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4 The Costume Designer Spring 2019 EDITOR'S NOTE For me, this year's awards season was all about the gestures. I was wowed by a breathtaking display of solidarity at the 21st annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. There was the regal Betty Pecha Madden receiving her Distinguished Service Award, as a sea of pay equity signs were held aloft in elegant protest. The awards also dared to share the spotlight with our sister Local 705 in a meaningful way. Underscoring the show was a beautiful rec- ognition of the vast sum of people it takes to produce costumes, and for that I am grateful. This year, our Collaborator and Spotlight Awards were two fierce champions of Costume Design, Ryan Murphy and Glenn Close. Their words were so potent, so true, and so necessary, that you will find them printed in this issue in their entirety, a first for this publication. I would also like to recognize Arianne Phillips and Nancy Steiner, two incredible advocates of Costume Design. Thanks to their unseen efforts, we were able to hold signs in our hands to protest pay equity. To say Arianne and Nancy are busy is an understate- ment, yet they made time to volunteer on our behalf—what an inspiration. Costume Design is important because people are important. Through costumes, designers, assistant designers, and illustrators create a visual language of sympathy and understanding. It is one of the most vital human experiences to say, "I feel you. I know what you are going through as a person." By creating clothing for an individual at a spe- cific moment in their life, we are recognizing the human experiences which are universal, and that is powerful and meaningful. Congratulations to our nominees and winners for the breadth of stories they told. By the time the thrill and energy surrounding our Costume Designers Guild Awards finally waned, it was time for the Oscars. Watching the telecast, I felt pride for the nomi- nees, all CDG members: Alexandra Byrne, Ruth Carter, Sandy Powell, and Mary Zophres. I have had the honor and delight to discuss their nominated projects in great detail with each of them. Every film was impactful in its own right, produced with each designer's individual approach, conviction, and passion. The designers were seated together in the front row of the Dolby Theatre. When Ruth's name was called, the audience leapt to their feet and applauded. As if in a dream, Ruth rose and glided to the bottom of the steps. Mary Zophres, to her left, paused momen- tarily in her clapping and in a quick, graceful movement bent down and arranged the train of Ruth's fantastic gilded gown perfectly for her ascent up the stairs to receive the Oscar. To me, this exemplifies the spirit of the CDG. There are many myths which surround art, and perhaps the most dangerous is the idea that an artist needs to be selfish to survive. Thank you Mary for the beautiful lesson by example. Two extraordinary members, Michelle Cole and Allyson Fanger, grace our spring cover. They bring their unique voices and experiences to the feature about the power of contemporary Costume Design, which addresses how cre- ating the characters in a modern television show or film can be as challenging as a period piece or one set in the future. While our readership is among the cognoscenti that under- stands this concept well, it is my hope we ignite this con- versation among a broader audience. Anna Wyckoff awyckoff@cdgia.com DESIGNER + MAKER + JEWELRY CONSULTANT Replica commissioned by Larry McQueen, The Collection of Motion Picture Costume Design for exhibit at Walt Disney World WWW.KATHLEENLYNAGH.COM info@KathleenLynagh.com Southern California JEWELRY FOR FILM Custom Jewelry Builds - Replicas Authentic Historical Jewelry Ingrid Bergman in the film classic "Gaslight". Arianne Phillips and Nancy Steiner