Sandy Powell

The film starred Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as starcrossed lovers in the 1950s.

The later was based off the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt (1952).

Sandy Powell (born 7 April 1960) is a British costume designer.

She has worked extensively on screen productions across independent films and blockbusters throughout her career, which has spanned over three decades.

She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Powell was born in London in 1960, and grew up in Brixton and Clapham.

Her father worked in casinos, while her mother was a secretary.

Powell learned to sew from her mother on a Singer sewing machine, drew pictures of clothes, designed and made outfits for her dolls, and started making her own clothes from a young age.

She also developed an interest in film and theatre from an early age.

Powell attended Sydenham High School, and in 1978 she completed an art foundation course at Saint Martin's School of Art, where she became acquainted with Lea Anderson, who later became a dancer and choreographer as well as Powell's collaborator.

In 1979, Powell began a BA in theatre design at the Central School of Art and Design, but left after two years before completing her degree and started working for fringe theatre companies.

After leaving Central, Powell began a working relationship with dancer and choreographer Lindsay Kemp, whom she greatly admired.

She designed costumes for his productions, the first of which was the show Nijinsky at La Scala in Milan.

In the early 1980s, Powell became acquainted with filmmaker Derek Jarman, who became a mentor and an influential figure in her life.

Following Jarman's advice, she spent a year working on music videos.

She made her entry into the film industry in 1986, designing costumes for the Jarman film Caravaggio.

In 1992, Powell achieved prominence in the period drama film Orlando, directed by Sally Potter.

Operating on a limited budget, Powell created elaborate costumes for the gender-switching and time-traveling protagonist (played by Tilda Swinton), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design.

Powell also began a collaboration with director Neil Jordan, which would produce a total of six films including the British thriller The Crying Game (1992), the gothic horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994) and the period drama Michael Collins (1996).

She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design fifteen times, winning three awards for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Young Victoria (2009).

She has also received sixteen nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design, winning for Velvet Goldmine (1998), The Young Victoria, and The Favourite (2018).

Powell received dual nominations at the 71st Academy Awards for her two 1998 films, Velvet Goldmine and Shakespeare in Love.

Echoing the contemporary tone of Shakespeare in Love, Powell opted to sacrifice historical accuracy in her costume designs but still managed to achieve "emotional accuracy", according to Salon critic Stephanie Zacharek.

The detail on the costumes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Viola and the thematic significance of her costume changes were also noted as highlights of the film.

For her work in the film, Powell won her first Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

She then worked on the historical romantic drama The Other Boleyn Girl which was based on 2001 film of the same name by Philippa Gregory.

The film was directed by Justin Chadwick and starred Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Eric Bana.

Following her win at the 71st Academy Awards, Powell began her collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, starting with his 2002 epic period drama film Gangs of New York, for which she earned her 5th Oscar nomination.

The two reunited for the 2004 biographical drama film The Aviator, for which Powell won her second Academy Award.

In 2005 she worked on Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents earning another Academy Award nomination.

She worked on Scorsese gain this time for a film set in modern day creating current day clothing for the Boston crime drama The Departed (2006) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson.

In 2009, She worked on the romantic period drama The Young Victoria directed by Jean-Marc Vallée.

The film starred Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, and the film revolves around her upbringing and romance with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha portrayed by Rupert Friend.

She won her third Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film.

The following year she worked on Scorsese's psychological thriller Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Julie Taymor's The Tempest with Helen Mirren.

Powell was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for her services to the film industry.

Powell gained prominence for her collaborations with filmmakers Derek Jarman, Neil Jordan, Todd Haynes and Martin Scorsese.

In 2011 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design her work on Scorsese's childrens action adventure film Hugo losing to Mark Bridges for The Artist (2011).

In 2016, Powell received her second dual nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, having been recognized for her works in Kenneth Branagh's Disney live-action adaptation of Cinderella and for Todd Haynes' romantic drama Carol (2015).

She reunited with Haynes for the black and white film Wonderstruck (2017) starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams.