Colleen Atwood

Moviegoers may be impressed by "Snow White and the Huntsman's" computer-generated trolls, flying fairies and mythical beasts. But it could be Colleen Atwood's complicated, handmade costumes that really steal the show. The film's Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) may be losing her grip on the title of fairest of them all, but she nevertheless tops the cast's best-dressed list. In some cases, some of Ravenna's 20 outfits (counting several multiple versions of the same gowns) took weeks to construct, though they might appear on screen for only a few seconds.

Moviegoers may be impressed by "Snow White and the Huntsman's" computer-generated trolls, flying fairies and mythical beasts. But it could be Colleen Atwood's complicated, handmade costumes that really steal the show. The film's Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) may be losing her grip on the title of fairest of them all, but she nevertheless tops the cast's best-dressed list. In some cases, some of Ravenna's 20 outfits (counting several multiple versions of the same gowns) took weeks to construct, though they might appear on screen for only a few seconds.

"Dark Shadows,"which hit theaters on Friday, not only revives long-dormant vampire Barnabas Collins, it also brings back some giggle- and cringe-inducing fashions of the early 1970s. Leisure suits. Mirrored aviator sunglasses. Bell-bottoms, chunky sweaters, macramé jewelry. These all contrast with the stand-up collars, cravats and capes worn by Johnny Depp as Collins. Costume designer Colleen Atwood was more than up to the challenge after numerous previous collaborations with director Tim Burton (her efforts for the director's"Alice in Wonderland" earned her a 2010 Academy Award)

"Dark Shadows,"which hit theaters on Friday, not only revives long-dormant vampire Barnabas Collins, it also brings back some giggle- and cringe-inducing fashions of the early 1970s. Leisure suits. Mirrored aviator sunglasses. Bell-bottoms, chunky sweaters, macramé jewelry. These all contrast with the stand-up collars, cravats and capes worn by Johnny Depp as Collins. Costume designer Colleen Atwood was more than up to the challenge after numerous previous collaborations with director Tim Burton (her efforts for the director's"Alice in Wonderland" earned her a 2010 Academy Award)

Costume designer Colleen Atwood has dressed gangsters and geishas, and a kid with bad hair and no hands. She's won two Academy Awards -- for "Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- while giving filmmaker Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" characters their decidedly off-kilter signature look. Part of what impresses about Atwood's designs is their range: From historically precise evocations of the "floating world" where old Japan sought its pleasures to a feverish vision of suburbia, where a young man with scissors for fingers carved spectacular topiaries and a place in housewives' hearts.

Jonathan Demme and Tim Burton are very different directors, but they both rely on Colleen Atwood to design the costumes for nearly every movie they do, from Burton's fanciful "Edward Scissorhands" to Demme's new austere period film, "Beloved." Atwood, 48, won an Oscar nomination for her work in "Little Women" and is now clothing the cast of Burton's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in England. DESIGNER BLASPHEMY: "Edith Head was a star because she was on 'The Art Linkletter Show.'

"Annie Hall" inspired women to learn how to tie a tie. "Flashdance" set off a craze for ripped sweat shirts. And "Pulp Fiction" made the classic white shirt a hot fashion item. But how many people know the names of the costume designers who inspired these film-to-fashion moments? (For the record, they are Ruth Morley, Michael Kaplan and Betsy Heimann, respectively.) When it comes to inspiring others, costume designers rarely gain fame or fortune, even when films and TV shows spin off commercial cosmetics and clothing lines based on their work.

To reinvent the madcap look of "Alice in Wonderland" for the 21st century, Tim Burton turned to longtime collaborator Colleen Atwood. The costume designer, nominated eight times in the Academy Awards, took time out from working in Venice on her next film, "The Tourist," to talk about how she re-dressed the characters (the cast is led by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska and Anne Hathaway) in the early Victorian tale, starting with Alice and her famous blue frock. The new Alice is 19 years old, and she's not the typical frilly Disney character.

Question: Would Rita Hayworth's performance as "Gilda" have been as mesmerizing if she hadn't danced in that skin-tight, Jean-Louis-designed, black satin dress that undulated in the caress of the spotlight? Answer: Not on your life. Costume design is a treasured art that has been invaluable to cinema since its inception. Each practitioner's passion and research help lift a character off the screenwriter's page, transforming words into flesh -- and cloth. One sketch can transport viewers back in time or give them a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

In the award frenzy leading up to Sunday's Oscar ceremony, "Chicago" has notched another victory. Costume designer Colleen Atwood was honored by the Costume Designers Guild for excellence in a period or fantasy film.

