We are finally approaching a very exciting season - awards season! Each year we are delighted to see the incredibly talented work done by the costume designers. Something about their work showcases art in the most unique and inspiring ways. Lets' take a look at this year's nominees for best costume designs, and decide who you think deserves to win the best costume.

Cruella (Jenny Beavan): The 2021 movie "Cruella", brings us back in time to the 1996 "101 Dalmations", and the iconic villain herself. Cruella stars Emma Stone who plays as Estella/Cruella. The character is determined to make herself known in the fashion world in London and will do whatever wicked things it takes. It is certainly hard to compete with a film that had 47 costume changes altogether. The villain in general has a history of leaving fans in awe at the creative pieces she has worn over time, and some say she is the best-dressed villain of all time. This film has changed the game in the art of fashion with the divine and sexy dresses created by Jenny Beavan. Interestingly enough, Jenny was caught by surprise when asked to design the wardrobe for the film. One of the most notable pieces she designed for the film, was an over 40-foot train, which was patched together with many different textures and colors. The dress is referred to by viewers as the "trash, newspaper, or dumpster" dress, as she stands on a dumpster in the crowd with the insanely long train laid across the street.

Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran): The 2021 musical/drama, "Cyrano" is a re-written version of the same name 2019 Off-Broadway musical, which itself was an adaptation of the 1897 story by Edmond Rostand. The staff here at PMTM holds this film close to our hearts, as Haley Bennett (stars as Roxanne), began her acting journey with us at the age of 13 years old. This movie takes us back to 17th century France and is about a dazzling man with an admiring talent in wordplay and swordplay. Cyrano, played by Peter Dinklage, believes he is unlovable due to his physical appearance, as he has fallen for a woman who is into someone else. Costume designers Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran had an eye for re-creating the film with costumes that portrayed a sense of "light and airiness". Many of the pieces seen in this film are transparent and delicate from silk and linen fabrics, with hints of watercolor that Massimo had seen when in a museum in Rome. The costumes helped make the film more visually stunning and a "breath of fresh air".

Dune (Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan) This 2021 science fiction film starring Zendaya as Chani and Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, involves a mission to travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to save the future of his family and people. Interestingly enough, when first approached to design the costumes for this film, Jacqueline West refused, saying, "No, I don't do sci-fi". She stated nicely that this film was not in her genre until she finally decided to speak with director Denis Villeneuve. After listening to the proposition of his visions, she said absolutely to the idea, and that is when the collaboration with Robert Morgan came to be. Together the designers have been able to take inspiration from insects, spiders, and lizards to create the black leather look of the Harkonnen costumes.

Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira) The 2021 thriller/drama, Nightmare Alley starring Bradley Cooper, takes place in the 1940s, a remake of the original 1947 movie. An ambitious and talented manipulator starts a relationship with a female psychiatrist, who turns out to be even more dangerous than himself. Due to the pandemic, a forced 6-month shut down in March of 2020, allowed costume designer Luis Sequeira to focus on detail. The painfully long process resulted in some beautifully detailed original styles from the '30s that ranged from lower-class garments to abundant and luxurious items. An interesting point made by Luis was that each piece was meant to appear as if it had been aged in an old trunk for over 15 years. Creating award-winning pieces for this film seems to be a challenge, especially for the fact that there were 242 costume changes altogether, blowing Cruella through the roof with its 47 costume changes.

West Side Story (Paul Tazewell) Lastly, let us touch on the 2021 musical romance, West Side Story starring Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, and Maddie Ziegler. The adaptation of the original 1957 musical, explores the romance and friction between the two street gangs; the Jets and the Sharks. While there have been many remakes of this musical, we are pleased to see the beauty Paul Tazewell has crafted this time around. One of the most notable pieces was Anita's gorgeous yellow and red lined dress. For the rebellious caucasian street gang, the Jets, many of the costumes consisted of many articles of denim such as jackets that portrayed a "cool" tone. As for the Puerto Rican rivals, the Sharks, their outfits consisted of more floral pieces that were a little more formal. The inspiration behind the outfits for the character Maria was a lot of flowy white pieces to capture her innocent presence in the film. Overall, many pieces were tailored to be suitable for the actors to dance in, allowing for them to have the ability to move their bodies the way they needed to. This was no challenge for Tazewell as the results are so many gorgeous dresses that make you want to shake and twirl in.

Recent feuds on Twitter have shown that the top two fan favorites are between Dune and Cruella. Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments who you would like to see at the top for the best costume!