OVP: Best Costume (2008)
The Nominees Were...
Catherine Martin, Australia
Jacqueline West, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor, The Duchess
Danny Glicker, Milk
Albert Wolsky, Revolutionary Road
Jacqueline West, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor, The Duchess
Danny Glicker, Milk
Albert Wolsky, Revolutionary Road
My Thoughts: Perhaps no other tech category gets people back in the room quite like Costume Design. It's one of those rare categories that's easy to understand (unlike, say, Sound Editing) and is really a centerpiece of the entire evening. After all, for many viewers the Oscars have become something of a fashion show interrupted by an awards ceremony. As a result, we probably all have opinions on these costumes even if we haven't seen the film.
I once got into an argument with a friend of mine about The Young Victoria, a film that won this award in 2009 but I didn't select it for the OVP (you can see this contest, as well as every other past Best Costume battle that we've gone through, below). This is probably the same sort of argument she would go with over the exquisite and provocative designs Michael O'Connor brought to The Duchess, a largely forgotten film at this point that in 2008 was noted for the insanity of Keira Knightley's hats (Knightley has become this category's good luck charm in the Aughts, with four nominated films in the past ten years). Part of the craziness of the film is not just the costuming but the hairstyling (if Best Makeup had Hairstyling as a deciding factor a few years back like it does now, this would have been a slam-dunk nomination), but it's hard to deny the costumes are eye-popping. O'Connor seems to borrow as much from Dr. Seuss as he does couture, making increasingly outlandish hats and gowns for Knightley to wear. The result is extraordinary, even if it might actually take away a bit from the film-if you're going for subtle, this isn't it, and this isn't a catwalk but a costume design Oscar, so I'd subtract some points for when the designs take away from Knightley's work.
Subtle is something that Milk has going for it in very interesting ways. The film is both trying to find a way to recreate the looks of the 1970's, particularly in the Castro, but also to find clothes that fit the specific character. Too often in these sorts of films you simply have them wearing something that reflects the era, but Glicker goes further and finds a way to match characters with their looks. You have Harvey wearing baggy suits, a man little involved with vanity who knows his ideas and charms are what attract people to him, while someone like Scott is poured into skin-tight shirts and flattering jeans, as he has lived much of his life as a trophy boyfriend, and knows that's what guys around him are looking for; this careful detail to character's personalities is something that a lot of costume designers, particularly modern-era designers, would have forgotten, and it adds a level to Milk that helps build side characters where most films simply forget about them in the background.
Benjamin Button also has to deal with specific decades, many of them in a row, in fact, but a lot of the dresses seem out of time. There's a few where it seems to reflect the era (for example, Benjamin's leather jacket or anything that Queenie is wearing), but overall the film is more interested in the mood of the costumes. This seems wise, particularly since Benjamin is at its best as a love story and not a Sci Fi or even historically accurate film (at those points it threatens to veer into Forrest Gump territory). Instead we get a shocking red dress from Cate Blanchett or a "I want you to notice me being special" fur from Tilda Swinton. The film's best decision is to pick clothes that would likely look at home on a catwalk today, while still not totally alienating their era. It helps that Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt are all fashion icons when it comes to these wears (they know how to get a Costume designer who cuts things properly), but the costumes match the scenery and the mood, and that's enchanting.
The same can be said for the marvelous work being done in Revolutionary Road. I thought everything about Kate Winslet in this film was exquisite, particularly the pale green dress worn up-top. There's a sophistication in this work that in many ways recalls Mad Men-cool attention to detail, never quite gaudy or plain, but instead worn like someone who frequently reads the fashion magazines and wants to present the perfect portrait to neighbors. Frank and April are "the Joneses," that elusive couple you want to emulate and keep up with, and their clothes, frequently tailored to perfection, fit that mold. I like that no one in the film ever remotely approaches them in terms of taste, showing a nice contrast in their clothes with that of, say, the Givings' family.
The only nominee, quite frankly, that I wasn't wild about was Australia and Catherine Martin's admittedly impressive but ill-fitting for the film duds. The movie is a gigantic mess if you haven't seen it (you might see Baz and Nicole's names together and think eureka!, but sadly it wasn't a success or a musical). The film has Kidman, always glamorous, in impossibly elegant outfits, but they never fit her character and certainly not her circumstances. She wears a riding outfit that looks more like a debutante ball than someone who can herd cattle, and Hugh Jackman's only real achievement in costuming is the famous shirtless scene, and that's really more on his gym trainer and God for creating. The film definitely has its moments, and in a print ad these designs could rival the others, but they don't fit the movie and you need that to happen in order to successfully costume a film.
I once got into an argument with a friend of mine about The Young Victoria, a film that won this award in 2009 but I didn't select it for the OVP (you can see this contest, as well as every other past Best Costume battle that we've gone through, below). This is probably the same sort of argument she would go with over the exquisite and provocative designs Michael O'Connor brought to The Duchess, a largely forgotten film at this point that in 2008 was noted for the insanity of Keira Knightley's hats (Knightley has become this category's good luck charm in the Aughts, with four nominated films in the past ten years). Part of the craziness of the film is not just the costuming but the hairstyling (if Best Makeup had Hairstyling as a deciding factor a few years back like it does now, this would have been a slam-dunk nomination), but it's hard to deny the costumes are eye-popping. O'Connor seems to borrow as much from Dr. Seuss as he does couture, making increasingly outlandish hats and gowns for Knightley to wear. The result is extraordinary, even if it might actually take away a bit from the film-if you're going for subtle, this isn't it, and this isn't a catwalk but a costume design Oscar, so I'd subtract some points for when the designs take away from Knightley's work.