"Annie Hall" inspired women to learn how to tie a tie. "Flashdance" set off a craze for ripped sweat shirts. And "Pulp Fiction" made the classic white shirt a hot fashion item. But how many people know the names of the costume designers who inspired these film-to-fashion moments? (For the record, they are Ruth Morley, Michael Kaplan and Betsy Heimann, respectively.) When it comes to inspiring others, costume designers rarely gain fame or fortune, even when films and TV shows spin off commercial cosmetics and clothing lines based on their work.

Designing costumes for a film is never easy, but this year's five Academy Award nominees faced some very daunting tasks ? starting with characters that might shrink or grow, Shakespearean gender switches, animal hides and royal regalia. We asked the five women to tell us about the biggest challenge of their movie. FOR THE RECORD: Costume design nominees: The credits for two illustrations that accompany a Calendar section article elsewhere in this edition about Oscar-nominated costume designers misspell the last name of "The King's Speech" designer Jenny Beavan as Beaven.

At the preview of "The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design," two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood said Johnny Depp wanted his Mad Hatter costume to capture the flavor of a mood ring. So she layered his topcoat with multiple colors of silk. Standing beside his costume from "Alice in Wonderland," Atwood said the challenges of designing for Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter included the changing sizes of the characters. "Alice shrinks and grows, and Helena's big head made her neck look as thick as a thigh," Atwood said, adding that she solved that problem by creating a collar to narrow the appearance of Bonham Carter's neck.

To reinvent the madcap look of "Alice in Wonderland" for the 21st century, Tim Burton turned to longtime collaborator Colleen Atwood. The costume designer, nominated eight times in the Academy Awards, took time out from working in Venice on her next film, "The Tourist," to talk about how she re-dressed the characters (the cast is led by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska and Anne Hathaway) in the early Victorian tale, starting with Alice and her famous blue frock. The new Alice is 19 years old, and she's not the typical frilly Disney character.

Question: Would Rita Hayworth's performance as "Gilda" have been as mesmerizing if she hadn't danced in that skin-tight, Jean-Louis-designed, black satin dress that undulated in the caress of the spotlight? Answer: Not on your life. Costume design is a treasured art that has been invaluable to cinema since its inception. Each practitioner's passion and research help lift a character off the screenwriter's page, transforming words into flesh -- and cloth. One sketch can transport viewers back in time or give them a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

Costume designer Colleen Atwood has dressed gangsters and geishas, and a kid with bad hair and no hands. She's won two Academy Awards -- for "Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- while giving filmmaker Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" characters their decidedly off-kilter signature look. Part of what impresses about Atwood's designs is their range: From historically precise evocations of the "floating world" where old Japan sought its pleasures to a feverish vision of suburbia, where a young man with scissors for fingers carved spectacular topiaries and a place in housewives' hearts.

"Chicago" Colleen Atwood Four-time nominee Colleen Atwood received her first Oscar for designing "Chicago's" distinctive, slinky Jazz Age costumes. Atwood, who regularly designs costumes for directors Tim Burton ("Ed Wood," "Planet of the Apes") and Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs," "Beloved"), researched the art and fashion of the '20s, and drew on Art Deco, Bauhaus and Cubist styles in creating the characters' sexy outfits.

I was most disappointed in Colleen Atwood's comments regarding the designer Edith Head (Whatever., Oct. 11). Atwood suggests that Miss Head was only famous for appearing on Art Linkletter's "House Party." I would like to suggest that Miss Head was famous for her incredible career as a costume designer. Miss Head designed for over 1,000 films in her career, which spanned 1924 through 1981. In that time, she was nominated for an Oscar 35 times and received eight. She did 11 pictures with Alfred Hitchcock and also worked with all the great directors of her era. At the time she was on "House Party," in the '50s, she had authored a book, "The Dress Doctor," was working on an average of 15 pictures a year for Paramount, and was touring doing charity fashion shows with her costume collection.

"Blades of Glory," "Sweeney Todd" and "The Golden Compass" won the 10th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards in feature film Tuesday evening. Julie Weiss won the excellence in contemporary film award for the Will Ferrell comedy "Blades of Glory"; Colleen Atwood won the Costume Designers Guild prize for excellence in period film for the dark musical "Sweeney Todd," and Ruth Myers received the prize for excellence in fantasy film for "The Golden Compass."...

Costume designer Colleen Atwood, a six-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner ("Memoirs of a Geisha," "Chicago"), has spent a lot of time making the strange, dark cinematic dreams of Tim Burton come to life ("Edward Scissorhands," "Sleepy Hollow"). But "Sweeney Todd," the surreal slice-and-dice musical saga of a barber obsessed with revenge on the decadent society that wronged him, was her biggest challenge yet. So what did she do first? She listened to the music.