Costume design took center stage last night at the 18th Costume Designers Guild Awards. A celebration that is TV Ate My Wardrobe award season high point as it showcases the incredible talent that has such a big influence on us here.
Film, TV and short-form are all included with period, contemporary and fantasy getting their own TV and film categories (this is the first year in which television has a fantasy option rather than the mini-series/TV one). Plenty of stars were in attendance both in a presenting capacity and to support the costume designers they have worked with and Besty Brandt was the evening’s host.
For the third year in a row Mindy Kaling wore a gown designed by The Mindy Project costume designer and Designers Guild president Salvador Perez; once again it is a look which shows how well Perez knows Kaling’s body and embraces her incredible figure. It is something he has done time and time again on The Mindy Project and of course it is bold in the color choice.
Winners included Michele Clapton taking home the first fantasy television award after winning for Game of Thrones last year when fantasy shared a category with period. Lou Eyrich also won two years in a row for American Horror Story despite a change of category (going from mini-series/TV movie to contemporary) and she can be seen in an incredible black ensemble with Beasts of No Nation winner Jenny Eagan below. Eagan won for True Detective in the contemporary category last year (and was also nominated for Olive Kitteridge).
Non-costume designer special achievements were given to Quentin Tarantino who received the Distinguished Collaborator Award and Cate Blanchett was honored with the Lacoste Spotlight Award. Blanchett is in both films that Sandy Powell is nominated for this year (Carol, Cinderella) and she did not disappoint in her choice of custom Versace with a very impressive Tiffany necklace. Powell also looks fabulous with added mirrored and sparkle details.
In Blanchett’s speech she acknowledged the importance of working with costume designers saying “Everyone talks about their relationship with the other actors and the director, and of course those are important. But in the end, it’s in those costume fittings; those silent moments away from the rush, where you make manifest the psychological things you talk about in the rehearsal room. It’s the building blocks of a character.”
The Distinguished Service Award was given to master dyer Edwina Pellikka and The Knick’s Ellen Mirojnick not only won for The Knick this year, but she was also the recipient of the Career Achievement Award.
Mirojnick’s work has spanned over 30 years and projects include many iconic costume moments such as Glenn Close rocking a lot of white in Fatal Attraction, all of those Wall Street suits, the Sharon Stone interview in Basic Instinct, recreating Charlie Chaplin’s famous look in Chaplin, Keanu Reeves in a white tee in Speed and so many flamboyant looks in the recent Behind the Candelabra. Some of Mirojnick’s pieces were on display as part of the stage decoration including Liberace’s incredible (and super heavy) fur coat that Michael Douglas wore in Behind the Candelabra and John Thackery’s signature white shoes from The Knick.
Here is the full list of nominees and the winners have been highlighted.
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series
American Horror Story: Hotel – Lou Eyrich (Winner)
Empire (Season 1) – Rita McGhee
House of Cards – Johanna Argan, Kemal Harris
Ray Donovan – Christopher Lawrence
Transparent – Marie Schley
Outstanding Period Television Series
The Knick – Ellen Mirojnick (Winner)
Mad Men – Janie Bryant, Tiffany White Stanton
Masters of Sex – Isis Mussenden
Outlander – Terry Dresbach
Penny Dreadful – Gabriella Pescucci
Outstanding Fantasy Television Series
Game of Thrones – Michele Clapton (Winner)
Once Upon a Time – Eduardo Castro
Sleepy Hollow (Season 2) – Kristin M. Burke, Mairi Chisholm
Sleepy Hollow (Season 3) – Mairi Chisholm
The Wiz Live! – Paul Tazewell
Excellence in Contemporary Film
Beasts of No Nation – Jenny Eagan (Winner)
Joy – Michael Wilkinson
Kingsman: The Secret Service – Arianne Phillips
The Martian – Janty Yates
Youth – Carlo Poggioli
Excellence in Period Film
Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Carol – Sandy Powell
Crimson Peak – Kate Hawley
The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado (Winner)
Trumbo – Daniel Orlandi
Excellence in Fantasy Film
Cinderella – Sandy Powell
Ex Machina – Sammy Sheldon Differ
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – Kurt and Bart
Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan (Winner)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Michael Kaplan
Excellence in Short Form Design
“And So It Begins,” Old Spice Commercial – Mindy Le Brock
From the Makers of Happy & Merry, H&M Presents Katy Perry Commercial – B. Åkerlund
The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth – Dance Battle, Video Game, Kaboom/Warner Interactive Commercial – Soyon An
Kevin Spacey, E-Trade Commercial – Johanna Argan
“Most Interesting Man in the World Wins on Land, Sea & Air,” Dos Equis Commercial – Julie Vogel (Winner)
All worthy winners and yet I am a little disappointed for Janie Bryant and Tiffany White Stanton that they didn’t win for the final season of Mad Men because there were so many standout costuming moments.
Here is Bryant with Kiernan Shipka and both ladies are crushing it with their red carpet choices with Shipka opting for Alexander McQueen.
Check back on Friday for more looks from the Costume Designers Guild Awards as part of “Out of the Box: Look of the Week.”
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