More than 150 costumes are on display from Oct. 2, 2014, to Mar. 2, 2015, at Los Angeles’ historic May Company Building.
Kate Winslet’s white and violet suit from “The Titanic,” Nicole Kidman’s Sparking Diamond outfit from “Moulin Rouge!,” Julie Andrew’s dark plum costume from “Mary Poppins,” and Christian Bale’s Batman suit from “The Dark Knight Rises,” are among the costumes presented.
Others include, Jennifer Lawrence’s hunting clothes from “The Hunger Games,” Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white halter dress from “The Seven Year Itch” and Judy Garland’s original red ruby shoes from “The Wizard of Oz.”
These costumes and other Academy Award-winning costumes are featured in a high tech exhibit at the site of the soon-to-be Museum of Academy of Motion Pictures. The exhibit uses projections, light manipulation and sound to truly capture the essence of each movie.
Each costume is accompanied by a description, a list of materials used to create it, the designer’s name, and a quote from the actor or actress who plays the character.
The exhibit is divided into three parts, each focusing on a specific step of the process of costume designing: Act I Deconstruction, Act II Dialogue, and Act III Finale.
Costumes are staged by the genre of each film. There is an Elizabethan section, a drama section, a comic book section, and many more.
The founder of the exhibit is American film and theater costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis. Landis is known for her work on “Animal House,” “Three Amigos,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and Micheal Jackson’s “Thriller” music video.
Landis began the exhibit at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. While collecting pieces for the exhibit, Landis came across one of the most celebrated costumes in Hollywood history- the blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.”
In an interview with the LA Times, Landis commented on the moment “I wasn’t really affected until I turned it inside out, that’s when the tears started flowing […] The dress validated everything in my life, everything I understood about costuming, what our role is.”