Sandy Powell (born 7 April 1960) is a British costume designer. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Film Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards. She has been honored with the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award in 2010 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2023. Powell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025.

Powell frequently collaborated with directors Derek Jarman, Neil Jordan, Todd Haynes and Martin Scorsese. She has received 15 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and has won three times for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Young Victoria (2009). She has also been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design a record 16 times and had three wins for Velvet Goldmine (1998), The Young Victoria, and The Favourite (2018).

Early life and education Powell was born in London in 1960, and grew up in Brixton and Clapham. Her father worked in casinos, while her mother was a secretary. In 2023, Powell said in an interview with fashion journalist Suzy Menkes that, despite their close friendship, she was not related to fellow costume designer Anthony Powell. Information about them being cousins has falsely spread online. Powell learned to sew from her mother on a Singer sewing machine, drew pictures of clothes, designed and made outfits for her dolls, and started making her own clothes from a young age. She also developed an interest in film and theatre from an early age.

Powell attended Sydenham High School, and in 1978 she completed an art foundation course at Saint Martin's School of Art, where she became acquainted with Lea Anderson, who later became a dancer and choreographer as well as Powell's collaborator. In 1979, Powell began a BA in theatre design at the Central School of Art and Design, but left after two years before completing her degree and started working for fringe theatre companies.

Career 1980–1997: Early work

After leaving Central, Powell began a working relationship with dancer and choreographer Lindsay Kemp, whom she greatly admired. She designed costumes for his productions, the first of which was the show Nijinsky at La Scala in Milan. In the early 1980s, Powell became acquainted with filmmaker Derek Jarman, who became a mentor and an influential figure in her life. Following Jarman's advice, she spent a year working on music videos. She made her entry into the film industry in 1986, designing costumes for the Jarman film Caravaggio.

In 1992, Powell achieved prominence in the period drama film Orlando, directed by Sally Potter. Operating on a limited budget, Powell created elaborate costumes for the gender-switching and time-traveling protagonist (played by Tilda Swinton), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Powell also began a collaboration with director Neil Jordan, which would produce a total of six films including the crime thriller The Crying Game (1992), the gothic horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994) and the period drama Michael Collins (1996).

1998–2017: Breakthrough Powell received dual nominations at the 71st Academy Awards for her two 1998 films, Velvet Goldmine and Shakespeare in Love. Echoing the contemporary tone of Shakespeare in Love, Powell opted to sacrifice historical accuracy in her costume designs but still managed to achieve "emotional accuracy", according to Salon critic Stephanie Zacharek. The detail on the costumes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Viola and the thematic significance of her costume changes were also noted as highlights of the film. For her work in the film, Powell won her first Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Following her win at the 71st Academy Awards, Powell began her collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, starting with his 2002 epic period drama film Gangs of New York, for which she earned her 5th Oscar nomination. The two reunited for the 2004 biographical drama film The Aviator, for which Powell won her second Academy Award. Powell accepted her Oscar while wearing a dress made by her frequent collaborator, the costume cutter Annie Hadley, which was a version of a dress worn by Cate Blanchett in the film.

In 2005 she worked on Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents earning another Academy Award nomination. She worked on Scorsese gain this time for a film set in modern-day creating current day clothing for the Boston crime drama The Departed (2006) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. She then worked on the historical romantic drama The Other Boleyn Girl which was based on 2001 novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory. The film was directed by Justin Chadwick and starred Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Eric Bana.

In 2009, She worked on the romantic period drama The Young Victoria directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film starred Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, and the film revolves around her upbringing and romance with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha portrayed by Rupert Friend. She won her third Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film. The following year she worked on Scorsese's psychological thriller Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Julie Taymor's The Tempest with Helen Mirren. In 2011 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design her work on Scorsese's children's action adventure film Hugo losing to Mark Bridges for The Artist (2011).

In 2016, Powell received her second dual nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, having been recognized for her works in Kenneth Branagh's Disney live-action adaptation of Cinderella and for Todd Haynes' romantic drama Carol (2015). The later was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt (1952). The film starred Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as starcrossed lovers in the 1950s. She reunited with Haynes for the black and white film Wonderstruck (2017) starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Brian Selznick. She also served as an executive producer on the film. That same year, she worked on the John Cameron Mitchell's wacky science fiction romantic comedy How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017).

