Were These the Year’s Best-Dressed Movies?

Jane Fonda in Youth

Today the Costume Designers Guild released the nominees for its 18th annual awards, a veritable who’s who of the behind-the-scenes visionaries responsible for setting the tone of characters both big and small. From the looks of the list, 2015 could hardly have been more eclectic. For one? This year’s blockbuster hits were unexpectedly gorgeous. Consider the sun-bleached, dusty ensembles Jenny Beavan conjured up for Imperator Furiosa and the Brides of Mad Max: Fury Road, or the downright Rick Owens–esque artfully draped numbers in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But the glory doesn’t all go to films with budgets as big as their titles. Men-of-a-certain-age drama Youth finds Jane Fonda looking divine as a former starlet in an Old Hollywood–tinged yellow sheath courtesy of nom Carlo Poggioli. The boy soldiers of Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation sport surprisingly vivid clothing, patched and trimmed in puka shells, and tirelessly researched by designer Jenny Eagan. And consider also the unexpectedly revitalized interest in period pieces, which have come roaring back to a place of prominence and mass interest: Plenty of buzz was generated by flicks like Carol and Crimson Peak, whose soigné ’50s garb and macabre Victoriana, respectively, have earned nods for designers Sandy Powell and Kate Hawley. Though on the note of that genre, one snub we can’t overlook? Janet Patterson’s divine styles in Far From the Madding Crowd, which to our eyes merit nomination many times over.

See the full list of nominees below, ahead of the February 23 awards ceremony.

Excellence in Contemporary Film
Beasts of No Nation – Jenny Eagan
Joy – Michael Wilkinson
Kingsman: The Secret Service – Arianne Phillips
The Martian – Janty Yates
Youth – Carlo Poggioli

Excellence in Period Film
Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Carol – Sandy Powell
Crimson Peak – Kate Hawley
The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado
Trumbo – Daniel Orlandi

Excellence in Fantasy Film
Cinderella – Sandy Powell
Ex Machina – Sammy Sheldon Differ
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 – Kurt and Bart
Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Michael Kaplan

Outstanding Contemporary Television Series
American Horror Story: Hotel – Lou Eyrich
Empire, season one – Rita McGhee
House of Cards – Johanna Argan, Kemal Harris
Ray Donovan – Christopher Lawrence
Transparent – Marie Schley

Outstanding Period Television Series
The Knick – Ellen Mirojnick
Mad Men – Janie Bryant, Tiffany White Stanton
Masters of Sex – Isis Mussenden
Outlander – Terry Dresbach
Penny Dreadful – Gabriella Pescucci

Outstanding Fantasy Television Series
Game of Thrones – Michele Clapton
Once Upon a Time – Eduardo Castro
Sleepy Hollow, season two – Kristin M. Burke, Mairi Chisholm
Sleepy Hollow, season three – Mairi Chisholm
The Wiz Live! – Paul Tazewell

Excellence in Short Form Design
“And So It Begins” Old Spice commercial – Mindy Le Brock
“From the Makers of Happy & Merry, H&M Presents Katy Perry” commercial – B. Akerlund
“The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth” Kabam and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment  commercial – Soyon An
“Kevin Spacey” E*Trade commercial – Johanna Argan
“Most Interesting Man in the World Wins on Land, Sea & Air” Dos Equis commercial – Julie Vogel