Colleen Atwood Discusses 10th 'Costume Design' Oscar Nomination

Colleen Atwood discusses her 10th Oscar nomination for Costume Design with THR. Also, check out a dress designed by Atwood for the film, but didn't see much screen time due to editing!

"It’s a good day today,” Colleen Atwood tells THR -- an understatement for a day on which the acclaimed designer received her 10th Oscar nomination for achievement in costume design for the film Snow White and the Huntsman. She found out Thursday morning from one of her daughter’s schoolmates in Massachusetts, a young boy who is an avowed film buff who called to tell her.

Atwood is now tied with another iconic costume designer, Sandy Powell, for nominations and wins. Powell won for Shakespeare in Love in 1999, The Aviator in 2004 and Young Victoria in 2010 and most recently was nominated for 2011's Hugo. Atwood also has won three Oscars -- for 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha and 2002's Chicago.

She calls Snow White a "particularly stylistically challenging film. It was a great and very exciting design experience, and I always like to challenge myself.“ As for what she will don to the technical awards Feb. 9, she’s worn big-name designers --  such as J. Mendel and Christian Lacroix --  in the past. But she's also talking about wearing a dress she's designed for herself -- in other words, a couture Colleen Atwood. “It's easy for me to design something and have it made quickly. I can figure that out myself.”  

Here's an amazing couture gown worn by Charlize Theron (Queen Ravena) that you will most likely miss. Sadly, this turquoise creation is only in the film for a few fleeting seconds due to editing, but it's one of the most provocative and intriguing creations we’ve seen from three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood.

The jagged-shouldered, gold and turquoise chiffon gown, with what looks like bits of moss around the neck, is adorned with the brilliantly bright and shiny turquoise shells of dung beetles. The beetles are eaten in Thailand as a protein source and their beautiful discarded shells were spotted by Atwood in a Thai flea market, where she was searching for unique materials for her Snow White costumes. Atwood was thrilled to find out that she could source large quantities of the shells because insects are actually farmed over in Thailand. Director Rupert Sanders had told Atwood that he wanted a progressively rotting, decaying look to Ravena’s gowns that would telegraph her character’s physical and psychic decay, as well as her spiraling descent into madness. 

The gorgeous jewel-like shells were so razor sharp that they were "treacherous" to handle, says Atwood. Her unfortunate sewers had to drill holes in the shells to sew them on the gown and some had to wear gloves to protect their fingers. Sadly, you barely notice the amazing gown in the film. It’s glimpsed for just a few seconds during a scene in which Theron is in a dimly lit castle stairwell.

via THR (1, 2)