish outfits to Saliere’s austere wardrobe.)
4. Death on the Nile (Watching this film, you’re struck immediately by the period detail presented and shocked further that the film managed to win.)
5. Memoirs of a Geisha (It’s a period of history and style seldom recognized at the Oscars, but the wonderful costumes in Geisha are delightful selection)

Peter J. Patrick

1. All About Eve (smart, then-contemporary styles.)
2. The King and I (exquisite detail and who can forget Deborah Kerr’s ball gown?)
3. Gigi (gorgeous and stunning.)
4. Romeo & Juliet (sheer perfection.)
5. La Dolce Vita (sublime mix of then contemporary and classic designs.)

Tripp Burton

1. Amadeus (The diversity of costumes, from royalty to peasantry, is perfectly assembled)
2. Marie Antoinette (A movie that I love much more than anyone else, but you can’t deny the gorgeous, boundary pushed and lived-in costumes are a success)
3. My Fair Lady (Cecil Beaton’s gowns and suits are perfection)
4. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Gawdy and over-the-top, this surprise winner is a well-deserved one)
5. The Last Emperor (Lots of color and flash, yet real and authentic)

Our Least Favorite Winners

KEY:
Appears on Two Lists
Appears on Three Lists
Appears on Four Lists
Appears on Opposing Lists

Wesley Lovell

1. Gandhi (Perhaps the most bland collection of costumes ever to win this category. Even the contemporary films that have picked up this trophy have been more effective and evocative than Gandhi.)
2. Ben-Hur (Togas have gotten more awards at the Oscars than they really should. Presumably awarded for the period detail, nothing presented in Ben-Hur seems deserving of consideration.)
3. Gladiator (The similarities between Gladiator and Gandhi are striking.)
4. Some Like It Hot (Although I’m pleased to see a modern-set piece win the award, I can’t really think of much that deserved recognition in this film.)
5. Hamlet (Like its rather plain sets, the costumes here seem like they were snatched from a high school drama department wardrobe.)

Peter J. Patrick

1. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (nothing new and anything that allows this rotten film to be declared an Oscar winner in any category is utterly ridiculous.)
2. The Duchess (Dull movie with attention grabbing designs that fail to hold your attention.)
3. All That Jazz (gaudy, glitzy and totally unattractive.)
4. Moulin Rouge! (the costumes here draw too much attention to themselves. )
5. The Facts of Life (Lucille Ball has never looked so unattractive on screen. I mean, seriously, who would wear those clothes in real life?)

Tripp Burton

1. The Facts of Life (What costume in this film stands out in the least?)
2. Chariots of Fire (Boring, dull costuming)
3. Camelot (Dull, dumpy costumes from a dull, plodding film)
4. The Sting (Fine costumes, but nothing overly special)
5. Bugsy (Fine costumes again, but nothing overly special)