Costume designer Colleen... -

( Clockwise from top right: 20th Century Fox / Miramax / Universal / Columbia )

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.

By Tina Daunt

Pictured clockwise from top right: Johnny Depp in "Edward Scissorhands," Catherine Zeta Jones in "Chicago," Johnny Depp in "Public Enemies" and Ziyi Zhang in "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Comments (0)

Add comments | Discussion FAQ

Currently there are no comments. Be the first to comment!

Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by clicking the Report Abuse link next to a comment. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.