Sandy Powell (born 7 April 1960) is a British costume designer. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Film Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards. She has been honored with the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award in 2010 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2023. Powell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025.
Powell frequently collaborated with directors Derek Jarman, Neil Jordan, Todd Haynes and Martin Scorsese. She has received 15 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and has won three times for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Young Victoria (2009). She has also been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design a record 16 times and had three wins for Velvet Goldmine (1998), The Young Victoria, and The Favourite (2018).
Early life and education
Powell was born in London in 1960, and grew up in Brixton and Clapham. Her father worked in casinos, while her mother was a secretary. In 2023, Powell said in an interview with fashion journalist Suzy Menkes that, despite their close friendship, she was not related to fellow costume designer Anthony Powell. Information about them being cousins has falsely spread online. Powell learned to sew from her mother on a Singer sewing machine, She also developed an interest in film and theatre from an early age. In 1979, Powell began a BA in theatre design at the Central School of Art and Design, but left after two years before completing her degree and started working for fringe theatre companies. In the early 1980s, Powell became acquainted with filmmaker Derek Jarman, who became a mentor and an influential figure in her life. She made her entry into the film industry in 1986, designing costumes for the Jarman film Caravaggio. Powell created elaborate costumes for the gender-switching and time-traveling protagonist (played by Tilda Swinton), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Powell also began a collaboration with director Neil Jordan, which would produce a total of six films including the crime thriller The Crying Game (1992), the gothic horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994) and the period drama Michael Collins (1996). Powell accepted her Oscar while wearing a dress made by her frequent collaborator, the costume cutter Annie Hadley, which was a version of a dress worn by Cate Blanchett in the film.
In 2005 she worked on Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents earning another Academy Award nomination. She worked on Scorsese gain this time for a film set in modern-day creating current day clothing for the Boston crime drama The Departed (2006) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. She then worked on the historical romantic drama The Other Boleyn Girl which was based on 2001 novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory. The film was directed by Justin Chadwick and starred Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Eric Bana.
In 2009, She worked on the romantic period drama The Young Victoria directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film starred Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, and the film revolves around her upbringing and romance with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha portrayed by Rupert Friend. She won her third Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film. The following year she worked on Scorsese's psychological thriller Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Julie Taymor's The Tempest with Helen Mirren. In 2011 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design her work on Scorsese's children's action adventure film Hugo losing to Mark Bridges for The Artist (2011).
thumb|right|Detail of the costume worn by [[Helen Mirren in The Tempest, designed by Powell.]]
In 2016, Powell received her second dual nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, having been recognized for her works in Kenneth Branagh's Disney live-action adaptation of Cinderella and for Todd Haynes' romantic drama Carol (2015). The later was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt (1952). The film starred Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as starcrossed lovers in the 1950s. She reunited with Haynes for the black and white film Wonderstruck (2017) starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Brian Selznick. She also served as an executive producer on the film. That same year, she worked on the John Cameron Mitchell's wacky science fiction romantic comedy How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017).
2018–present
In 2019, Powell garnered her third dual nominations at the 91st Academy Awards for her works in Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite (2018) and Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns (2018), making her the most nominated costume designer in Academy Awards history after Edith Head. In 2020, Powell received her 15th Oscar nomination in her seventh collaboration with Martin Scorsese in his epic crime film The Irishman starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. She shared the nomination with her co-designer, Christopher Peterson. She also did the costume design for the British drama Living (2021) starring Bill Nighy and the live action Disney film Snow White starring Rachel Zegler.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1986
| Caravaggio
| rowspan="3" | Derek Jarman
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| Aria
| Segment: "Depuis le jour"
|-
| The Last of England
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988
| Stormy Monday
| Mike Figgis
|
|-
| For Queen and Country
| Martin Stellman
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| Venus Peter
| Ian Sellar
|
|-
| Killing Dad
| Michael Austin
|
|-
| Shadow of China
| Mitsuo Yanagimachi
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1991
| The Miracle
| Neil Jordan
|
|-
| The Pope Must Die
| Peter Richardson
|
|-
| Edward II
| Derek Jarman
| Also makes a cameo as Seamstress
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Orlando
| Sally Potter
|
|-
| The Crying Game
| Neil Jordan
|
|-
| 1993
| Wittgenstein
| Derek Jarman
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| Being Human
| Bill Forsyth
|
|-
| Interview with the Vampire
| Neil Jordan
|
|-
| 1995
| Rob Roy
| Michael Caton-Jones
|
|-
| 1996
| Michael Collins
| rowspan="2" | Neil Jordan
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| The Butcher Boy
|
|-
| The Wings of the Dove
| Iain Softley
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Velvet Goldmine
| Todd Haynes
|
|-
| Hilary and Jackie
| Anand Tucker
|
|-
| Shakespeare in Love
| John Madden
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1999
| Felicia's Journey
| Atom Egoyan
|
|-
| Miss Julie
| Mike Figgis
|
|-
| The End of the Affair
| Neil Jordan
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| Far from Heaven
| Todd Haynes
|
|-
| Gangs of New York
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| 2003
| Sylvia
| Christine Jeffs
|
|-
| 2004
| The Aviator
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| 2005
| Mrs Henderson Presents
| Stephen Frears
|
|-
| 2006
| The Departed
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| 2008
| The Other Boleyn Girl
| Justin Chadwick
|
|-
| 2009
| The Young Victoria
| Jean-Marc Vallée
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Shutter Island
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| The Tempest
| Julie Taymor
|
|-
| 2011
| Hugo
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| 2012
| Suspension of Disbelief
| Mike Figgis
|
|-
| 2013
| The Wolf of Wall Street
| Martin Scorsese
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Cinderella
| Kenneth Branagh
|
|-
| Carol
| rowspan="2" | Todd Haynes
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Wonderstruck
| Also executive producer
|-
| How to Talk to Girls at Parties
| John Cameron Mitchell
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| The Favourite
| Yorgos Lanthimos
|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
| Rob Marshall
|
|-
| 2019
| The Irishman
| Martin Scorsese
| with Christopher Peterson
|-
| 2020
| The Glorias
| Julie Taymor
|
|-
| 2021
| Mothering Sunday
| Eva Husson
|
|-
| 2022
| Living
| Oliver Hermanus
|
|-
| 2025
| Snow White
| Marc Webb
|
|-
| 2026
| The Bride!
