Sandy Powell
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"I couldn't do a project if it was all just fantastic costumes and a rubbish script. I couldn't be bothered to give it my time." --Sandy Powell quoted in "Designing Woman", TIME, February 22, 1999
Biography
Sandy Powell received her training at London's Central School of Design and began her career creating costumes for fringe theater productions and for The Cholmondeleys, a London dance company. She earned critical praise with her first screen designs for Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio" (1986), which were based on that 16th Century artist's paintings. Powell forged a close working relationship with Jarman that encompassed "The Last of England" (1987). "Edward II" (1991) and "Wittgenstein" (1993). The designer's work has been divided between meticulously recreating period clothing to creating contemporary fashions. Powell earned an Academy Award nomination for the costumes for "Orlando" (1993) which included Elizabethan, Victorian and modern designs. She tread similar ground with "Being Human" (1994), an anthology film set in five different time periods (from the Bronze age to modern day). Since the early 1990s, Powell has been the designer of choice for director Neil Jordan, providing the contemporary fashion for "The Crying Game" (1992), the lavish 18th Century clothing in "Interview With the Vampire" (1993) and the stylings of Ireland in the 20s for "Michael Collins" (1996).
In 1997, Powell earned a second Oscar nod for her Edwardian designs, full of deep blues and greens, for "The Wings of the Dove." 1998 proved her breakout year, though. Powell created the fantastic clothing that captured the glitz of the glam rock era in "Velvet Goldmine," crafted meticulous Elizabethan costumes for "Shakespeare in Love" (both of which earned her Oscar nominations) and recreated a more contemporary look for the biopic "Hilary and Jackie."
Powell's stellar resume was expanded with her work on "Felicia's Journey," "Miss Julie" and "The End of the Affiar" (all 1999), "Sylvia" (2003) and particularly with her sumptuous 1950s recreations for "Far From Heaven" (2002). Her collaborations with Martin Scorsese proved particularly fruitful: her costumes for the 19th Century epic "Gangs of New York" (2002) earned her a fourth Oscar nomination, and she took home the Academy's trophy for Best Achievement in Costume Design for her glamorous recreation of fashions from Hollywood's Golden Age in "The Aviator" (2004). Powell continued her fruitful collaboration with Scorsese on the Boston crime drama "The Departed" (2006), psychological thriller "Shutter Island" (2010), 3D fable "Hugo" (2011) and sardonic biopic "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013). She also received Academy Award nominations for "Mrs. Henderson Presents" (2005) and "The Tempest" (2010), winning for "The Young Victoria" (2009). She also collaborated with director Kenneth Branagh on the fairy tale "Cinderella" (2015).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Costume-Wardrobe (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1986
Feature debut as a costume designer and first collaboration with Derek Jarman, "Caravaggio"
1988
Created the contemporary look for Mike Figgis' "Stormy Monday"
1991
First screen collaboration with Neil Jordan, "The Miracle"
1992
Designed costumes for "Orlando"; received first Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design
1992
Re-teamed with Neil Jordan for "The Crying Game"
1993
Final film with Jarman, "Wittgenstein"
1994
Designed the costumes for Neil Jordan's feature version of "Interview With the Vampire"
1996
Fourth collaboration with Jordan for "Michael Collins"
1997
Designed the look for "The Wings of the Dove"; earned second Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design
1998
Created the glam rock costumes for Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine"; earned third Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design
1998
Designed the contemporary look of "Hilary and Jackie"
1998
Won first Oscar for designing the period costumes for "Shakespeare in Love"
1999
Re-teamed with Jordan for "The End of the Affair"
2002
Second collaboration with Todd Haynes, "Far from Heaven"
2002
Designed the period costumes for Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York"; received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design
2003
Created the period costumes for "Sylvia"
2004
Re-teamed with Scorsese to design the costumes for the biographical drama, "The Aviator"
2005
Designed the costumes for "Mrs. Henderson Presents"; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design
2006
Third collaboration with Scorsese, "The Departed"
2008
Created the 16th century costumes for "The Other Boleyn Girl"
2009
Designed the period costumes for "The Young Victoria"
2015
Designed costumes for Kenneth Branagh's "Cinderella"
Videos
Trailer
Bibliography
Notes
"I couldn't do a project if it was all just fantastic costumes and a rubbish script. I couldn't be bothered to give it my time." --Sandy Powell quoted in "Designing Woman", TIME, February 22, 1999
