OVP: Best Costume (2023)
The Nominees Were...
Jacqueline Durran, Barbie
Jacqueline West, Killers of the Flower Moon
Janty Yates & Dave Crossman, Napoleon
Ellen Mirojnick, Oppenheimer
Holly Waddington, Poor Things
My Thoughts: And now we arrive at the real centerpiece-the first of six battles between the "Barbenheimer" rivals Oppenheimer and Barbie. A true case of strange bedfellows forever linked (similar in spirit to Saving Private Ryan and Shakespeare in Love), the 96th Oscars will forever be known for this amalgamation, one that pitted the frothiest of comedies against a serious biopic made by one of our most celebrated working filmmakers. The Oscars, though, didn't really give us much of a competition. This was mocked during the ceremony, but Barbie's only Oscar win came in a category that Oppenheimer didn't get nominated for, and because they don't release the vote totals, we only know that Oppenheimer beat Barbie in two categories (Picture and Supporting Actor) since it won those. We, though, have the ability to know where they ranked here, so in addition to the ultimate winner (there are, after all, three other nominees to consider in this lineup), we'll also do a running tally to see if I end up Team Barbie or Team Oppenheimer when it comes to their battles in the coming weeks.
Let's begin, since it's our first dance with her (she missed for Editing), with Barbie. The work done by Jacqueline Durran here is definitely go-the-distance stuff. She's aided by the production design, but the hyper-glossy, perfectly pressed looks in this film, all monochromatic color that splashily invites pink (even when something is not pink) is fantastic. Special kudos for a few key looks: the fluorescent yellow-green rollerblades, Ken's gigantic fur coat, and Margot Robbie's opening "wake-up" look. Truly every scene in this, though, is jam-packed with eye candy.
Oppenheimer does not have the flashy recreation of decades of dolls to rely upon, but I do think that the realism here with a sense of style is fascinating. Look at the way that Cillian Murphy's wide-brimmed hat makes him more imposing (and taller) against men who are actually taller than him). I also loved the effortless detailing of Florence Pugh's fashion, always a touch more glamorous and ethereal than Emily Blunt's more demure, respectable Kitty. This is what I want in a costume design-I want it to inform things that the script can't (or shouldn't) about how the audience should feel about the characters.
Deprived of his longtime collaborator Sandy Powell, Martin Scorsese's partnership with Jacqueline West in Flower Moon also shows us things about this story that the script is only hinting at. Look at the vibrancy of Lily Gladstone and the other Osage women's beautiful designs, full of color against a drab skyline, and more importantly, a series of interchangeable suits on men that are trying to rob them of that uniqueness. I also loved Jesse Plemons, similar to Cillian Murphy, trying on a hat that is way too big for him in hopes of seeming more imposing, and the best costume in the film (seen above) where Lily Gladstone has an air of a drum majorette.
The dramatic looks of Napoleon do not leave enough room for character like the first three (all of which, I'll be honest, would've made fine winners & sadly Oscar picked none of them). This doesn't mean that we get bad looks here. The coronation scene, in particular, is dramatically scrumptious with the gigantic gold crowns and Joaquin Phoenix's ten-foot crimson train. In many ways this is recalling the oil paintings that are the only way modern viewers know Napoleon by. It just doesn't have enough-in a category where so many films are adding depth and story detailing, historical reconstruction alone is not going to cut it.
Which brings us to Poor Things. This is a movie that I generally liked (particularly Emma Stone in the lead), but I'll totally own that I think the Costume Design Oscar it won was a cheat. The looks here are largely boiled to some variation on the hyper-dramatic, canary yellow dress Bella wears in the film's middle where she has gigantic winged shoulder pads. There is a liberated sexuality coming from the costumes, I guess, but they don't have enough variation and they don't really seem to tell me the same story that Bella's education is bringing to the plot. I get why people liked them (they are flashy), but I don't think they're substantive in the way the rest of these looks are.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Costume Designer's Guild splits its nominations between Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Period Films, so we get fifteen names in all. Period film mirrored Oscar with Poor Things besting Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Napoleon, & Oppenheimer, while Contemporary went with Saltburn against American Fiction, May December, Nyad, & Renfield and Sci-Fi/Fantasy picked Barbie atop Haunted Mansion, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and The Little Mermaid (weirdly Colleen Atwood, even though that got no mention all season despite her being an Oscar favorite). BAFTA also went with Poor Things against the exact Oscar lineup, which makes sixth place a challenge. I'm thinking Maestro, despite no mention elsewhere, might be the kind of film that gets in here, particularly given the Production Design nominees were also a carbon copy of this lineup, so honestly there's no clue other than these five were really solid. If you want to make a case for this being a "this would've been their only nomination" citation for The Little Mermaid or Saltburn, I'm not totally opposed, but I'll guess Maestro.
Films I Would Have Nominated: Perhaps the most discussed and polarizing film of the awards season (that Oscar wanted nothing to do with), this would've been a marvelous time to give Saltburn some love, given how well they captured the "chic, unfathomably rich, sometimes tacky" fashions of the obscenely wealthy circa 2006.
Oscar's Choice: In a sign more people should've seen coming, Poor Things carried its precursor wins to a victory over Barbie's best chance at a second statue.
My Choice: Like I said, any of the first three films discussed would've been good choices for a statue, but when it comes down to it I'll give gold/silver/bronze to Barbie, Flower Moon, and Oppenheimer, respectably. I just can't deny how special Jacqueline Durran's looks were-it's the sort of film that will forever be linked to this category even though it didn't win. Napoleon is fourth, with Poor Things in last.
And now, it's your turn. Are you fine with me skipping Bella Baxter's many gowns, or do you want to take me to the laboratory for thinking pink? We're currently 1-0 in favor of Barbie...where do you think we end this run? And was it Maestro, The Little Mermaid, or Saltburn that nearly made it here? Share your thoughts below!
Agreed 100% - it should have been Barbie all the way.
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