The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

presented annually by the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

(AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design. The award was first given in 1949, for

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s made in 1948. Initially, separate award categories were established for black-and-white films and color films. Since the merger of the two categories in 1967, the academy has traditionally avoided giving out the award to films with a contemporary setting.

Award

The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is given out annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for the best achievement of film costume design of the previous year. Films that are eligible for the award must meet a series of criteria, including the requirement that the costumes must have been "conceived" by a costume designer. For this particular criteria, each submission is reviewed by the costume designer members of the Art Directors Branch prior to the ballot process. Further rules include that the nominee(s) be only the principal costume designer(s), that the five films that receive the highest number of votes will become the ceremony's nominations for final voting, and that the final voting will only be undertaken by active and life members of the academy.

History

The Academy Award for Best Costume Design was first given out at the

21st Academy Awards The 21st Academy Awards were held on March 24, 1949, honoring the films of 1948. The ceremony was moved from the Shrine Auditorium to the Academy's own theater, primarily because the major Hollywood studios had withdrawn their financial suppor ...

, held on March 24, 1949. The award had two subcategories, one for films in black and white and one for films in color. At the 30th Academy Awards, held on March 26, 1958, these two subcategories were merged into one, which was the result of the academy reducing the number of competitive categories from 30 to 24. The 32nd Academy Awards saw the category again be split into two for recognition of both black and white and color film. Eight years later, the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, along with two other awards, were each combined into their own single category recognizing achievement in film. From 1949 to 1966, most Academy Awards for Best Costume Design in Black and White were given to a contemporary movie. On the other hand, epics, fantasies, and musicals dominated the color category. Since the merger into one singular category for color films in 1967, films set in modern times have won only three times. The three contemporary-set winners have been '' Travels with My Aunt'', '' All That Jazz'', and '' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert''. All other winners during this period have been set in the past or in a science-fiction or fantasy setting.

Winners and nominees

Most wins and nominations

Edith Head won eight times and was nominated 35 times in all, both the most in history. Milena Canonero and

Colleen Atwood Colleen Atwood (born September 25, 1948) is an American costume designer. Atwood has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design twelve times, winning four times - for the films '' Chicago'' (2002), ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' (20 ...

are the most honored living designers, with four awards each.

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Notes

Multiple nominations

The following 85 designers have received multiple nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. This list is sorted by the number of total awards (with the number of total nominations listed in parentheses). *8: Edith Head (35) *5: Irene Sharaff (15) *4:

(12) *4: Milena Canonero (9) *3: Charles LeMaire (16) *3: Sandy Powell (15) *3:

Dorothy Jeakins Dorothy Jeakins (January 11, 1914 – November 21, 1995) was an American costume designer. Born in San Diego, California, she went to public school in Los Angeles from first grade through high school. When she was a senior at Fairfax High Scho ...

(12) *3:

Jenny Beavan Jenny Beavan, OBE (born 1950) is an English costume designer. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design eleven times, winning three awards for the movies ''A Room With A View'' (1985) (for which she shared an award wit ...

(11) *3: Anthony Powell (6) *3:

Orry-Kelly Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964), an Australian-American Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014, he was the most prolific Australian-b ...

(4) *3: James Acheson (3) *2: Helen Rose (10) *2: Jacqueline Durran (8) *2: Albert Wolsky (7) *2:

Gile Steele Gile Steele (24 September 1908, in Ohio – 16 January 1952, in Culver City, California), was a Hollywood costume designer. His career began at MGM in 1938 with one of his first assignments being the Norma Shearer film ''Marie Antoinette''. He ...

(6) *2: Danilo Donati (5) *2:

Vittorio Nino Novarese Vittorio Nino Novarese (May 15, 1907 in Rome, Italy – October 17, 1983 in Los Angeles, United States) was an Italian costume designer who found great success in Hollywood after decamping there in 1949. In his first year there he scored an Oscar n ...

(5) *2: Ann Roth (5) *2: Mark Bridges (4) *2: Phyllis Dalton (3) *2:

Piero Gherardi Piero Gherardi (20 November 1909 – 8 June 1971) was the Costume and Set Designer of Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' and ''8½'', winning an Oscar for each film in the category of Best Costume Design. Born in Poppi, Tuscany, Piero Ghera ...

