Oscars 2017: Predicting The Winners
7. Best Costume Design
Will Win: Jackie Should Win: Jackie Surprise Win: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
La La Land will be stopped in its tracks by the work of Madeline Fontaine in Jackie. As with the category of Production Design, other titans are more likely to stomp over La La Land's chances of a clean sweep. Nothing about La La Land's costume work is particularly remarkable, especially compared to the other elements of the film such as music and dance.
Fontaine is a veteran who has faithfully and gloriously recreated the fashion of Jackie Onassis and the period she defined. The film is not just a showcase for Portman and composer Mica Levi, but also Fontaine's costumes.
To create distinct costumes that not only recreate the past but somehow manage to stand out is a tricky balancing act, and Fontaine pulls it off better than any of her fellow nominees. Her work on Jackie is a case study for the art involved in Costume Design, and the most effective of the 5 nominees.
It is unlikely, but for the combination of attention to period detail as well as vibrant imagination, the most likely one of those nominees to steal the award from Jackie is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Its Costume Designer, Colleen Atwood, has already won 3 oscars and whilst it is unlikely she'll gain a fourth, if anyone can do it, then it will be her for designs that seem to effortlessly combine fantasy with realism.