Oscar-Nominated Costumes: Fantasy vs. Factual

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This year’s Oscar nominations for Best Costume range from an extravagant swan headdress to a Civil-War era century suit and top hat.

There's not a common thread that runs through these costume choices.  But fashion designer Nick Verreos says that this year's nominations are strong candidates because they can tell a story on their own. 

“You want to tell a story through the costume. You may not know who just walked in but you sure as heck can judge that this is someone important,” said Verreos.  “Especially this cloak worn by Charlize Theron as Ravenna.  And you can see this one's a diva. You know this is no simpleton. Ravenna is no wallflower. She commands the room”  

The extravagance of the rooster-feathered coat worn by Theron in "Snow White and the Huntsman" mirrors the fantastical qualities of found fairytale film nominees, like "Mirror, Mirror".

 But theatrics is not the defining criteria for a nomination. The nod gave a nod to several other nominees for their historical accuracy; including the "Anna Karenina", "Les Miserables" and "Lincoln".

“It gets a nomination because of the fact that it’s historically correct. And the costumes are so important to the film,” said Verreos.

“We have the visions of what Lincoln looks like. So you better bring on that top hat. You better bring on that long coat that makes him look even longer.” 

And the Academy has reward accuracy many times before. But Verreos says the final selection could go either way.

“Either fantasy will be picked or historically correctness as in Lincoln. So it will be interesting to see who will get the nod this year for the best costume design,” said Verreos.

It’s probably best the Academy makes this decision. How do you pick between a rooster cloak and a swan hat anyways?