Oscars 2019: Who Should Win Every Award (And Who Actually Will)

22. Costume Design

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs Tim Blake Nelson
Netflix

Nominees: Black Panther (Ruth E Carter), The Favourite (Sandy Powell), Mary Poppins Returns (Sandy Powell), Mary Queen of Scots (Alexandra Byrne), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Mary Zophres)

Who Should Win

Black Panther

This isn't considered a major category, but it is an incredibly strong one this year. The Favourite, Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary Poppins Returns all have their merits, but Ruth E. Carter's work on Black Panther stands out the most. Carter worked together comic book costumes with both traditional and modern African designs to really help create a stunning, lived-in world.

Who Will Win

The Favourite

The Academy loves a period piece in this category, and it's The Favourite that has the edge over the others in that regard: not only are the costumes lavish, but they're very much interwoven into the characters and storyline too, feeling very much of a piece with the larger whole. Sandy Powell is an Oscars favourite, having won three times, and The Favourite has been performing well in this category too, including a recent BAFTA win (only once this decade have the two awards differed in this category).

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