With the Academy Awards only a few weeks away, talk about who should take home an Oscar will be on everyone’s lips. To add to the Oscar fun, I want to explore a less-celebrated category: Best Costume Design. So, take a cue from these nominees for a wardrobe update worthy of a golden statue.
The nominees are:
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel: A concierge and a lobby boy embark on dangerous adventures in and around a European ski resort in the 1930s. Art theft, murder, and love ensue.
Urban Outfitters: Urban Renewal Vintage Dutch Cape
The lobby boy Zero’s love interest wears peter pan collars to highlight her sweet nature. Strike a balance between sweet and tough with this vintage, rugged cape.
Urban Outfitters: Ecote Embellished Burnout Kimono
Easily worn for a day in or a night out, this kimono bespeaks a luxurious lifestyle to mirror that of Madame D., a wealthy old widow who pays for the concierge’s affections.
2. Inherent Vice: A hazy, drug-fueled scene in 1970s Los Angeles is the backdrop for this detective comedy.
Nasty Gal: Nasty Gal Fool for the City Ribbed Dress
The women in this movie are sexy, thanks in part to their empowering clothes. This party dress will equip you for any groovy scene.
Nasty Gal: Bell Raiser Crepe Dress
At the turn of the decade, 60s style was giving way to 70s cool. Channel both with a loose-fitting, cleanly-tailored dress.
3. Into the Woods: Fairy tale characters from our beloved classics scheme and sing in the magical woods.
What made Meryl Streep’s Witch character so magnetic was her mesmerizing costumes. Whether old and cursed or young and sultry, it was all about volume. For the same effect, go for a skirt with a shorter length that still packs a punch with its frothiness.
4. Maleficent: The true love story behind the fairy villain of Sleeping Beauty.
Before she became an evil queen, Maleficent was just a woodland fairy. Embrace your inner fairy with a bohemian midi skirt.
ASOS: Leather Jacket with Embellished Sleeve
Teeth, bones, animal skins. Maleficent’s outfits were anything but tame. Her fairy wings are a central image in the movie. Make your own limbs stand out without the animal bones with a leather jacket like this embellished number.
5. Mr. Turner: A film about the eccentric 19th century painter J.M.W. Turner.
Charlotte Russe: Lace-back Chiffon Button-up Top
Referencing contemporary photographs and etiquette books, costume designer Jacqueline Durran created pieces that reflected the conservatism of the time. High lace collars dominate the movie. This lace-detail top is an update on the austere 19th century version.
ASOS: High Waist Midi Skirt in Satin with Bow
This prim skirt cuts off inches from the dated English version, but it’s no less polished for a date night or a wedding. The color compliments the shades that Turner used in many of his landscapes, a point of inspiration for Durran.
Stay gold, Collegiettes.