It’s not just the glass slippers.
Costume designer Sandy Powell was given the task of telling Cinderella’s story with fabric, material and a little magic for Kenneth Branagh’s 2015 update of the Disney classic.
In the case of the ball gown worn by star Lily James, Powell used 10,000 Swarovski crystals to dot the 270 yards of fabric it took to create Cinderella’s flowing lilac-blue gown, while adding delicate butterflies around its neckline that appear to flitter in space.
Included among those who were honored with Academy Award nominations for best costume design, Powell is a double nominee for “Cinderella’’ and “Carol.’’ The winners will be announced Feb. 28, but those who would like to get a closer look can do so at “The Art of the Motion Picture Costume Design’’ at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum & Galleries exhibition now through April 30.
For the first time, the FIDM exhibit will showcase all five of the 2016 costume design nominees. They are double-nominee Powell, Paco Delgado for “The Danish Girl,” Jenny Beavan for “Mad Max: Fury Road’’ and Jacqueline West for “The Revenant.’’
But there are more costumes from Odile Dicks-Mireaux for “Brooklyn,’’ Michael Kaplan for “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,’’ Kelli Jones for “Straight Outta Compton’’ and Kasia Walicka-Maimone for “Bridge of Spies.’’ Also, the work of two FIDM graduates are displayed: Soyon An for “Jem and the Holograms’’ and Mary Claire Hannan for “The Longest Ride.’’
For those Academy Award fans who might be tempted to get up for a snack when the costume design honor is announced, this exhibition can help provide some fascinating insight into the work.
Nick Verreos, fashion designer and FIDM alum and longtime instructor, said hours of research and painstaking attention to detail are evident in each piece. The details may go unnoticed, but that’s the aim of the exhibition — to celebrate the beauty, vision and work that went into each design.
“We’re a college, after all, so we an help educate about what these designers do. That’s the takeaway,’’ Verreos said.
It’s apparent at the very beginning of the exhibition. Powell’s “Cinderella” costumes — the Prince’s debonair, slim-fitting uniform next to the ball gown, say – clearly add to the story.
Both of these are displayed next to clothes for the evil stepsisters and stepmother (portrayed by Cate Blanchett). The former have an updated 1940s look with delicate knit gloves, a Peter Pan collar and dresses displaying a subtle gradient in color intensity with vintage glass yellow buttons, while that of the stepmother is bold with shoulder pads reminiscent, Verreos said, of Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich.
Contrast those looks with the other Oscar-nominated displayed entry from Powell, this from “Carol,’’ also with Blanchett. The outfits of a well-to-do 1950s New Jersey housewife who falls in love with a young saleswoman (Rooney Mara) look elegant but certainly not regal. Look closer. Verreos points out how the lines of the checkered pattern of Mara’s character’s jacket all are aligned and how all the work was done by hand.
“This is couture,’’ he said with a big smile. “This jacket, alone, is easily worth $20,000 for the craftsmanship that went into it.”
What could have taken minutes to finish on a sewing machine was meticulously completed after hours of work. That’s where the artistry emerges.
Both of Powell’s works are beautiful. Contrast those with the rough-and- ready leather and pelts look from Jacqueline West for “The Revenant’’ and it could be difficult to find common judging ground, yet the work is gorgeous. West chose nature — badgers, beavers, bears — with a nod to hooded monks for inspiration to reflect the spiritual journey Leonardo DiCaprio’s character takes throughout the movie. Again, look closer, Verreos said. Each piece is carefully hand-stitched. The military inspired buttons on one jacket look authentic, as does what appears to be a once-ripped section of coat that has been quickly stitched up by a frontiersman. There was a lot of research and careful consideration and it shows.
Again, it’s the details. And those all can be found in each of the exquisite pieces on display at the downtown Los Angeles campus. The exhibit is a must-see for movie lovers, as well as for those interested in fashion and design and how both play key roles in the telling of the stories.
FIDM traditionally features the past Academy Award winners for costume design and does so again this year. Costumes from “The Grand Budapest Hotel’’ designed by Milena Canonero are included. The exhibition, with the help of the Costume Designers Guild, salutes the skill, dedication and talent of each designer.