Subtle is something that Milk has going for it in very interesting ways. The film is both trying to find a way to recreate the looks of the 1970's, particularly in the Castro, but also to find clothes that fit the specific character. Too often in these sorts of films you simply have them wearing something that reflects the era, but Glicker goes further and finds a way to match characters with their looks. You have Harvey wearing baggy suits, a man little involved with vanity who knows his ideas and charms are what attract people to him, while someone like Scott is poured into skin-tight shirts and flattering jeans, as he has lived much of his life as a trophy boyfriend, and knows that's what guys around him are looking for; this careful detail to character's personalities is something that a lot of costume designers, particularly modern-era designers, would have forgotten, and it adds a level to Milk that helps build side characters where most films simply forget about them in the background.
Benjamin Button also has to deal with specific decades, many of them in a row, in fact, but a lot of the dresses seem out of time. There's a few where it seems to reflect the era (for example, Benjamin's leather jacket or anything that Queenie is wearing), but overall the film is more interested in the mood of the costumes. This seems wise, particularly since Benjamin is at its best as a love story and not a Sci Fi or even historically accurate film (at those points it threatens to veer into Forrest Gump territory). Instead we get a shocking red dress from Cate Blanchett or a "I want you to notice me being special" fur from Tilda Swinton. The film's best decision is to pick clothes that would likely look at home on a catwalk today, while still not totally alienating their era. It helps that Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt are all fashion icons when it comes to these wears (they know how to get a Costume designer who cuts things properly), but the costumes match the scenery and the mood, and that's enchanting.
The same can be said for the marvelous work being done in Revolutionary Road. I thought everything about Kate Winslet in this film was exquisite, particularly the pale green dress worn up-top. There's a sophistication in this work that in many ways recalls Mad Men-cool attention to detail, never quite gaudy or plain, but instead worn like someone who frequently reads the fashion magazines and wants to present the perfect portrait to neighbors. Frank and April are "the Joneses," that elusive couple you want to emulate and keep up with, and their clothes, frequently tailored to perfection, fit that mold. I like that no one in the film ever remotely approaches them in terms of taste, showing a nice contrast in their clothes with that of, say, the Givings' family.
The only nominee, quite frankly, that I wasn't wild about was Australia and Catherine Martin's admittedly impressive but ill-fitting for the film duds. The movie is a gigantic mess if you haven't seen it (you might see Baz and Nicole's names together and think eureka!, but sadly it wasn't a success or a musical). The film has Kidman, always glamorous, in impossibly elegant outfits, but they never fit her character and certainly not her circumstances. She wears a riding outfit that looks more like a debutante ball than someone who can herd cattle, and Hugh Jackman's only real achievement in costuming is the famous shirtless scene, and that's really more on his gym trainer and God for creating. The film definitely has its moments, and in a print ad these designs could rival the others, but they don't fit the movie and you need that to happen in order to successfully costume a film.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Costume Designers Guild is one of the only guilds to separate their nominees into not one or two categories, but three: contemporary, period, and fantasy. Period is of course Oscar's favorite category, and appropriately all but Australia show up in the nominated films, with Changeling taking its place instead. Fantasy had three nominees, with The Dark Knight emerging victorious over Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, while Contemporary went with Slumdog Millionaire over Iron Man, Mamma Mia!, Sex and the City, and The Wrestler. The BAFTA Awards went with the same lineup that the Costume Designers Guild did for period, with Changeling (the clear sixth place with Oscar, likely missing due to the chummy nature of the branch where Catherine Martin is a former winner and Deborah Hopper has never been nominated) besting Australia, and The Duchess taking the nomination.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I might not exactly have gone with all of the nominees, but four out of the five films up-top at least merited their inclusion so I won't fault them. Therefore, I think Sex and the City should have been in instead of Changeling (though that isn't bad at all, though really the only costuming I recall from the film was that lanky navy blue coat). The movie was occasionally ridiculous, but Pat Field is a genius in terms of costuming and this is a wonderfully gaudy and fascinating look at modern couture and fashion. It's far more interesting (and character-appropriate) than what Catherine Martin is doing with Australia.
Oscar's Choice: Oscar loves a big hat, and that's what The Duchess gave him. I suspect that waiting in the wings was Benjamin Button rather than Australia.
My Choice: I'm going to go with Milk. It is the film in the bunch that best utilizes the Costumes to fit the character, and it's still very handsome work even if it isn't as ornate as some of the other nominees. I'll follow that with Revolutionary Road, The Duchess, Benjamin Button, and Australia.
And now, of course, it's your turn. Did you agree with me that Milk with its subtle wares was the victor or should I have gone with the gigantic nature of The Duchess (I was tempted, I must admit)? Do you think that Australia was a waste of a nomination, or should I ease up on Catherine Martin? And what film overall had the best costume design of 2008? Share in the comments!
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