She’s got designs on Oscar Town

At Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, costume designer Ngila Dickson will get the rare thrill of hearing her name read twice. Three times if she wins. She’s nominated for her work on two films: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “The Last Samurai.” But Dickson, a New Zealand native, is already fantasizing about how she might celebrate.

Spirits in the Sky

On Friday evening, we’d go to Sky Bar and have cocktails. When it comes to drinks, I am a Manhattan kind of girl. The view, the Sunset Strip -- I have had a lot of good times in that part of town. It’s the area where I stayed when I was doing “Last Samurai,” and it’s a great place to watch the sunset.

Afterward we would go to a place I’ve heard lots about -- and that’s Table 8. Actually, I think I’m going on Saturday. Every town seems to have a place that everyone is talking about. My friends say this is the place.

Like going to Vegas

And here’s another thing I’ve never done: a burlesque show at 40 Deuce, because of the costumes, and the craziness of a place like that. It’s one of those things you have to do, like going to Las Vegas. I don’t need to look at the costumes up close because I know what they’d be like -- tacky and sad, I’m sure. I would just want to watch.

After that long night, I would have to start off with a deep-tissue massage at the Four Seasons, by either Dimitrius or Kathy. I have had massages by both, and they would have to be among the top people I have ever had a massage from.

Barney’s remains my favorite place to shop. The store is always changing, and it has designers that I love and are hard to find in L.A. -- like Yohji Yamamoto, Comme de Garcons and Dries Van Noten.

You don’t need to make an appointment, either; just bowl on in there and have a good time. Even people who don’t have fabulous credit cards can still try the stuff on -- and that often is me, I can tell you.

Then I would have to get a ‘do -- what do you call it here? A blow out. I go to Gavert Atelier. Why? It’s full of Japanese people and Koreans and wacky kids. It’s just an eccentric, interesting group of hairdressers.

Sake to me

Then I would go for Japanese food at Kiriko. I don’t have favorite things on the menu, but I would eat lots of sushi and beautiful soups and whatever struck my fancy. There is something about that precision of Japanese food presentation that is really appealing. And I would drink lots of sake -- definitely cold. Afterward I would want tickets to an amazing ballet -- for the frocks, of course, because I can’t resist them -- a drop of culture, as we call it in New Zealand. My husband hates the ballet, so I would just go with a friend.

That night I would stay at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, because that means that you wake up in the morning and go for a long walk along the ocean. One of my favorite things to do is to walk Ocean Avenue. Then I would find somewhere really good for coffee. I am not going to recommend any local place, because I don’t think the coffee is as good as it is in New Zealand.

I would love to go to Rockenwagner for a German-style breakfast and get stuffed with pancakes. I thought I had a favorite pancake -- a really thin blueberry, but then someone had an apple pancake there last weekend, and it was so light and divine that I think I have switched allegiances.

Next would be the Sunday drive -- tradition in New Zealand. I would go out to Pasadena, to the Huntington gardens, and finish the day off with early dinner at Saladang for Thai food. By 9 o’clock I would be in bed, reading the newest John le Carre novel; I’m really an early-to-bed kind of person!