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Why Sandy Powell is Hollywood’s top costume designer

Why Sandy Powell is Hollywood’s top costume designer

She’s won three Oscars and made costumes for everyone from Paltrow to Pitt. But she says the real job is simply gaining trust.

Lauren SamsFashion editor

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Sandy Powell makes film costumes, but she says her job is better described as simply “being a people person. You have to figure out how to make people feel safe, because dressing them is a very intimate act.”

Powell, a three-time Oscar winner, is to costume design what Martin Scorsese is to directing (an apt comparison considering the two have worked together on seven films): an auteur, and a master of her craft. Over her nearly 40 years in the business, she has made costumes for Cate Blanchett, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Nicholson and more. Her first job, in 1985 on the film Caravaggio, involved outfitting a young Tilda Swinton, whom she went on to work with again in Orlando.

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Lauren Sams
Lauren SamsFashion editorLauren Sams is the fashion editor, based in Sydney. She writes about lifestyle including the arts, entertainment, fashion and travel. Lauren has worked as a features editor and fashion journalist for ELLE, marie claire and more. Email Lauren at lauren.sams@afr.com

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/why-sandy-powell-is-your-favourite-costume-designer-you-just-didn-t-know-it-20230329-p5cwef