Costume Designers Guild Nominations: "Top Gun" soars, "The Fabelmans" flounder
Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 9:00PM 
Worry not, "Fabelmans" fans. Mark Bridges may still get an Oscar nomination.
For the past two years, all the Oscar nominees in Best Costume Design were also recognized by the Costume Designers Guild, but that's not always the case. Indeed, in 2019, they didn't nominate three of the eventual Oscar nominees, including the winner – Jacqueline Durran for Little Women. All this to say that you should take this year's nominees with a grain of salt in terms of Oscar, especially regarding two big omissions – Mark Bridges for The Fabelmans and Sandy Powell for Living. Both designers have secured Oscar nominations with no corresponding guild support in the past – he for Joker, she for Gangs of New York, Mrs. Henderson Presents, and The Irishman. In any case, their lack of recognition proves that the industry may not be as into their films as previously anticipated. We shall see.
After the jump, the complete list of nominees and some further comments…
"Babylon" | © Paramount Pictures
EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM
- Babylon, Mary Zophres
- Don't Worry Darling, Arianne Phillips
- Elvis, Catherine Martin
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Jenny Beavan
- The Woman King, Gersha Phillips
Funnily enough, the inclusion of Don't Worry Darling isn't especially surprising if you consider the guild's history. Arianne Phillips is one of their favorite designers, with eight nominations to her name. The group features no first-timers, though this is only Martin's second nod. If she wins, this will be her first CDG trophy despite having already amassed two Best Costume Design Academy Awards. Because of that, I feel reticent in predicting her for a guild victory, though Elvis is still my pick for Oscar frontrunner in this category. I think this is Zophres' to lose at the CDGs, having already won here with Chazelle's La La Land. In the alternative, Beavan might become a four-time winner thanks to Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" | © Disney
EXCELLENCE IN SCI-FI/FANTASY FILM
- Avatar: The Way of Water, Deborah L. Scott
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ruth E. Carter
- Everything Everywhere All at Once, Shirley Kurata
- Hocus Pocus 2, Salvador Perez
- Thor: Love and Thunder, Mayes C. Rubeo
Some guilds categorize Hocus Pocus 2 as a TV film, while others put it on the cinema side of things. I tend to agree with CDG, even if I can't entirely defend their will to honor it with a nomination. Regardless Ruth E Carter has this one sewn up in my book, while Kurata may have an outsider's chance, thanks to EEAAO's overall popularity. For those surprised at Avatar's presence, remember that the original film also scored a nod from the guild, virtual costumes and all.
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" | © NetflixEXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Jenny Eagan
- Nope, Alex Bovaird
- TÁR, Bina Daigeler
- Top Gun: Maverick, Marlene Stewart
- Women Talking, Quita Alfred
That Top Gun nomination is indefensible, mainly serving to underline the picture's immense popularity within the industry. The rest of the lineup is fantastic, however. Any of them would make for a great addition to the eventual Oscar roster if that branch ever gets over its allergy to contemporary designs. I'm betting Glass Onion takes this one since it's the showiest.
"The Gilded Age" | © HBOEXCELLENCE IN PERIOD TELEVISION
- Bridgerton "The Choice," Sophie Canale
- The Crown "Ipatiev House," Amy Roberts
- The Gilded Age "Let the Tournament Begin," Kasia Walicka-Maimone
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel "Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest," Donna Zakowska
- Pam & Tommy "Love You, Tommy," Kameron Lennox
Despite a shocking Emmy snub, The Gilded Age gets a nomination here and may even win. The Crown and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are previous winners in this same category, while Bridgerton is a returning nominee. Overall, it's a good batch of contenders, even if I'll never feel particularly drawn to the Regency fantasy of Netflix's hit show.
"House of the Dragon" | © HBOEXCELLENCE IN SCI-FI/FANTASY TELEVISION
- House of the Dragon "The Heirs of the Dragon," Jany Temime
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power "A Shadow of the Past," Kate Hawley
- Westworld "Generation Loss," Debra Beebe
- What We Do in the Shadows "The Wedding," Laura Montgomery
- The Witcher: Blood Origin "Of Mages, Malice, and Monstrous Mayhem," Lucinda Wright
I'm rooting for The Rings of Power while predicting House of the Dragon. I have some serious issues with the HBO show's wardrobe, both in terms of design and execution, finding it often betrays the aesthetic and cultural through lines established in Game of Thrones. Still, it seems bound to be a hit with the guilds, since they also loved to shower the original series with gold.
