Let’s take a moment to discuss the Best Costume Design category at the Academy Awards. This is one of the most exciting categories! Historical films like Anna Karenina, The Great Gatsby, and The Duchess often lead the way. That’s why I always look forward to this award.
I could go on and on about how small details in fabric, color, and cut show Jane Eyre’s growth and confidence in Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation. But then there’s The Crimes of Grindelwald, which left me frustrated. The characters looked like they were dressed in 1939, not 1925!
I don’t think any period dramas will win the award this year. I believe Ruth Carter will win for her amazing Afro-Futurist costumes in Black Panther. The costumes balance bold statements with fine details. I think the Academy will recognize Carter’s work for this. They helped create the world of Wakanda. Together with director Ryan Coogler and production designer Hannah Beachler, she built a nation with its own history and traditions. Carter used traditional African dress but added modern elements. For example, Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda wore a 3D printed headdress, and Letitia Wright’s Shuri had recycled mesh outfits. These choices show Wakanda’s technology and resistance to colonization. Each costume has a story behind it. You can tell Carter considered how the characters’ clothes reflect their personalities and choices. Watching the film, I felt like the characters dressed themselves, not just mannequins.
Ruth Carter and Black Panther really deserve to win. But if this film had come out six years ago, I doubt it would have. The Academy has often favored costume dramas with mostly white casts.
Black Panther is up against strong competition, like the stylish gowns from The Favourite, the Depression-era look of Mary Poppins Returns, the old American West in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and the Renaissance-inspired costumes in Mary Queen of Scots.
However, the Academy has been changing in the last five years. For example, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them won in 2016. It mixed magical wizard outfits with 1920s fashion. And in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road won. It was unlike anything before in the Best Costuming category. This shows the Academy is starting to appreciate styles beyond traditional hoop skirts and classic flapper dresses.
Two other fantasy and sci-fi films have also won Best Costume Design. The first is the original Star Wars movie. It was groundbreaking and still has iconic looks today. The second is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It won Best Costume Design and Best Picture, sweeping all 11 Oscars it was nominated for.
Black Panther is also groundbreaking. It has a real chance to win Best Costume Design and Best Picture. If it wins for costumes, it will challenge the Academy’s preference for period dramas and its bias against non-Western costumes. The only recent winner with mostly non-Western costumes was Memoirs of a Geisha, but even then, most men wore Western suits.
While Black Panther draws some inspiration from Western fashion, its main influences and materials are predominantly African.
Black Panther faces many challenges in this category. It’s a superhero film, which adds to the competition. Still, it deserves to win. Let’s hope the Academy sees that too.