(3) *2: Catherine Martin (3) *2: Cecil Beaton (2) *2: Elizabeth Haffenden (2) *2:

John Mollo John Mollo (18 March 1931 – 25 October 2017) was a British costume designer and book author, most known for his Oscar-winning costume design for the '' Star Wars'' film series. He was the older brother of Andrew Mollo. Biography Mollo was b ...

(2) *1: Jean Louis (14) *1:

Walter Plunkett Walter Plunkett (June 5, 1902 in Oakland, California – March 8, 1982) was a prolific costume designer who worked on more than 150 projects throughout his career in the Hollywood film industry. Born in Oakland, California, Plunkett studied ...

(10) *1:

Bill Thomas William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representing California's 22nd congressional district a ...

(10) *1: Mary Wills (7) *1: John Bright (6) *1:

Alexandra Byrne Alexandra Byrne (born 1962) is an English costume designer. Much of her career has focused on creating costumes for period dramas. These films include ''Persuasion'' (1995), ''Hamlet'' (1996), '' Elizabeth'' (1998), '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), ...

(6) *1:

Margaret Furse Margaret Furse (born Alice Margaret Watts, 18 February 1911 – 8 July 1974) was an English costume designer. Personal life She was born to ''Punch'' magazine illustrator Arthur G. Watts and his wife, Phyllis Gordon Watts. She married art ...

(6) *1: Renie Conley (5) *1: Marjorie Best (4) *1: William Travilla (4) *1: Theoni V. Aldredge (3) *1: Ruth E. Carter (3) *1:

Ngila Dickson Ngila Beryl Dickson (born 1958) is a costume designer from New Zealand. Her most notable work is in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' and ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', both of which were filmed in New Ze ...

(3) *1:

Norma Koch Norma Koch (March 27, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was an American costume designer, usually credited as Norma, who won the Oscar for the film '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' in the category Best Costume design-Black and White during the 196 ...

(3) *1: Michael O'Connor (3) *1: Gabriella Pescucci (3) *1: Edward Stevenson (3) *1: Marik Vos (3) *1: Tony Walton (3) *1: Yvonne Blake (2) *1: Eiko Ishioka (2) *1:

Elois Jenssen Elois Jenssen (November 5, 1922 – February 14, 2004) was an American film and television costume designer. She earned Academy Awards nominations for design work in the Cecil B. DeMille production ''Samson and Delilah'' (1949) and for her work ...

(2) *1:

Barbara Karinska Varvara Jmoudsky, better known as Barbara Karinska or simply Karinska (October 3, 1886 – October 18, 1983), was the Oscar-winning costumier of cinema, ballet, musical and dramatic theatre, lyric opera and ice spectacles. Over her 50 year caree ...

(2) *1: Theodor Pištěk (2) *1: Richard Taylor (2) *1:

Arlington Valles Born as Fred Valles on 4 May 1886 in London, this Hollywood costume designer took the name Arlington Valles as his professional handle, eventually jettisoning the "Arlington" part completely. He first provided costumes for the 1938 version of '' ...

(2) *0: Patricia Norris (6) *0: Piero Tosi (5) *0: Howard Shoup (5) *0: Donfeld (4) *0:

Moss Mabry Moss Mabry (July 5, 1918 – January 25, 2006) was an American costume designer. Biography He started off designing costumes for his high school plays, but actually studied mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. He later went to ...

(4) *0: Janet Patterson (4) *0:

Jacqueline West Jacqueline West is an American costume designer whose work has been recognized in numerous films such as '' Quills'' (2000), ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003), '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008), '' State of Play'' (200 ...

(4) *0:

Ray Aghayan Gorgen Ray Aghayan (July 28, 1928 – October 10, 2011) was an American fashion designer and costume designer for the United States film industry. He won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his costume design. From the earl ...

(3) *0: Consolata Boyle (3) *0:

Donald Brooks Donald Brooks (January 9, 1928 – August 1, 2005) was an American fashion designer and creator of the "American Look" founded in the 1950s and 1960s. He had an immense passion for stage and film, designing well over 3500 costumes. His effor ...

(3) *0: Morton Haack (3) *0:

Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...

(3) *0:

Judianna Makovsky Judianna Makovsky (born 24 August 1955) is an American costume designer, who is perhaps best known for her work on the films ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003) and ''The Hunger Games'' (2012), as well as ...

