By now, you probably know Mad Max’s Jenny Beavan took home the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, but did you catch the rest of the FIDM Museum’s Oscar Week coverage? Don’t miss our exclusive interviews with nominated Costume Designers Paco Delgado, Jacqueline West, and Sandy Powell; read on for a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood’s most glamorous week!
Costume Designer Guild Awards – Tuesday, February 23
Costume designers from film and television gathered to celebrate a year of outstanding achievement in their field, and the FIDM Museum was in attendance to cover the event (did you follow us on Snapchat?) Actress Mindy Kaling had the crowd in stitches when she introduced Costume Designers Guild President Salvador Perez, wearing a vibrant fuchsia dress designed by Perez himself. Jenny Eagan took home the award for Excellence in Contemporary Film for her work on Beasts of No Nation, and shared the difficult reality of shooting on location in Ghana – there were no racks, and only one washing machine for the entire cast and crew! Paco Delgado paid tribute to the brave life of transgender woman Lili Elbe when he won Excellence in Period Film for The Danish Girl.
Renowned Costume Designer Sandy Powell awarded her frequent collaborator Cate Blanchett with the Lacoste Spotlight Award, an honor given to actors who recognize the importance of costume design in creating characters. Powell joked of her good friend, “Cate Blanchett is so bloody perfect, she makes you want to give up and try again in your next life!” Blanchett spoke of the important work of costume designers, and remarked that the fitting room is where “you actually get to make manifest the psychological things you’d been talking about in the rehearsal room.” Hateful Eight co-stars Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh presented Director Quentin Tarantino with the Distinguished Collaborator award (Tarantino noted that while his costume designers have not won Oscars for Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, or Pulp Fiction, they always dominate on Halloween!) Jenny Beavan foreshadowed her Oscar win by taking home the Excellence in Fantasy Film award for Mad Max: Fury Road, telling the audience “What a lovely day!” To cap off an extraordinary evening, the legendary Ellen Mirojnick was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for her incredible work on classics such as Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Behind the Candelabra, and television’s The Knick. See the winning film costumes from Beasts of No Nation, The Danish Girl and Mad Max, as well as Powell and Blanchett’s collaborations on Cinderella and Carol in the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition!
Brooklyn at FIDM Museum – Wednesday, February 24
The FIDM Museum hosted Brooklyn Costume Designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux and Producer Finola Dwyer and for an evening celebrating their film and its portrayal of an Irish immigrant making her way in 1951 New York. Dicks-Mireaux told Red Carpet Report, “I wanted to do real clothes. Not sentimental. Not sad island. We wanted to do proud Ireland. We wanted to be real and logical. People in Ireland had nice clothes, but not a lot of them. Everything was looked after with great care and everything was passed down. And then when you look at the American vintage clothing there was a real color and pattern that was very different and it was a real pleasure to use that on the screen.” Brooklyn was nominated for three Academy Awards – including Best Picture – and the Museum is proud to have these lovely period costumes on display.
Swarovski Celebration of Costume Design – Thursday, February 25
FIDM Museum staff played Fairy Godmother for the night when we dressed Sandy Powell’s magnificent blue ballgown and glass slipper from Cinderella for Swarovski’s celebration of costume designers. Swarovski has a long history of working with costume designers for film, television, and music projects. The company’s partnership with Powell produced the shimmering blue dress worn by Lily James in the climatic party scene, and they provided a total of 1.7 million crystals for all of the film’s costumes! Swarovski also collaborated with the designer to produce the iconic glass slipper, based on an 1890s shoe Powell found at the Northhampton Museum & Art Gallery. Powell even designed an exclusive line for Atlier Swarovski based on Blanchett’s character, Lady Tremaine. Guests were wowed by the stunning display of Cinderella’s gown and slipper, which was shown alongside Madonna’s MDNA crystal-embellished top, designed by Arianne Phillips, and Lady Gaga’s Swarovski encrusted glove from American Horror Story, created by Michael Schmidt in collaboration with the show’s designer – and CDGA winner – Lou Eyrich. Salvador Perez, Jenny Eagan, Daniel Orlandi, Ellen Mirojnick, Sandy Powell, and Arianne Phillips enjoyed costume-themed cocktails (The Glass Slipper, The Bear Hug, The War Rig, etc.) We can’t wait to see what films of 2016 will sparkle with Swarovski!
Jenny Beavan wins Academy Award – Sunday, February 26
The culmination of this celebratory week was Sunday’s 88th Academy Award Ceremony. Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road) was the night’s winner for Best Costume Design; Paco Delgado (The Danish Girl), Sandy Powell (Cinderella, Carol), and Jacqueline West (The Revenant) were also nominated. Cate Blanchett presented Jenny Beavan the award among a display of dressed mannequins and sketches on stage. Beavan wore her signature casual style, and delighted viewers with a Marks & Spencer faux-leather jacket emblazoned with Swarovski rhinestone flaming skull imagery from Mad Max. Read more about Beavan’s design process for the film here.
What a fantastic week for the world of film! The FIDM Museum is honored to be a part of this annual recognition of Costume Design. You can see the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition until April 30, which includes CDGA winners, Academy Award nominees, and of course this year’s Oscar winner – Mad Max: Fury Road.
