And the Oscar for the Best Costume Goes To…

The history books list a number of famous achievers named Oscar. There was a writer, Oscar Wilde; fashion designer Oscar de la Renta; boxer Oscar de la Hoya; songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II; world leader Oscar Arias; pianist Oscar Peterson; and of course, Oscar Mayer – ​creator of the most popular Oscar Mayer wiener.

But there is only one Oscar everyone in the film industry desires and strives for. They all dream of that gold Oscar – ​the shiny, buffed, and polished 24-karat gold-plated statuette, designed in 1928 by Cedric Gibbons, an MGM Studio’s art director, and sculpted by George Stanley. The thirteen-and-a-half inch tall and eight-and-a-half pound trophy will be presented on February 28 at the world’s most glamorous event – ​the 88th Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science Awards, better known to the world’s movie lovers and cinema aficionados as The Oscars. The glitzy awards show honors the outstanding moviemaking achievements by bestowing the Oscar, the highly coveted and most recognized award since 1929, at the posh Dolby Theater at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles.

As the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science ponder over making the perfect selection out of this year’s 57 Oscar-nominated films, let’s review the five Oscar-nominated films for one of my favorite categories: ‘’Best in Costume Design’’ and the five costume designers who reflect and depict the historic era or the film director’s fantasy journey in each of the movies they worked on.

Carol

Directed by Todd Haynes

Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara,

Sara Paulson, Kyle Chandler

Costumes by Sandy Powell

This is the twelfth Academy Award nomination for Sandy Powell, who has three previous wins. Her previous Oscars were awarded for ‘’Shakespeare in Love’’ (1998); ‘’The Aviator’’ (2004); and ‘’The Young Victoria’’ (2009). The London native is a double Oscar nominee this year for both ‘’Carol’’ and ‘’Cinderella.’’ Commenting in People magazine’s February issue on ‘’Carol’’ designs, the talented queen of screen styles says about actors Blanchett and Mara: ‘’These women make the clothes come to life. For 1950 Chic for Cate’s wealthy ‘Carol’ character I looked at Vogue’s 1952 society pages.’’

Cinderella

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Lily James, Cate Blanchett,

Helena Bonham Carter

Costumes by Sandy Powell

This is a true splendor in the glass slipper tale. Commenting in People magazine’s February issue, Sandy Powell explains: ‘’Animation inspiration played a role in Lily James’s Cinderella gown as lots of little elements echoed the 1950 Disney classic.’’ As to the fairy tale fun: ‘’I did not have a rule book,’’ says Powell of creating the stepsisters’ outrageous looks.

The Danish Girl

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia

Vikander, Amber Heard, Ben Whishaw

Costumes by Paco Delgado

This is Delgado’s second nomination for the Academy Award. Previously he was nominated for his costumes for ‘’Les Miserables’’ (2013). ‘’We tried to find a lot of fabrics that were real fabrics for the period, in antique shops and in markets and we also bought antique dresses that we used just for the fabric,’’ said Delgado, who is a native of Spain. ‘’We recycled those dresses to use them as fabrics to re-cut new dresses for Eddie.’’

Mad Max: Fury Road

Directed by George Miller

Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron,

Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz

Costumes by Jenny Beavan

The British are coming again. The London native, Jenny Beavan, is a ten-time Oscar nominee and winner for ‘’A Room with a View.’’ Her outrageous costumes (or shall I say costume constructions) have donned her yet another Oscar nomination for ‘’Mad Max: Fury Road.’’ The current global appeal of the high-tech, reconstructive costume look admired by the younger generation of movie-goers is definitely expressed and vivid in this movie. But to my taste, this works well for the James Bond gadgets in his sporty car. I still prefer to see costume designs which reflect life on earth rather than on the off-the-wall characters from far away space or the unimaginable stratosphere.

The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio,

Tom Hardy, Will Poulter

Costumes by Jacqueline West

A winner of numerous international awards, Ms. West has been previously nominated for the Academy Award for the best costume designs in the movie ‘’The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’’ (2008) starring Brad Pitt, and for ‘’Quills’’ (2000). It must have been extremely challenging for Ms. West to make one of the most handsome and debonair movie stars look like a scary, disheveled bum who is attacked by a bear. Could it be that the bear did not like Leo’s attire?

Since I gravitate and dare to predict that Sandy Powell will hug, kiss, and walk away with the 2016 Oscar statuette for Best Costume Design for ‘’Carol,’’ may I share with you, my readers, a more sophisticated analysis by Darren Franich, the brilliant senior writer at Entertainment Weekly, whom I recently met and chatted with at the Rotary Club meeting in San Jose?

I was interested to hear his philosophy on this year’s costume awards recognition and possible prediction: ‘’Costume designer Sandy Powell is the obvious frontrunner in the race. She’s twice-nominated this year, for ‘Cinderella’ and for ‘Carol’ – ​and she’s won the award three times before! But I sense a lot of love for’ Mad Max: Fury Road’ in the technical categories. Since Fury Road is practically dialogue-free, characters’ clothes need to express more of their personality: Immortan Joe’s grotesque facemask, Furiosa’s nomadic battle gear. It’s certainly the most costume design in any movie this year.’’

The Envelope, Please…

I will be watching this year’s Oscars on my den’s couch wearing my glamorous sweats designed by nobody you or I know, and sipping champagne with a Chocolate Oscar for dessert. With the ceremony lasting over 3 hours, I should be very sweet and cheers-ed. Watch the Oscars live on ABC TV on Feb. 28 at 7 p. m. ET. It’s not too late for you to order your own $4 Chocolate Oscar at www.onceuponachocolate.com.

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.

By Lina Broydo