Best Costumes

In the days leading up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Costume Design. We've looked at the costumes in Across the Universe and Atonement, now let's examine those in La Vie en Rose.

Though it's hard to take your eyes off Marion Cotillard channeling Edith Piaf long enough to look at the costumes, I can easily see why this film was nominated. It's not that the clothing is outrageously ornate or complicated, but that the designers so thoroughly recreated the time period of Piaf's life. Similar to the Best Costumes nomination for The Queen last year, this nomination honors the accurate depiction of an actual person's life.

The costumes aid Cotillard's disappearance into Piaf's character by conveying her ascent from impoverished teenage street urchin to glamorous adult chanteuse. Although Piaf was always physically frail and slender (hence her nickname "The Sparrow"), the '40s-style dresses she wears in her triumphant stage performances help express both her strength and vulnerability. When this tiny woman belts out such songs as "Je ne regrette rien" ("I Have No Regrets"), her black dress with delicate lace detailing combined with strong shoulders echoes this dichotomy.

To check out a gallery of images from La Vie en Rose, read more

In the days leading up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Costume Design. We've already taken a look at the costumes in Across the Universe, now let's turn our attention to Atonement.

I've gushed about the superb art direction in Atonement, and the costumes are a huge part of the beautiful overall look and feel of the film. Of course, the emerald green dress worn by Keira Knightley's character Cecilia during one of the most pivotal moments in the film has garnered a lot of attention, and will most likely draw in a pretty penny in the auction benefiting The Children’s Charity of Southern California.

But every one of the costumes in Atonement is carefully chosen. From the smart nurses' uniforms worn by Briony to Cecilia's delicate floral summer dress, the costumes lend an authenticity to the time period and help to paint this desperately romantic and tragic tale.

To see the rest of the gallery of costume images from Atonement, read more

In the days leading up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Costume Design. This category plays a huge role in film making, as costumes can make or break the authenticity of a film, convey things that words cannot, or just add to the overall magic on the big screen. Today's featured movie is Across the Universe.

Though some criticized the overall job Julie Taymor did converting the beloved Beatles songbook into a musical, it is hard to deny the quality of the film's feast for the eyes. Taymor became one of the most innovative forces on Broadway when she brought the Disney animated film The Lion King to the stage in a way no one had ever seen before (think: giant puppets). So it's no suprise that the costumes in this film reach beyond the traditional period piece decadence and into effects that include background dancers dressed in larger-than-life, puppet-like pieces. The overall effect is extremely, well, trippy — which is exactly what a movie musical nostalgic for the psychedelic mood of the '60s should invoke. No wonder Oscar took notice.

To check out a bunch of pictures from the film, read more

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for best costumes, and today's featured movie is Curse of the Golden Flower.

I'm not sure how many people even saw this movie, but everyone can probably agree that the costumes are spectacular. All that gold! It is truly dazzling. I don't really need to see the film now, actually. I just want to frame some pictures of these costumes and give them out as gifts. Before viewing this gallery of unbelievable beauty, you might want to find your sunglasses, then read more

This week I've been featuring the Oscar nominees for Best Costumes, and on Friday I'll ask you to vote for the one you think should win. In the meantime, I've planned this week's Movie Night around three movies that I think were completely deserving of their Best Costume wins.

Amadeus
One of my all-time favorite movies, Amadeus is so much more than just an amazing period piece. It tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, rising to fame in the early 19th century. The costumes do an impressive job of pulling you into the incredible opulence of that time period and class, though my favorite part is Tom Hulce, who makes Mozart into a very funny, enthusiastic, and flawed genius.

For two more stunning picks, read more

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for best costumes, and today's featured movie is The Queen.

Like any biographical drama, The Queen faces the challenge of reflecting the style and dress of actual people at a precise time in history. The costumes in The Queen accurately and naturally portray the Royal Family in 1997 London, so that they are a seamless (ha ha) aspect of the storytelling and not a distraction. In this case, it's not so much that the costumes are dazzling, as in Marie Antoinette or Dreamgirls, but that they are so normal that you never doubt the authenticity of the story.
To check out The Queen's costumes, read more

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for best costumes, and today's featured movie is Marie Antoinette.

Sofia Coppola did some interesting things with this story trying to make it "cool" and palatable for today's youth-obsessed culture. Yet, the outcome basically resembles a modern-day music video, complete with hip songs and bright, flashy costumes. The costumes have caught the eye of the Academy, and rightfully so. The rich, candy-like colors and textures remind me of sugary-sweet, powder-puff confections, making for a visually dazzling film. So to take a break and treat yourself to these costume photos, read more

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. Last week, I started with cinematography, and this week I'll be looking at the nominees for best costumes.

Yesterday, we checked out the the highly coveted wardrobe of The Devil Wears Prada, and today's featured movie is Dreamgirls. For this musical saga of a fictional Motown group, costume designer Sharen Davis (who also received an Oscar nomination for Ray) had to dream up ostentatious but authentic-looking fashions as the characters went through countless costume changes both on stage and off. To see a gallery of fashion from Dreamgirls, read more

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. Last week, I started with cinematography, and this week I'll be looking at the nominees for best costumes. First up: the highly coveted wardrobe of The Devil Wears Prada. The tall order of outfitting the characters in this flashy, high-fashion film fell to Patricia Field, best known for her edgy work on Sex and the City, and she really did rise to the occasion. To see a gallery of fashion from The Devil Wears Prada, read more