Know About The Fashion In Oscar Movies

While most winners in this category are hurried off the stage by the familiar refrains intended to signal them to wrap it up so we can get to the categories with big stars like Clooney, Kidman, Streep and more, the Oscar winners for Best Costume Design leave an indelible mark on movie history and the memories we have of our favorite films. Audrey Hepburn emerging in her tiara and white bejeweled gown in Best Costume Design winner My Fair Lady is remembered to this day as much as any line of dialogue.

Yet, the Oscar movie didn't always celebrate costume design. The award was first given out in 1949, 21 years into Oscar history, but it was, in fact, two awards. Recognizing the different challenges for costume design for a Black and White movie versus those for a full Color movie, the Best Costume Design category was broken up into those two subcategories.

It wasn't until 1958 when both subcategories were joined into one Best Costume Design category, but that didn't last long. Again, throughout the 1960's, the Academy decided to split the category into Black & White and Color subcategories allowing movies as diverse as La Dolce Vita, The Night of the Iguana, West Side Story, 8 ½ and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? all to succeed in garnering Oscar wins for their design teams.

Curiously enough, when we think of Best Costume Design, we stereotypically think of the work done by artists contributing to grand period pieces featuring massive wigs and ball gowns. Yet, at first, most winners in the Black and White category were from movies with modern settings such as legendary films like All About Eve, Roman Holiday and A Place In The Sun, all done by the legendary Edith Head, who, with 35 nominations, dominated the category until her death in 1981.

However, in the Color category, and through much of modern day, designers and artists contributing to lush fantasy, epic and musical films have found themselves at the winner's podium, even though most nominations go to films set in modern day. Amazingly enough, 42 of the last 45 winners were from fantasy or period pieces, including the last 17 winners in a row.

Much like movies such as Spartacus, Cleopatra and My Fair Lady were early winners for bringing to life a time in history many of us had only read about in history books, modern day winners include the designers for films like Alice in Wonderland, The Young Victoria, The Artist, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Marie Antoinette.