Much like the race for Best Production Design, the battle for Best Costume Design is consistently dominated by period and/or fantasy films. You have to journey all the way back to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 to find a contemporary film winning this category. And that’s unlikely to change this year.
While Emma. was released all the way back in February, Alexandra Byrne’s gorgeous period costume designs are exactly the type of contender the Academy generally fawns over. The 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel wasn’t able to take home the prize (it lost to The English Patient), but Byrne sits in the frontrunner position for now.
That being said, the Academy could be looking for something a little different this year, which bodes well for the 1940s costume designs of Mank, the ancient Chinese designs of Mulan, the roaring 1920s styles of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the late 1930s aesthetic of Death on the Nile.
Keep an eye on dark horse contenders like Julian Day (who was robbed of a nomination last year for Rocketman) for Rebecca, Guy Speranza for the drag extravaganza Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and 2018 winner Ruth E. Carter for Coming 2 America.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Emma. (Focus Features)
Alexandra Byrne
2. Mank (Netflix)
Trish Summerville
3. Mulan (Disney)
Bina Daigeler
4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Ann Roth
5. Death on the Nile (20th Century Studios)
Paco Delgado
MAJOR CONTENDERS:
Coming 2 America (Amazon Studios)
Ruth E. Carter
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (20th Century Studios)
Guy Speranza
The Glorias (Roadside Attractions)
Sandy Powell
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Charlese Antoinette Jones
News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Mark Bridges
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Suzie Harman and Robert Worley
Rebecca (Netflix)
Julian DayRespect (United Artists Releasing) [Moved to August 2021]Clint Ramos
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount Pictures)
Paolo Nieddu