The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood has celebrated the Oscars 2022 and Cruella has been proclaimed winner as the film With Best Costume Design. Rwe look at the five candidates who competed for the statuette .
The 94th Academy Awards took place on 27 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. At the most important event in the international film industry, the Best Costume Design awards went to Cruella, West Side Story, Dune, Alley of Lost Souls and Cyrano.
Cruella’s Haute Couture
The adaptation of the Disney classic Cruella has wowed fashionistas with the outfits created by costume designer Jenny Beavan. The impeccable looks of Cruella (Emma Stone) and Baroness Von Hellman (Emma Thompson) have paid tribute to great haute couture designers such as Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior.
The film is set in 70s London, where punk rock fashion dominated the underground scene in the city. The rebellious character of Cruella perfectly represents this style with looks inspired by John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Nina Hagen. Cruella has 47 costume changes throughout the film, all in black, white and red for the iconic moments.
Looks of Cruella played by Emma Stone – Disney
The Baroness, on the other hand, had a much more classic and elegant style typical of Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga or Hubert de Givenchy. She represents the fashion of the 50s and 60s and we see her dressed almost always in brown and gold.
Looks of the Baroness played by Emma Thompson – Disney
The New York 50s of West Side Story
The costumes for West Side Story are by costume designer Paul Tazell, who takes us back to the streets of New York in 1957. The costumes of the new version of the musical aim to be as faithful as possible to the original while maintaining the authenticity and cultural traits represented by the two rival gangs (one Latino and the other Caucasian).
The Jets gang, a group of Caucasians led by Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Riff (Mike Faist), are dressed in jeans and leather jackets. While the Puerto Rican Sharks led by Bernardo (David Alvarez) tend to dress more formally in polo shirts and shirts. Tazell did this to create a stark contrast between the two communities.
The Jets band on the left and the Sharks band on the right. Tony and Maria in the centre – FilmAffinity
Some of the looks are similar to the classic, such as the white dress with a red belt of the main character Maria (Rachel Zegler). However, there are also some modifications, such as the colour of Anita’s (Ariana DeBose) recognisable lavender dress, which is a vibrant yellow in the new film.
Anita in yellow dress. Maria with white dress and red belt – FilmAffinity
Dune’s futuristic fashion
Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan, the costume designers of Dune, have been in charge of creating a new galaxy through their outfits. The science fiction film transports us to an uncertain future on a desert planet with technical, flexible clothing in neutral colours. Themore than 1,000 costumes created gave life to the three main worlds of Dune.
The inhabitants of each planet have a distinct aesthetic that sets them apart on the big screen. The Fremen (and all those who help the clan on the planet Arrakis) wear so-called “distillation suits”, depicted in a dark grey jumpsuit with built-in armour. The Harkonnen wear insect-inspired attire in dark colours and the Bene Gesserit witch order wear long, loose-fitting tunics and face-covering mail.
Undoubtedly, one of the characters who stands out for her clothes is Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul’s mother. The Duke’s concubine is the one who looks most colourful with dresses, veils and bejewelled masks.
Lady Jessica played by Rebecca
Our protagonist Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) goes through different costume phases. He begins the film living in the palace, as a nobleman, and wearing elegant pieces, such as a Nehru-collared jacket. Little by little, his looks evolve and change according to the experiences of the heir to the House of Atreides.
Paul Atreides played by Timotheé Chalamet – Chia Bella James
The darkness of The Alley of Lost Souls
The thriller based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley takes us on a journey to sordid fairs and areas of New York’s high society in the 1930s. The costume designer in charge of creating these scenes was Luis Sequeira.
The film tells the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a carny who wants to become a star at any cost. Stanton and his girlfriend, Molly (Rooney Mara) opt to scam to achieve their goals. They trade in their more worn and aged garments – just like those worn by the characters at the fair – for fine and elegant suits, typical of high society citizens.
Stanton Carlisle and Molly played by Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara – Courtesy of the production
Psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to unmask Stanton’s fraud, is portrayed as the classic femme fatale of film noir. Ritter is characterised by her seductive velvet dresses and red lips.
Lilith Ritter played by Cate Blanchett – Courtesy of the production
The representation of the fairgrounds is embodied in the costumes of Zeena Krumbein (Toni Collette), a formerly successful tarot reader, who has been forced to work in travelling shows because of her husband’s alcoholism. Zeena wears theatrical costumes from the 1920s that she has not renewed since then, thus simulating the antiquity of the pieces.
Zeena Krumbein played by Toni Collette – Courtesy of the production
Cyrano’s 17th century theatricality
The musical Cyrano is an adaptation of Edmon Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, which tells the story of Cyrano’s (Peter Dinklage) love (or rather heartbreak) with Roxanne (Haley Benett) accompanied by songs and choreography. The costume designer for this film is Massimo Cantini Parrini, who has succeeded in representing mid-17th century society through his costumes.
Roxanne played by Haley Benett and Cyrano played by Peter Dinklage – Courtesy of the production
The film’s costumes are true to the aesthetics of the period; corsets and large skirts in light colours for Roxanne and military costumes in reddish tones for Cyrano. The social groups such as the nobles, the bourgeoisie and the peasants are very well represented and differentiated by different colour palettes.
Parrini highlighted the difficulty of maintaining the rigidity of the garments of the period and at the same time making them lightweight so that the actors could dance the choreographies fluidly.
These are the five nominees for Best Costume Design at the Oscars 2022, and Cruella is the deserved winner.
Images provided by the authors and production companies.
