In an unprecedented move, the Academy honoured the Marvel Universe with three awards for Black Panther at the 2019 Oscars on Sunday in LA, including a Best Costume Design gong for Ruth E. Carter. We caught up with Christopher Laverty, author of Fashion in Film, when the nominations were released to learn just why this recognition is so long overdue
It seems that modern-day Oscars ceremonies are not without controversy, and this year has been a vintage year: from events proceeding without a host to the upset caused by Green Book’s Best Picture win. But one award that has received a resoundingly celebratory reception is that of Best Costume Design, awarded to Ruth Carter for her work on Black Panther. One of an unprecedented three awards that the Marvel Universe film won on the night, as predicted for Culture Whisper by Christopher Laverty, author and creator of the website Clothes on Film, who is insistent that there is more to costume design than historic dress, however much we all loved the black and white concept behind The Favourite.
‘I think that Black Panther will win and it should win,’ Laverty told Culture Whisper at the time of the nominations. ‘Ruth E. Carter is a huge talent who has been overlooked for years because she takes on generally less Academy friendly projects. This is her magnum opus though; if she is not rewarded for Black Panther it will be one of the gravest miscarriages of Academy justice ever. All the other nominees are fantastic, and goodness knows I adore every single thing that Sandy Powell has ever done, but this is Ruth Carter's time – frankly it's Black Panther's time. It's a staggering achievement and a deserved winner.’
‘The Academy always goes for the most eye-catching period and occasionally fantasy wear because this is all they think costume design is. Nothing can and will ever change until they expand the categories to include contemporary as a separate nomination. That said, all the nominees were excellent examples of the craft. No surprises, but that in itself is not a surprise. There needs to be a separate category. This is a hill I will happily die on. Black Panther combines contemporary clothing with traditional, indigenous and fantasy dress – it has sort of 'sneaked' contemporary costume in there.’
While Black Panther was a deserved winner, Laverty was disappointed that Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t get the recognition he thought it deserved: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody is not a great movie in my opinion, but the costume design is superb. Recreating iconic costumes from a relatively fresh era is incredibly difficult. There is so much audience expectation – people all know Freddie's outfits inside and out. One slip and it'll be noticed. I thought costume designer Julian Day did stellar work at balancing the inherent outrageousness of the periods, too. There was nothing cartoony here; the clothes felt real in context. I guess it wasn't loud enough for the Academy. I think Day will do better for his work on the upcoming Elton John biopic Rocketman at the 2020 Oscars. Colette, as costumed by Andrea Flesch, was just an incredibly precise and beautifully detailed period work with clever use of colour. Again, the movie, and the costumes, were probably not in-your-face-enough for the Academy. Costume design has to be highly visible to excite the voters – it's all they understand of the craft.’
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