"Wednesday" | © NetflixEXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION
- Emily in Paris "What's it All About…," Marylin Fitoussi
- Euphoria "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door," Heidi Bivens
- Hacks "The Captain's Wife," Kathleen Felix-Hager
- Wednesday "Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe," Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland
- The White Lotus "In the Sandbox," Alex Bovaird
Hacks won the Emmy with this same episode, but I doubt it can repeat that feat here. There's a myriad of reasons for that, spanning from this guild's vexing affection for Emily in Paris to the presence of costume design living legend Colleen Atwood amid the nominees. In 2006, she won a Career Achievement Award, with seven other CDG prizes under her belt. Shouldn’t Wednesday be categorized as fantasy, though?
"Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration" | © ABCEXCELLENCE IN VARIETY, REALITY COMPETITION, LIVE TELEVISION
- Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Marina Toybina
- Dancing with the Stars "Halloween Night," Daniela Gschwendtner & Steven Norman Lee
- Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls "Girl Run That Sh*t Back," Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert
- RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race "RuPaul-A-Palooza!," Tony Iniguez
- Saturday Night Live "Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar," Tom Broecker, Ashley Dudek & Cristina Natividad
This is only the category's fifth year, with Saturday Night Live being one of its previous winners. Technically, the RuPaul industrial complex won once, but that was for the flagship show and Zaldy's designs. Despite multiple nominations over the years, Dancing with the Stars has yet to win, making it stand out as the due contender of the race. Even so, Lizzo's hit and the Beauty and the Beast concert have the advantage.
"Spitting Off the Edge of the World" | © MOOJ Productions
EXCELLENCE IN SHORT-FORM DESIGN
- Disney+ Has All the GOATs (Commercial), Melissa DesRosiers
- McDonald's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (Commercial), Sarah Kinsumba
- Nike "Father Time" (Commercial), Shawna Trpcic
- Not Today Flu feat. Jason Alexander (Commercial), Dawn Ritz
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" (Music Video), Natasha Newman-Thomas
It'd be fun if Black Panther could win two awards from this guild, but this cross-promotional synergy doesn't always work out. Last year, a Cruella promo was in contention but lost, while Beavan won the main prize on her way to another Oscar.
What are your best bets for the Best Costume Design Oscar? Did these CDG nominations alter your predictions?
Reader Comments (7)
Rooting for Mrs. Harris.
I'll say this once and never again but the costumes of the new tribe in Avatar are beautiful.
Gwendolyn Christie is so gorgeous, and her costumes in “Wednesday” did her justice. Classic Hollywood star glamour, worn with the elan of a Movie Star of yesteryear. Even the suits were like something Rosalind Russell or Katherine Hepburn would wear.
I can only guess Alex de la Iglesia's Veneciafrenia isn't ellegible... the Venice Carnival costumes are absolutely outstanding, specially the villains...
It seems there is some Sandy Powell fatigue going on but Jacqueline Durran also got snubbed, The Batman was a far more visible picture than Hocus Pocus 2. Alexandra Byrne also missed out with Empire of Light (Satellite gave both her and Powell a nod).
Gersha Phillips is not on the BAFTA shortlist so Martin, Zophres and Carter are the three locks with Phillips, and the two Jenny's fighting for the two remaining slots. I don't see Arianne Phillips getting in but then again there was W.E. in 2011...
I wonder if Martin is going to win her 3rd or Zophres is going to win for her fourth nomination (Catch Me If You Can is her biggest snub and she also missed out last year with The Tragedy of Macbeth though that one was hell of a lineup).
And to rush ahead a bit, Durran is certainly going to make a comeback next year with Barbie.
Edit: forgot to mention All Quiet on the Western Front, Lisy Christl is on the BAFTA shortlist, in 2011 she was only recognized there for Anonymous and still got in the Oscars and that was a reviled picture while AQOTWF is Netflix's flagship this year...
but Veneciafrenia is an awful movie and I bet half of the costumes were rented from Peris or Cornejo.
"I have some serious issues with the HBO show's wardrobe, both in terms of design and execution, finding it often betrays the aesthetic and cultural through lines established in Game of Thrones."
Interesting—since the show takes place almost 200 years before GoT, I've had the opposite thought. If anything I think the costumes should feel more different from the original show than they do: Think of how different clothes look today than in 1850. You'd expect it to feel more like a "period piece" within the universe than it does.
Go Yeah Yeah Yeahs!!!!!