2018–present In 2019, Powell garnered her third dual nominations at the 91st Academy Awards for her works in Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite (2018) and Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns (2018), making her the most nominated costume designer in Academy Awards history after Edith Head. In 2020, Powell received her 15th Oscar nomination in her seventh collaboration with Martin Scorsese in his epic crime film The Irishman starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. She shared the nomination with her co-designer, Christopher Peterson.

In the same year, Powell collected many stars' signatures on a cream calico suit in a widely publicized tour of 2020 awards ceremonies, including the 92nd Academy Awards and 73rd British Academy Film Awards, to be auctioned to raise funds for the preservation of director Derek Jarman's home, Prospect Cottage. She also did the costume design for the British drama Living (2021) starring Bill Nighy and the live action Disney film Snow White starring Rachel Zegler.

Filmography Year Title Director Notes 1986 Caravaggio Derek Jarman 1987 Aria Segment: "Depuis le jour" The Last of England 1988 Stormy Monday Mike Figgis For Queen and Country Martin Stellman 1989 Venus Peter Ian Sellar Killing Dad Michael Austin Shadow of China Mitsuo Yanagimachi 1991 The Miracle Neil Jordan The Pope Must Die Peter Richardson Edward II Derek Jarman Also makes a cameo as Seamstress 1992 Orlando Sally Potter The Crying Game Neil Jordan 1993 Wittgenstein Derek Jarman 1994 Being Human Bill Forsyth Interview with the Vampire Neil Jordan 1995 Rob Roy Michael Caton-Jones 1996 Michael Collins Neil Jordan 1997 The Butcher Boy The Wings of the Dove Iain Softley 1998 Velvet Goldmine Todd Haynes Hilary and Jackie Anand Tucker Shakespeare in Love John Madden 1999 Felicia's Journey Atom Egoyan Miss Julie Mike Figgis The End of the Affair Neil Jordan 2002 Far from Heaven Todd Haynes Gangs of New York Martin Scorsese 2003 Sylvia Christine Jeffs 2004 The Aviator Martin Scorsese 2005 Mrs Henderson Presents Stephen Frears 2006 The Departed Martin Scorsese 2008 The Other Boleyn Girl Justin Chadwick 2009 The Young Victoria Jean-Marc Vallée 2010 Shutter Island Martin Scorsese The Tempest Julie Taymor 2011 Hugo Martin Scorsese 2012 Suspension of Disbelief Mike Figgis 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street Martin Scorsese 2015 Cinderella Kenneth Branagh Carol Todd Haynes 2017 Wonderstruck Also executive producer How to Talk to Girls at Parties John Cameron Mitchell 2018 The Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos Mary Poppins Returns Rob Marshall 2019 The Irishman Martin Scorsese with Christopher Peterson 2020 The Glorias Julie Taymor 2021 Mothering Sunday Eva Husson 2022 Living Oliver Hermanus 2025 Snow White Marc Webb 2026 The Bride! Maggie Gyllenhaal Queer Edward II Theo Rollason DocumentaryExecutive producer Mike Newell Post-production Martin Scorsese Post-production

Theatre Year Production Venue Notes 1990 Edward II Royal Shakespeare Company 1998 Rigoletto De Nederlandse Opera Doctor Ox's Experiment English National Opera Commissioned by the ENO with BBC Television 2024 Gatsby: An American Myth American Repertory Theater

Awards and nominations Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1994 Best Costume Design Orlando 1998 The Wings of the Dove 1999 Shakespeare in Love Velvet Goldmine 2003 Gangs of New York 2005 The Aviator 2006 Mrs Henderson Presents 2010 The Young Victoria 2011 The Tempest 2012 Hugo 2016 Carol Cinderella 2019 The Favourite Mary Poppins Returns 2020 The Irishman

BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.British Academy Film Awards 1994 Best Costume Design Orlando 1995 Interview with the Vampire 1998 The Wings of the Dove 1999 Velvet Goldmine Shakespeare in Love 2000 The End of the Affair 2003 Gangs of New York 2005 The Aviator 2006 Mrs Henderson Presents 2010 The Young Victoria 2012 Hugo 2016 Carol Cinderella 2019 The Favourite Mary Poppins Returns 2020 The Irishman 2023 BAFTA Fellowship

Miscellaneous awards