Monday night, I was subjected to “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” where Cate Blanchett did a whole lot of showboating and Shekhar Kapur messed with history way too much. I found the result to be histrionic silliness. But I can’t fault Alexandra Byrne’s flawless costumes donned by Blanchett and her co-stars.

Kapur’s film tells us a great deal about the category which awards costumes at the Academy Awards. First and foremost, having a respected costume designer on board is a major bonus. Alexandra Byrne has only worked on seven previous films, and has been, rather incredibly, nominated for three of them – “Hamlet,” “Finding Neverland” and the first “Elizabeth.” Not exactly a shabby resume. Seeing at least two perennial favorites among the nominees is commonplace.

The costume design category is also one which consistently awards the period piece. Period pieces have some advantage in a great number of categories. But Best Costume Design takes the cake. For the eleven years between 1995 and 2005, almost all nominees were period, with just a splattering of fantasy nominees. Admittedly, we saw two contemporary nominees last year (“The Queen” and “The Devil Wears Prada”), which I personally found very refreshing. But “The Devil Wears Prada” was ABOUT fashion design and “The Queen” costumed some of the most famous people in the world. I don’t see any films in a similar situation this year.

But one thing that can’t be denied about this category is the fact that it has a tendency to surprise. Films showing up that are poorly reviewed are not uncommon, which is why I chose to lead with Kapur’s misguided Elizabethan epic. Films showing up as sole nominees from their films are also not uncommon. That said, I can’t deny that being a Best Picture contender can help.

So what other films have these sorts of features? “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” immediately jumps to mind. Colleen Atwood has been Tim Burton’s costume designer for what seems like forever (despite stepping aside momentarily for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and has a career total of six nominations and two wins. Here, she will recreate the dark England of the late 1800s. Given that musicals typically fare well here, I’d be pretty surprised if Atwood doesn’t make the cut.

Jacqueline Durran, on the other hand, is an up-and-comer, who received much acclaim, and a BAFTA award, for designing the threads for 2004’s “Vera Drake” before earning her first nomination the following year for “Pride and Prejudice.” Here, she re-teams again with Joe Wright, designing many classes and three different time periods. I’d venture so far as to say that Durran is the single nominee in this category I’m most confident in predicting.

Rita Ryack also has just one nomination to her credit, for Ron Howard’s take on “Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” earlier this decade. She once again ventured into the realm of the semi-ridiculous earlier this year on “Hairspray.” But semi-ridiculous is exactly what this film called for and why people love it. The over-the-top ‘60s, character-serving threads from Ryack could easily end up among the final five.

Ruth Myers could end up being the fantasy representative in the category. Previously cited for “Emma” and “The Addams Family,” Myers will create the costumes for the characters of Philip Pullman in “The Golden Compass,” which is coming our way this December from Chris Weitz. Prior to last year, whenever this category turned away from period in the past decade, it would be to fantasy. If they do so this year, I’m betting it is Myers who is the beneficiary.

Patricia Norris has been out of the Oscar loop for a long time indeed. She earned five nominations in the decade from 1978 to 1988 and has since been absent for almost 20 years. This year will be her best chance to return since as she takes on the duty of both production designer and costume designer on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” This is a classic western, set in the late 19th century, with authentic western wear – including those hats we so seldom see in movies these days! The film is divisive but some love it. Norris could experience a comeback.

Also in the realm of westerns, we have Arianne Phillips’ work on James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma.” I loved this film and I honestly don’t think I’m alone on that front. Phillips received her first nomination two years ago for “Walk the Line,” also from Mangold. Let’s see if their latest collaboration will be her second trip to the Kodak.

Sharen Davis scored a somewhat surprising nomination in this category three years ago for “Ray.” She probably came very close to taking the statuette last year for “Dreamgirls.” The recent move of Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters” into December suggests there could be awards potential in its future. I personally remain skeptical yet it certainly must be considered, with Davis’ Depression-era threads being near the top of the list with respect to said consideration.

But what of costume designers who have never been cited before? While the costume designers do have their perennial favorites, there is always consistently at least one or two newbies among the chosen quintet each year.

Someone who is long overdue for her first nomination is Penny Rose, a thirty-year veteran whose most impressive work includes “Evita” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. Along with Liz Dann, she expanded the world of Captain Jack Sparrow and his comrades to include the Far East in the latest installment in the series. That said, while not impossible, it would be very odd for a second sequel to score a nod where its two predecessors failed. I’m betting that this is not Rose’s year…again.

Marit Allen has also been putting out solid work in the world of film costuming since the 1980s. This year, she gets a classic awards opportunity in Mike Newell’s adaptation of “Love in the Time of Cholera.” But for a relatively small film from a relatively weak studio at the Oscar game, I’m concerned with the fact that it hasn’t even started to screen yet.

As I hinted at above in discussing the last “Pirates” film, this category does show a fair amount of respect to designing threads of the Far East. This year, Ang Lee turned to Lai Pan to recreate 1930s Shanghai in “Lust, Caution.” The film had a response that has been all over the map though it is loved in some circles. If Focus gets it out there, it would be irresponsible to discount its chances in this category.

Irish costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh had the duty of fashioning not Jane Austen’s characters but Jane Austen herself in “Becoming Jane.” I have a sneaking suspicion this nomination could happen. As I said above, Best Costume Design is a category where films sometimes show up despite an absence in every other category, and a degree of cordial respect, if not admiration, greeted this biopic. I’m just listing it as a potential surprise that would – well – not surprise me.

Lastly we come to Mark Bridges. Bridges has never been nominated to date, primarily due to his consistent work on contemporary films, but he has shown what I consider to be very effective, if subtle work, on “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Punch Drunk Love,” all from Paul Thomas Anderson. “There Will Be Blood” marks his journey with Anderson into the past, specifically early 20th century America. I fully expect this film to make Anderson’s best showing at the Oscars to date. Bridges coming for the ride would not surprise me in the slightest.

With that, we have covered half of the ten crafts categories for which AMPAS awards statuettes. It won’t be that long until we’re once again in the thick of awards season.