“The last element that I always need as an actor to really find the character is the wardrobe,” said “Killers of the Flower Moon” actor Lily Gladstone, who’s up for Best Actress at the upcoming Oscars.
“And often my favorite part of the collaborative, creative process is working with costume designers, because you’re meeting a creative who has put in as much thought to your character as you have, a lot of times,” she went on. “You know, you really help each other flush out your perception of who this person that you’re going to be spending so much time with, this character, is. I just really value and support everything that costume designers do.”
It’s what brought her out to the 26th Costume Designers Guild Awards, held Wednesday evening at NeueHouse in Hollywood, where Gladstone supported Osage wardrobe consultant Julie O’Keefe and costume designer Jacqueline West, her collaborators on “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The night’s top prizes went to costume designers Jacqueline Durran of “Barbie” for Excellence in Contemporary Film; Holly Waddington of “Poor Things” for Excellence in Period Film, and Sophie Canale of “Saltburn” for Excellence in Contemporary Film.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Canale, visiting from London, said before the show of her nomination. “I can’t believe I’m here.…It’s been an incredible year for film.” She particularly admired the wardrobes in “Barbie,” “Napoleon,” “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things.” “It’s just a showcase of absolute beautiful art history at work,” she said of the latter.
The creative behind “Poor Things,” Waddington, who’s a fellow Brit, said she began her work by diving into the late 19th century: “That was where the inspiration came from. I also looked at the early-20th-century fashion, particularly Surrealist fashion. I looked to nature, the clothes are very organic. They’re inspired by shells and the textures in the body. I was drawing from a wide range of sources — contemporary fashion, early-20th-century fashion. I dipped into the 1930s a little bit, the 1960s, too.”
Danielle Brooks, nominated for a Best Supporting Actress for “The Color Purple,” came out to support Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, who received a standing ovation while accepting the Career Achievement Award.
“I’m so happy for her,” Brooks said of Jamison-Tanchuck. “When we do this [work], we don’t do this by ourselves. We cannot hold a boom mic and hold a camera, know the lines, write the scripts and put on the costumes and find them. So to get to celebrate her today is very special.”
It was a full-circle moment for Jamison-Tanchuck, who worked as assistant costume designer on the original “The Color Purple.”
“For me to be honored by my peers is one of the most wonderful things ever, because it’s the Costume Designers Guild and I’m among other artists, I’m among my colleagues,” said Jamison-Tanchuck.
The organization, Local 892 of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, includes more than 1,200 costume designers, assistant costume designers and illustrators working in film, television, commercials, music videos and new media globally.
“All of our guilds are so important, don’t even get me started,” said “Oppenheimer” actor Olivia Thirlby. “It’s important to have to be organized so that people can be taken care of in their lives and make sure that they can support their families and support themselves in life. And that’s why we need our strong unions to make sure that we’re getting treated well, that we’re getting paid fairly, that we work good hours and that we get credit for what we do.”
The ceremony, hosted by Wendi McLendon-Covey, also honored Annette Bening with the Spotlight Award and Billie Eilish with the Vanguard Spotlight Award.
“This means so much to me,” Eilish, in Gucci, said onstage. “Fashion has always been my way of expression. More than anything else, it’s like my communication tool, and I’m not the best with that. And being able to communicate through what I wear and to show how I feel and who I want to be is such a gift that I feel so lucky to have.”
As she thanked the crowd, ready to step off, she turned back to the mic and shouted, “Oh my god, and Shirley you guys!”
Her collaborator, costume designer Shirley Kurata, was standing behind her after presenting her with the trophy. “Shirley, Shirley, Shirley! This b–ch is amazing.”
