Designer Sandy Powell Creates Costumes for ‘Carol’ as Memorable as the Performances
“I wish I worked at a time when there were real designers working and there were bigger budgets,” says Sandy Powell, the veteran costume designer who has won Academy Awards for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, and The Young Victoria. Although the prolific Brit might not be working in the era of Fellini, she’s proven to be quite resourceful in creating unforgettable looks for a wide range of films—from a formal period piece like Orlando to a Hollywood blockbuster like The Wolf of Wall Street. In fact, director Martin Scorcese is a frequent collaborator.
Cate Blanchett is another of Powell’s regular collaborators—The Aviator, as well as Cinderella, which garnered critical acclaim for its costume design. Now the two have come together for Carol, Todd Haynes’ adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 lesbian romance starring Blanchett and Rooney Mara. While Cinderella was a glittery extravaganza, (the final ball gown required countless craftsmen and 500 hours of labor), Carol is a more subdued sartorial affair, but no less challenging.
So how does Powell approach working with some of the industry’s most rarefied artists like Haynes and Blanchett? “ It’s pretty much the same prep for each film. I read the script, talk to the director and then do a lot of research,” says the designer. For Carol, Haynes tasked her with a scrapbook featuring the street photography of Vivian Maier and Ruth Orkin, the moody paintings of Edward Hopper and images ripped from vintage Vogue and Harpers Bazaar magazines. Then Powell and Blanchett discussed how they could show Carol’s physicality through the fashion, which was key as the film’s most muted gestures needed to reveal the passion brimming within Blanchett’s character. This is the 1950s so the most erogenous zones could only be areas like the neck and the wrist. “I kept the silhouette very lean,” says Powell, suggesting that Blanchett’s character was repressed. The clothes are constricting and in muted tones, but nevertheless impeccable. Rooney’s character, on the other hand, wears lots of bold patterns and hats, hinting at youthful innocence.
Critics have agreed that the the costumes (as well as the set) are as impressive as the performances. But Powell is not one to rest on her laurels. She’s on to her next project, John Cameron Mitchell’s How To Talk to Girls at Parties. It takes place in London’s ‘70s punk era. “I’m working with a lot of high waisted tight-fitting jeans,” says Powell. “The young male actors are not happy with it. They’re so used to spandex in their clothes. These really makes them stand up straight!’
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