February is a special time of year for the FIDM Museum; our gallery transforms into another universe, with cowboys and rock stars, queens and superheros, stylish con artists and brave activists representing a year in film costume design. For the 2019 exhibition, now in its 27th year, we’ve focused on how costume designers create an entire visual world from scratch – from the leading actor to the thousands of extras, each wardrobe decision helps to immerse the audience into a new reality. It is the job of costume designers and their teams to dream, design, and execute the wardrobe for each world, no matter the time period, physical setting, or film genre.
The exhibition also highlights the costume design process from start to finish. As you wander through the gallery, see how designers costume a character with sketches, mood boards, and reference photos on tablets available to browse. Behind-the-scenes videos for a selection of films further delve into the complicated process of building a universe of screen. Once again, we are thrilled to include all five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell (Mary Poppins Returns and The Favourite), Ruth Carter (Black Panther), Alexandra Byrne (Mary Queen of Scots) and Mary Zophres (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs).
As always, the exhibition is free and open to the public from February 5 – April 12; note that the Museum is closed on Friday, February 15. Extra motivation to attend in the first week: the one-of-a-kind replica spacesuit created for Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong in First Man (costume designer Mary Zophres) will only be in the gallery for one week – make sure to visit before February 9 to see this impressive suit in person! Stay tuned throughout the run of the exhibition as we announce our schedule of events – you won’t want to miss seeing your favorite costume designer speak in person!
Every costume in the exhibition represents an exciting contribution to the craft of costume design – in this exhibition, blockbuster fan favorites and small art house films alike are equally valued for the designer’s creative vision. Scroll down for a peek inside the gallery, as well as a glimpse into our opening night reception on February 2.
Welcome to the 27th annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition!
Mary Zophres, Academy Award nominated costume designer for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs; Zophres stands in front of the space suit from her film First Man (on display for one week only!)
Mary Vogt, costume designer for Crazy Rich Asians
Gucci loafers worn by Awkwafina as Goh Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians
Members of the Black Design Collective with Ruth Carter, Academy Award nominee for Black Panther: TJ Walker, Ruth Carter, Angela Dean, and Kevan Hall (FIDM Alum)
Detail of Warrior Falls scene costume worn by Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia in Black Panther
FIDM Museum Director Barbara Bundy, Curator Kevin Jones, and Creative Director Peter Lam
Erin Benach, costume designer for A Star is Born
Detail of Aquaman suit worn by Jason Momoa, costume designer Kym Barrett
Mark Bridges with his 2018 Academy Award winning costume from Phantom Thread
Detail of hat worn by Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, costume designer Sandy Powell
Guests enjoy the sketch wall in the 27th annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition