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
|
|
| Mike Newell
| Post-production
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Production
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| 1990
| Edward II
| Royal Shakespeare Company
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998
| Rigoletto
| De Nederlandse Opera
|
|-
| Doctor Ox's Experiment
| English National Opera
| Commissioned by the ENO with BBC Television
|-
| 2024
| Gatsby: An American Myth
| American Repertory Theater
|
|}
Awards and nominations
;Major associations
Academy Awards
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1994
| rowspan="15" | Best Costume Design
| Orlando
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| The Wings of the Dove
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Shakespeare in Love
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Velvet Goldmine
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Gangs of New York
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Mrs Henderson Presents
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| The Young Victoria
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| The Tempest
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Carol
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Cinderella
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Favourite
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| The Irishman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
BAFTA Awards
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
! colspan="5"|British Academy Film Awards
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1994
| rowspan="16" | Best Costume Design
| Orlando
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Interview with the Vampire
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| The Wings of the Dove
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Velvet Goldmine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Shakespeare in Love
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| The End of the Affair
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Gangs of New York
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Mrs Henderson Presents
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| The Young Victoria
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Carol
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Cinderella
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| The Irishman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| BAFTA Fellowship
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
;Miscellaneous awards
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Result
! Ref.
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Apolo Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| rowspan="2" | Best Costume Design
| Carol
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| British Independent Film Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Best Technical Achievement
| Mrs Henderson Presents
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| rowspan="3" | Best Costume Design
| How to Talk to Girls at Parties
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2022
| Living
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Camerimage
|style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Costume Designer with Unique Visual Sensitivity
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Capri Umberto Tirelli Award
| Gangs of New York
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Best Costume Design
| Cinderella
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Capri Legend Award
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Best Costume Design
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="9" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Costume Designers Guild Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Excellence in Period/Fantasy Film
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Excellence in Period Film
| The Young Victoria
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Career Achievement Award
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Excellence in Fantasy Film
| The Tempest
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Excellence in Period Film
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Excellence in Fantasy Film
| Cinderella
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="3" | Excellence in Period Film
| Carol
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="7" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Critics' Choice Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| rowspan="7" | Best Costume Design
| The Young Victoria
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Carol
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Cinderella
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Favourite
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| The Irishman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Empire Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| rowspan="2" | Best Costume Design
| Carol
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Cinderella
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| European Film Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Best Costume Designer
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Evening Standard British Film Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1992
| rowspan="2" | Technical Achievement
| Edward II / The Miracle / The Pope Must Die
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1994
| Orlando
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Genie Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Best Costume Design
| Felicia's Journey
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Hollywood Film Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| rowspan="2" | Hollywood Costume Design Award
| Cinderella
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| rowspan="4" | Best Costume Design
| Far from Heaven
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Gangs of New York
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| London Design Festival
|style="text-align:center;"| 2022
| London Design Medal
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| London Film Critics' Circle Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Technical Achievement Award
| Cinderella
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Online Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| rowspan="2" | Best Costume Design
| Far from Heaven
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Gangs of New York
|
|-
! rowspan="7" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| rowspan="7" | Best Costume Design
| Far from Heaven
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Gangs of New York
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| The Young Victoria
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Cinderella
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| SCAD Savannah Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2021
| Variety’s Creative Impact in Costume Design
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| Best Costume Design
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Santa Barbara International Film Festival
|style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| Variety Artisans Award
| The Irishman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="8" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Satellite Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| rowspan="8" | Best Costume Design
| The Wings of the Dove
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Shakespeare in Love
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Gangs of New York
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| The Aviator
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| The Young Victoria
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Cinderella
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Favourite
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| Living
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Saturn Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| rowspan="4" | Best Costume Design
| Interview with the Vampire
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Hugo
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Cinderella
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| rowspan=4 | Best Costume Design
| Carol
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Cinderella
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| The Favourite
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mary Poppins Returns
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| WFTV Awards
|style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| AFM Lighting Craft Award
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
;Honorary degrees
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Name of school, year given, and name of degree
|-
! scope="col" | School
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Degree
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
!scope="row"| University of the Arts London
| 2018
| Honorary Fellow
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Other honours
- Powell was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the film industry. She was promoted to Commander (CBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to costume design.
- Powell was made a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) by the Royal Society of Arts in 2013.
Notes
References
External links
- Sandy Powell's vintage clothes, with all proceeds going to domestic abuse charity, Refuge