Sandy Powell’s Costumes Shine at SCAD FASH
Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell’s work is being celebrated at SCAD FASH through March 16, 2024, in her debut exhibition, Sandy Powell’s Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film. The display honors Powell’s nearly 40-year career with more than 70 costumes from iconic films like Velvet Goldmine, The Wolf of Wall Street, Carol, and many others. Powell, a legend in her field, has won three Academy Awards for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, and The Young Victoria, and has become known for her bold, innovative approach to costume design.
The exhibit’s setup is a cinematic experience. Each costume is placed in black boxes, lit from below, creating the atmosphere of a theater screening. The first piece in the exhibit is from Caravaggio (1986), Powell’s first feature film collaboration with filmmaker Derek Jarman. Reflecting on her time on that set, Powell said, “I didn’t know how to make films. I didn’t know what we were doing.” This film, however, was a critical moment in her career. The collaborative nature of the production, where artists helped across departments, had a lasting influence on her approach to filmmaking.
After Caravaggio, the exhibit moves into Orlando (1992), Powell’s first Oscar-nominated work and another collaboration with actress Tilda Swinton, who also made her debut in Caravaggio. SCAD Director of Fashion Exhibitions Rafael Gomes noted that Swinton may be the most represented actor in the exhibit, but Powell has built a network of long-term collaborators, including directors like Martin Scorsese and Todd Haynes, and actors such as Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore.
Powell’s working style is meticulous, and she prefers collaborating with directors who have a strong visual focus. When she begins a project, she first breaks down the script before discussing the director’s vision. The process varies: for example, Scorsese often sends books and films for her to study, as was the case on Gangs of New York, where a specific detail of a striped collar from a French film needed to be incorporated into a character’s look. “I didn’t know that [movie],” she said, laughing. “The next day I get sent the film and have to watch the entire thing to find the collar.”
Her relationships with filmmakers are built on trust. When working on Carol (2015), Powell emphasized how crucial it was to get the titular character’s fur coat just right. After screen testing different colors, director Todd Haynes trusted Powell’s judgment to go with a lighter color coat that looked better on Blanchett, even though it was more difficult to make. The coat seen in the exhibit is a recreation, as the original was fragile after filming; its restoration process weakened the stitching, causing it to split regularly during production.
Powell’s creativity shines, even under budget constraints. For The Favourite (2018), her budget was limited, which led to inventive solutions, like using inexpensive materials to replicate period details. “Because we stripped away all the detail and reduced the color palette, it didn’t get in the way of the dialogue,” Powell said. “If I’d done that the way expected for that period, with costumes as grand as the Elizabethan ones, it would have been too much.”
The exhibit beautifully encapsulates Powell’s adaptability and talent, celebrating her legacy of bringing unforgettable characters to life through costume.
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