Oscar 2011 Winner Predictions: Costume Design

You should probably cross Sandy Powell off the list right off, no matter how much her choice to wrap Russell Brand up in something that resembles a CB2 wall mural imitating a Slumdog Millionaire sarong might seem like can’t-miss Oscar bait. Her designs for The Tempest keep director Julie Taymor batting 1.000 in this category (four feature films, four nominations), but there’s little reason to think she’ll break Taymor’s perfect 0.000 when it comes to tallying actual wins. Not when Powell just won last year. Correction: Not when Powell just won last year and rather snidely dressed down the Academy for always opting for “dead monarchs or glittery musicals.” If her tone was haughty, her very valid overriding point was that the Academy could stand to do better to recognize the excellence of costumers working to help define characters in our current era (i.e. Tracy Flick’s tweed ensemble in Election, The Bride’s yellow jumpsuit in Kill Bill). But apparently her plea fell on blind eyes, because there isn’t a single legitimately contemporary nominee in this bunch, not even Black Swan. The costume designers’ branch couldn’t bring themselves to tolerate the year’s one overwhelmingly Glitter-y musical, Burlesque, so there’s nothing to really stand in the way of the category’s only dead monarch. Colleen Atwood’s work almost manages to cut through the digital noise running throughout Alice in Wonderland, and she could viably spoil if voters start counting stitches, but take a look at this category’s last four winners and tell me you don’t see who’s wearing the crown.

Will Win: The King’s Speech

Could Win: Alice in Wonderland

Should Win: I Am Love