(3) *0: Arianne Phillips (3) *0:

Anna B. Sheppard Anna Biedrzycka Sheppard (born 18 January 1946) is a Polish costume designer. Sheppard made many films with directing masters like Steven Spielberg, Roman Polański, and Quentin Tarantino. She has earned three Academy Award for Best Costume ...

(3) *0:

William Ware Theiss William Ware Theiss (; November 20, 1931 – December 15, 1992), was an American costume designer for television and film. His film credits as costume designer include ''Spartacus'', ''Harold and Maude'', '' Bound for Glory'', '' Pete's Dra ...

(3) *0: Theadora Van Runkle (3) *0:

Miles White Miles E. White (July 27, 1914 – February 17, 2000) was a top costume designer of Broadway musicals for 25 years. He is known in the entertainment industry for his well rendered, prolific, imaginative and witty designs. He won recognition, in ...

(3) *0:

Paul Zastupnevich Paul Zastupnevich (December 24, 1921 – May 9, 1997) was an American costume designer and assistant to movie producer and director Irwin Allen, active in film from 1959 to 1980. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Desi ...

(3) *0:

Mary Zophres Mary Zophres is an American costume designer who has worked in the film industry since 1994. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design four times for '' True Grit'' (2010), ''La La Land'' (2016), '' The Ballad of Buste ...

(3) *0: Sharen Davis (2) *0:

Paco Delgado Francisco "Paco" Delgado López is a Spanish costume designer from Lanzarote, Canary Islands. He is best known for his nominations for the Academy Awards in the category of Best Costume Design twice: at the 85th Academy Awards for the film '' ...

(2) *0: René Hubert (2) *0: John Jensen (2) *0:

Ralph Jester Ralph Jester (July 10, 1901 – September 25, 1991) was an American costume designer, sculptor, and artist. Born in Tyler, Texas, he graduated in 1919 from the Terrill School, the forerunner to St. Mark's School of Texas. He was educated at Yale ...

(2) *0: Joanna Johnston (2) *0:

Anna Hill Johnstone Anna Hill Johnstone (April 7, 1913 – October 16, 1992) was an American costume designer. Known for her collaborations with directors Elia Kazan, Sidney Lumet and Frank Perry, she received two Academy Award nominations for her work on ''The Godf ...

(2) *0: Irene Lentz (2) *0: Anthony Mendleson (2) *0:

Herschel McCoy Herschel McCoy (August 6, 1912 – February 3, 1956) was an American motion picture costume designer with credits on more than 150 feature films from 1936 to 1955. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. McCoy's ear ...

(2) *0:

Maurizio Millenotti Maurizio Millenotti (born 12 June 1946) is an Italian costume designer. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design: the first time for his work in ''Otello'' (1986). The second time for his work in ''Hamlet ''The T ...

(2) *0: Judy Moorcroft (2) *0: Ruth Myers (2) *0: Mary Ann Nyberg (2) *0:

Massimo Cantini Parrini Massimo Cantini Parrini (born 13 April 1972) is an Italian costume designer. Life and career Born in Florence, Cantini Parrini graduated in fashion culture and stylism from the University of Florence and in costume designing at the Centro Sper ...

(2) *0:

Bob Ringwood Bob Ringwood (born 25 November 1946) is a British costume designer who has been nominated for two Academy Awards. He is perhaps best known for designing the Stillsuits in David Lynch's ''Dune'' (1984) and supervising the fabrication of the Bats ...

(2) *0: Shirley Ann Russell (2) *0:

Luis Sequeira Luis Sequeira is a Canadian costume designer of Portuguese descent. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and has been nominated two times for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design on two of h ...

(2) *0: Anthea Sylbert (2) *0: Joe I. Tompkins (2) *0:

Julie Weiss Julie Weiss is a costume designer who has been nominated for two Academy Awards, Seven Emmys and one BAFTA Award. She has won two Emmys for costumes. She also was nominated for a Tony Award, at the 33rd Tony Awards for '' The Elephant Man''. ...

(2)

References

External links

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official site
{{Academy Award Best Costume Design Costume Design Awards for film costume design Costume design

Award

History

Winners and nominees

Most wins and nominations

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Notes

Multiple nominations

See also

References

External links