Emmy Awards Nominations for Best CONTEMPORARY Costume Design 2023

What can we say? Our favorite shows nominated for the award of Costume Designer (contemporary) are finally here. Some have created literally reams of articles about the characters and their clothing choices. The deft “Stealth Wealth” of the SUCCESSION cast is contrasted by the utter “Materialism of the Casual” that is in Season 3 of THE LOTUS. Special Mention should be for the other two shows who also had challenges built in: ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING was a showcase of the many ways to wear cold weather clothes in New York such as Martin Short’s many elegant scarves or Nathan Lane’s cavalcade of hysterical bright shirts and patterned ascots in abundance. Steve Martin manages to keep a cool head in his elegant minimal basics that are a counterpoint to the dramatic characters around him. I have to confess I have not yet seen, THE LAST OF US but suffice to say the designs are what I know well; I worked on a blockbuster futuristic style sci-fi movie (that will go down in dubious history) starring Sylvestor Stalone called JUDGE DREDD (notably Sandra Bullock in the cast). Modern clothes that require wear and tear, dyeing or adding dirt with dust or are hand painted to achieve a look of distance and time. Believe me, it’s not easy; but as an overall design, the final product is almost imperceptible. Not obvious. To achieve this look it’s almost more difficult than something like EMILY IN PARIS that showcases many designer looks that are easy to understand; fashion editor’s delights that are pulled from the pages of a fashion magazine. Not every contemporary design is a true design but more of a fashion editing job. Several of these nominees are in that category, but not all. Congratulations to all the Nominees.