Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1124767
Spring 2019 The Costume Designer 31 I 'm very moved by this award. Thank you so much to the Costume Designers Guild and to Michael [Chiklis] and Ellen [[Mirojnick]. It has been my great privilege and joy to have stood for now hundreds of hours being draped, pinned, and trimmed by many of you in this room, as agonizing as some fittings can be, Dangerous Liaisons comes to mind. I'd had a baby seven weeks before those fittings, so they had to fit my body that was shaped like a loaf of bread into those costumes. I thought I could still nurse Annie, but thank God, I weaned her before I got to France. I cherish the memories and I cher- ish the memories of all the costume assistants, the dress- ers, the people that make it possible every day on the set. From the muslin prototype to the finished masterpiece, stitch by stitch, thought by thought, revelation by revela- tion. My characters would finally emerge. The product of hours of respectful collaboration, rigorous attention to detail and deep knowledge of craft. There's one person that I want to pay special tribute tonight. One person who stands out and who had a huge influence on me and my understanding of your craft. It was the brilliant Barbara Matera. Over the years, I spent many hours in her atelier, on lower Broadway, not in front of her special Joan Sutherland mirror, that she told me made Joan look thin- ner than she really was, but the regular mirror listening to and watching Barbara confer with say, Antony Powell or Ann Roth about tucks hemlines and trimmings and her special forte—which was the finishing bits that elevated a design into another level. For my very first movie, it was at Barbara's that Jenny Fields' nurse's uniform came to life, all hand finished. I remember being astounded when I heard that each one cost $500 to make. And at Barbara's, there was always the moment when she would summon the great Woody Shell to present and finesse yet another of his inspired and masterful hats. Everything was made at Barbara's. I made a habit of having a costume parade through the workroom after every final fitting to show the ladies what they had wrought. My costumes have always been much more to me than whatever character they're designed for. They are, to me, beautiful masterpieces created by a team who take as great pride in their craft, as I do in mine. You make what I do possible. My collaborations with whomever designs my costumes is as important to me, as is my col- laboration with the writer or director, sometimes even more. You have dressed me, inspired me, and finished me for 45 years. So it is with deep humility and gratitude that I receive this beautiful award from you tonight. Thank you. Glenn Close Spotlight Award Honoree From the muslin prototype to the finished masterpiece, stitch by stitch, thought by thought, revelation by revelation. My characters would finally emerge. " " Ellen Mirojnick and Glenn Close