Tazewell, a previous nominee for “West Side Story,” already has an Emmy award (“The Wiz Live”) and Tony award (“Hamilton”) under his belt. He triumphed over fellow costume designers: Arianne Phillips (“A Complete Unknown”), Linda Muir (“Nosferatu”), Lisy Christl (“Conclave”) and Janty Yates and David Crossman (“Gladiator II”). history-as-first-black-man-to-win-best-costume-design/">
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With the tenacity of a historian and the heart of a consummate fan, costume designer Marci Rodgers dug deep, amassing 800 pages of research, to embrace the soul of costumes for Michael. “I pride myself in thorough research,” she notes, “and constantly refer back to it as I design.” Undertaking the musical biopic of global icon Michael Jackson, dubbed the King of Pop and regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of all time, was a huge responsibility. Rodgers approached it with profound reverence for his legacy, his family, and his fans.
The San Vicente Bungalows in Los Angeles were buzzing with legendary artisans on Wednesday as The Hollywood Reporter and Bvlgari celebrated this year’s Academy Award-nominated costume designers: Ruth E. Carter (Sinners), Malgosia Turzanska (Hamnet), Kate Hawley (Frankenstein), Deborah L. Scott (Avatar: Fire and Ash) and Miyako Bellizzi (Marty Supreme).
Costner, who stars, directs, and cowrites, had to fill out the posse with accomplished creatives who could rise to the occasion. Enter Lisa Lovaas, a costume designer whose 40-year-long career includes credits on the Transformers franchise, Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise, and Renfield.
To depict the epic chronicle of the 18th-century unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the Apple TV+ miniseries Chief of War, costume designer Caroline Eselin faced an unparalleled challenge.
“None of this had been done before—and never on this scale,” she says.
I was tending bar in a jazz club the night Saturday Night debuted. The next day all my friends, many of whom were musicians or into nightlife and clubbing, were raving about it. That show changed late-night television forever. You wouldn’t think of Saturday Night as anthropological, yet it’s a study of history as much as it is creating a show. It captures a slice of New York, the characters, and honors the chaos surrounding the inception.
Mussenden is a big believer in reading, not just looking at photographs. She also believes in using fellow costume designers as part of her team. “I never designed a Western before, so I had to start my research from scratch,” she reveals. “I began with the Civil War using Time-Life’s The Old West encyclopedia that I borrowed from my friend, costume designer Kimberly Adams. I hired costume designer Christine Cantella for three weeks to visit all the museums in Texas and take photos.” Additional research included combing through digital libraries.