6 The Costume Designer Winter 2016
EDITOR'S NOTE
Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick's oeuvre has moved mas-
terfully through periods and personalities, never favoring
one style over another. One might say her work defies labels.
But the exactitude and ease of her designs do not sacrifice
excitement for subtlety.
When brainstorming how to photograph her for our
winter cover story, there was only one aspect of her work
that permitted me to draw a through line. The color white
has often been chosen as the unlikely, but perfect foil for
a strong character. Think Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra,
Audrey Hepburn in Always, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, Sharon Stone in Basic
Instinct, and of course, the white boots worn by Clive Owen as Dr. John W. Thackery
in The Knick. Intrigued by Ellen's use of white, I asked her longtime friend, photog-
rapher Rachel Hudgins, to capture her using this idea as inspiration.
Ellen has also been kind enough to share her director lookbook for The Knick
with us. A glimpse of her mind at work is riveting, as the world she has created hangs
in the margins between the paintings, fabric swatches, and research photographs.
This year we spoke to our award nominees regarding which of their costumes
were the most iconic. This is a tricky question because designers rarely have time to
reflect upon their work as they are constantly in the midst of it. It is only through the
crucible of time and the context of history that alchemy occurs lifting the icons into
their frames. But, I couldn't resist seeing and hearing what was most iconic to them,
and dear reader, I think you will find their answers are both fascinating and surprising.
To those audience members who persist with the notion that only the fantastical
Costume Design is worthy of awarding, I assert that there is as much design in the
perfect leather jacket as there is in a frock coat. As always, I invite you to look more
closely. Volume of fabric does not create a memorable character. Instead, he or she is
culled from psychological insights expressed in well-chosen seams and details. They
say eyes are the windows to the soul, but I argue that clothes are.
Congratulations to our nominees.
Anna Wyckoff
awyckoff@cdgia.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Anna Wyckoff
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Bonnie Nipar
Christine Cover Ferro
PRESIDENT
Salvador Perez
sperez@cdgia.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Cate Adair
cadair@cdgia.com
SECRETARY
Ivy Thaide
ithaide@cdgia.com
TREASURER
Nanrose Buchman
nbuchman@cdgia.com
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Mary Vogt
mvogt@cdgia.com
Christopher Lawrence
clawrence@cdgia.com
Julie Weiss
jweiss@cdgia.com
Mona May
mmay@cdgia.com
Phillip Boutté Jr.
Costume Illustrators Representative
pboutte@cdgia.com
Kristine Haag
ACD Representative
khaag@cdgia.com
LABOR REPRESENTATIVES
Betty Madden
Sharon Day
BOARD ALTERNATES
Kristin Burke
kburke@cdgia.com
Jennifer Soulages
jsoulages@cdgia.com
Lyn Paolo
lpaolo@cdgia.com
Terry Gordon
tgordon@cdgia.com
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jacqueline Saint Anne
jsaintanne@cdgia.com
Cliff Chally
chally@cdgia.com
Barbara Inglehart
binglehart@cdgia.com
ALTERNATE TRUSTEE
Dorothy Amos
damos@cdgia.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rachael M. Stanley
rstanley@cdgia.com
MEMBER SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR
Suzanne Huntington
shuntington@cdgia.com
RECEPTIONIST/SECRETARY
Cecilia Granados
cgranados@cdgia.com
PUBLISHER
IngleDodd Media
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310.207.4410
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www.IngleDoddMedia.com
costumedesignersguild.com
… Each category of Costume Design
should be judged equally.
Much like dramatic acting is different
from comedic acting, they are separate,
but equal art forms.
"
"
–CDG President Salvador Perez
