As the creative boom of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ was taking off in
British fashion, art, music and film, the SFTA (as it was then) experienced a
modest boom of its own with the creation of several new film awards craft
categories, including costume design.
Separate categories for black-and-white and colour offered up two
inaugural winners. Contemporary drama The Pumpkin Eater showcased eye-catching
coats and hats designed by theatre design firm Motley (comprising sisters
Margaret and Sophie Harris, and Elizabeth Montgomery Wilmot), while the silk
tunics and velvet capes of historical drama Becket scored a win for Margaret
Furse, who quickly went on to earn another four nominations before her death in
1974.
Over the next 50 years, seven designers in particular would enjoy repeated BAFTA success for film and television; most of them Brits, all of them women. Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland), Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road), Milena Canonero (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Michele Clapton (Game of Thrones), Sandy Powell (The Favourite), Amy Roberts (The Virgin Queen) and Shirley Russell (Shackleton) all currently hold three apiece, though Roberts also has a BAFTA Cymru award. Powell has the most number of nominations, however, with 15 in total – and has been nominated against herself on no less than three occasions (winning each time!).
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