It’s never too early to start thinking about the Emmys, especially when it comes to costume design. The looks cooked up by creators in the past year were absolutely next level, as evidenced by the distinguished crop of nominees for this year’s Costume Designers Guild Awards.
A blend of series already recognized at the Emmy Awards and those who will be competing in the upcoming Emmy season made up the nominees for categories including Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television, Excellence in Contemporary Television, and Excellence in Period Television.
Looking ahead to the Emmy race, it’s only fair to assume that those shows recognized by the costume design guild will be significant players as we come down to the wire, just over three months away from the end of Emmy eligibility, which as yet is still scheduled to close May 31, 2021, with no adjustment for the last year spent mired in a global pandemic.
So if you’re looking for an inside track on who to remember come Emmy time, look no further than these shows.
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“The Mandalorian”
Image Credit: Disney+ Shawna Trpcic knows sci-fi. With a past that saw her outfitting the casts of “Angel,” “Firefly,” and “Dollhouse,” Trpcic broke through with the Costume Designers Guild this year, scoring a nomination for her work on the second season of “The Mandalorian,” a first for both the designer and the series.
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“Euphoria”
Image Credit: Eddy Chen / HBO Nobody does effortless cool like Heidi Bivens. The “Euphoria” costume designer blends cutting edge fashion with oversized hoodies and sneakers, each look a reflection of the teenage character wearing it. Bivens has already seen success for her work on the series, earning an Emmy nomination for her efforts in Season 1. This year marks her first nomination with the CDG Awards.
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“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix To say that “Bridgerton” co-costume designers Ellen Mirojnick, John W. Glaser III, and John Norster had their hands full when pulling together the looks of the the show’s first season would be an understatement. Mirojnick told IndieWire in an interview last year that by the time the season was done, the show’s team of artisans had crafted some 7,500 exquisite costume pieces.
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“Lovecraft Country”
Image Credit: Eli Joshua Ade/HBO Dayna Pink of “Lovecraft Country” is another first-time nominee for the CDG Awards, surely a feather in the designers cap after toiling on the series that expanded beyond historical record and into full-on spiritual horror. For the historical elements, at least, Pink told IndieWire that she turned to photographic records to draw inspiration, potentially leaving audiences with new insight into events they mistakenly thought they knew.
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“Snowpiercer”
Image Credit: David Bukach/TNT Cynthia Summers is on a roll. The “Snowpiercer” costume designer kept her CDG Awards streak alive this year, earning new accolades for the first season of the series. But Summers has also been nominated for the previous two years for an entirely different show: “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” It takes some kind of talent to switch jobs and maintain the highest quality work, so much so that you’re recognized by your peers, but Summers has pulled it off.
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“The Queen’s Gambit”
Image Credit: Netflix Welcome to the American awards season, Gabriele Binder! The German costume designer of “The Queen’s Gambit” — the project was filmed in Berlin and has a number of great German artists toiling behind the scenes — isn’t necessarily familiar with the Hollywood scene, but you wouldn’t know it to by looking at her designs. The impeccable wardrobe of Beth Harmon left audiences mad with jealousy, as Bindle transformed star Anya Taylor-Joy into the leader of a mod squad we’re all anxious to join.
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“I May Destroy You”
Image Credit: Natalie Seery/HBO Lynsey Moore fundamentally understands the ineffable style of Michalea Coel. After collaborating with the multi-hyphenate on her first series, “Chewing Gum,” Moore returned to work on Coel’s latest project, the devastating limited series, “I May Destroy You.” As for trying to define the style of Coel’s protagonist Arabella, Moore described her as “punky, but her own version of funky.” However she describes the looks, we’re way into it.
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“The Crown”
Image Credit: Alex Bailey/Netflix It’s one thing to attempt to recreate history to a somewhat accurate degree. It’s another thing entirely to try and capture the style essence of one of the most visible, fashionable, and beloved women in modern history. And yet, costume designer for “The Crown” Amy Roberts pulls it off with aplomb. Her wardrobe creations helped to transform Emma Corrin into that version of Diana Spencer that lives on in the public memory, a near impossible feat no matter the circumstances.
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“Emily in Paris”
Image Credit: CAROLE BETHUEL/NETFLIX Though the series became something of a punching bag during Golden Globes season, the one thing you can’t fault “Emily in Paris” on is its outstanding fashion. A spiritual style successor of “Sex and the City,” costume designers Patricia Field & Marylin Fitoussi create looks too cool for school.
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