Hollywood's magic is best maintained by resisting the urge to peak behind the curtain. But every once in a while, something like the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition in Downtown LA comes along, and the offer to break the spell is too good to pass up.
Visitors to the exhibit will get to witness some of the most memorable moments from film this year—the dress Lily James wore in 2015's Cinderella remake is front and center, surrounded by garments from movies like The Revenant, The Hateful Eight and Crimson Peak. In the next room, costumes from Mad Max: Fury Road, Carol and Star Wars: Episode VII are on parade.
The exhibition, now in its 24th year, opens at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising today, February 9, and runs through April 30. Admission is free.
All of the 2016 best costume Oscar nominees are included in the exhibition: Sandy Powell's designs for Cinderella and Carol; Jacqueline West's for The Revenant; Paco Delgado's for The Danish Girl; and Jenny Beavan's Mad Max: Fury Road. The collection also boasts two garments from last year's winner, Milena Canonero for The Grand Budapest Hotel, and collections designed by FIDM graduates Soyon An and Mary Claire Hannan for Jem and the Holograms and The Longest Ride, respectively.
When we visited the exhibition, Powell, who has picked up a dozen Oscar nominations over the years, was fussing with the elegantly haughty, curved hat that Cate Blanchett donned as the evil stepmother in Cinderella. Hair dyed bright orange, she held up a photo of the actress on an iPad for comparison.
Later we talked, standing next to the ensemble she created for Rooney Mara to wear in Carol. "What I love is looking at everybody else's costumes," she said. "Even for me." Powell's Oscar history goes back to her first nomination in 1994 for the film Orlando. Since then she has won three times—Shakespeare in Love (1999), The Aviator (2005) and The Young Victoria (2010).
She pointed out that what you see on screen is the intended final product—how the clothes are meant to be seen. "That's what you really should be looking at," she said."But I still want to see what they look like close up."
And looking up close is pretty revealing. When you see the fabric used for the tunic Adam Driver's Rylo Ken wore in Star Wars, or the green cardigan Saoirse Ronan wore in Brooklyn, you start to realize that it may not be sorcery, but, here, artistry can suffice.
To see for yourself, visit the exhibition, which is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-5pm.
Photograph: Seth Kelley
Photograph: Seth Kelley
Photograph: Seth Kelley
Photograph: Seth Kelley
