The art of Costume Design involves a number of factors. Of course, the work must be appropriate to the era of the film (whether it be the present, the past or a fantastical time). It also must feel appropriate to the circumstances the characters are in (you can’t have every costume looking as though it’s come directly from the tailor).

The costume designer can add a lot to a film by creating costumes that express the character that wears them and designing wardrobes that add to the feel of a movie. This can best be done by blending the costumes into the film so that the viewer hardly notices them. Distracting costumes hardly serve the art of storytelling.

It’s not surprising that period films form the overwhelming majority of the nominees in the category of Best Costume Design at the Oscars. Period films necessitate the costume designer being loyal to the period in which the film is set while also drawing more attention to their work than they would if the costumes were merely the sort of clothes we see in everyday life. Fantasy films, however, also frequent the category, albeit to a lesser extent. Truly contemporary films are almost never nominated here.

The branch certainly has its favorites in names such as Colleen Atwood, Jenny Beavan, Sandy Powell and Milena Canonero, all of whom are frequent nominees. Yet the costumers nevertheless tend to find room for a new nominee or two every year (2002 being an exception).

Speaking of Milena Canonero, the legendary costume designer first gained fame fashioning threads for Stanley Kubrick in the early 1970s (“A Clockwork Orange” was her first feature). After winning Oscars for Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” and Hugh Hudson’s Best Picture winner “Chariots of Fire,” she has since gathered five more nominations bringing her career tally up to seven. Her last two citations came as the sole nominee from her films (“Titus” and “The Affair of the Necklace”), always an impressive feat in any category. This year, she’s fashioned one of the most memorable, showy and expansive wardrobes of the decade for Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette.” For all the film’s divisiveness, “the costumes are great” seems to be the catchall appraisal.

Another designer who is always a threat when he works is Anthony Powell. He has been nominated for six of his 21 efforts as a costume designer (including critically maligned films such as “102 Dalmations” and “Pirates”), winning for three of them (“Travels with My Aunt,” “Death on the Nile,” and “Tess”). “Miss Potter” should provide a fantastic period opportunity for him to be elegant and faithful.

Another favorite of the branch is Jenny Beavan, who has amassed 8 nominations over the last 22 years. Her work this year on “The Black Dahlia” certainly displayed a great deal of range and a feel for the period, but the film flopped with both critics and audiences alike. A nomination is not impossible, but it will still be a challenge.

Ann Roth’s career has been long and prolific, with over 90 films to her credit in 42 years. The AMPAS hasn’t really nominated her that often, however. Four nods and a win is certainly nothing to complain about, but it doesn’t really indicate to me that she’s a favorite of the branch. Regardless, she is outfitting Robert De Niro’s “The Good Shepherd” this year, which will necessitate the recreations of the
late 30s, 40s and 50s and the birth of the CIA.

Sharen Davis ought to have a fantastic opportunity in “Dreamgirls” to fashion memorable threads in show business atmosphere. In particular, Eddie Murphy’s James Thunder Early, Jennifer Hudson’s Effie White and Beyoncé Knowles’s Deena Jones are all characters that necessitate the creation of expansive and character-serving wardrobes. Davis was nominated for relatively understated work on “Ray” two years ago. If “Dreamgirls” is as good as the sight-unseen hype would have us expect, then Davis could very well challenge Canonero for the statuette.

Julie Weiss’s work on “Bobby” is not what one would necessarily describe as showy. But it actually blends extremely well into the film’s period. That is really a tribute to this designer’s talent. But designing threads for a cast of stars might turn the trick with the Academy and lead to Weiss’s third nomination (after “Frida” and “12 Monkeys”).

Louise Frogley has been getting high profile efforts lately, earning Costume Designers Guild nominations for “Traffic,” “Syriana” and “Good Night, and Good Luck.” She has another black-and-white George Clooney film this year to draw attention to her work – Steven Soderbergh’s “The Good German.” The film seems to be taking a very stylized approach to its story, which could inspire nostalgia in the costumers’ branch. (An interesting tidbit: Frogley is the sister of directors Tony and Ridley Scott.)

Next up we have the films about magicians in the past, both of which have done well with both the critics and the public.

Ngila Dickson (of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Last Samurai” fame) got into the swing of things this year with Neil Burger’s “The Illusionist.” The Yari Film Group is apparently going to give this film a solid awards season push. Should that pay off anywhere, it just might be here.

Joan Bergin, meanwhile, also got the opportunity to outfit turn of the century magicians on Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige.” Bergin, best known for her collaborations with Jim Sheridan, fashioned everyday wear, upper class suits and magical outfits. I’d say she’s genuinely in contention.

Penny Rose is a 30-year veteran of costume designing and she probably just missed nominations for “Evita” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” This year, she did more creative and memorable work for Gore Verbinski on “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” It would be odd for the inferior sequel to score where the original missed so I wouldn’t bank on a nomination. But one never knows.

Another designer who will get a fantasy gig this year is Kym Barrett. She did incredibly memorable work on “The Matrix” and this year gets to lend her talents to “Eragon,” which will likely be a great opportunity for creativity on design fronts. But I can’t help but wonder if this film is headed towards a critical beating.

Deborah Hopper has designed threads for five films this decade, each and every one of them for Clint Eastwood. “Flags of Our Fathers” is her most AMPAS-friendly effort to date, but the costumes are hardly the most memorable of the film’s craft accomplishments, and I doubt the film is headed to across-the-board nominations.

Ruth Myers (Oscar nominee for “The Addams Family” and “Emma”) did fantastic work on Douglas McGrath’s “Infamous.” But the film seems on its way to becoming a footnote with respect to the legacy of Bennett Miller’s “Capote.”

Meanwhile, Renée April was given an opportunity to fashion three distinct eras in Darren Arofonsky’s “The Fountain.” However, the film seems to be extremely divisive, and only the 1500 portion of the film could be described as a real showcase for costumes.

Contemporary films, as mentioned, are a tough sell in this category. Despite Sandy Powell’s immense talent and great Oscar track record, “The Departed” is not a vehicle to get her a nomination. And though the costumes in “For Your Consideration” are fun and film serving, I doubt the branch will notice Dorinda Wood’s work.

Two possibilities, however, emerge in Consolata Boyle for “The Queen” and Patricia Field for “The Devil Wears Prada.” Both have been rewarded for television work in the past: Boyle took the Emmy for Andrei Konchalovsky’s “The Lion in Winter” while Field won an Emmy (and four CDG awards) for “Sex and the City”. More importantly, both got extremely high profile gigs this year. Boyle designed threads for the most photographed family in the world, trying to recreate some historical moments as closely as possible, while also trying to reconstruct their private lives elegantly and appropriately. Field, meanwhile, took on a film about fashion itself, where not only were characters’ outfits memorable, but they were integral to the plot! It’ll still be a tough sell on account of the contemporary setting, but I’d call them possibilities nevertheless.

On a final note, I’d like to mention “The Painted Veil,” which seems to be the sort of film that this branch would love. But I haven’t been able to hunt down who the costume designer even is, so I’ll put it on hold for the moment.

Next week we’ll take a slight break from the category rundowns (they’ll be back on the 16th) as I talk to a couple of editors whose subtle work was key to the success of their films this year.