Costume design: Sandy Powell for ‘The Young Victoria’

Costume design

“The Young Victoria”

Sandy Powell

Upon accepting her third Oscar in this category, Powell deadpanned, “I already have two of these, so I feel greedy.”

The British costume designer created the royal couture for the court of Queen Victoria circa 1837. For inspiration, Powell consulted the archives at Kensington Palace, where she studied some of the actual clothing worn by the monarch during her youth. She subsequently created her own designs for the historical romance.

Powell, whose previous Oscars were for “Shakespeare in Love” in 1999 and “The Aviator” in 2005, dedicated her award to costume designers who work on contemporary and low-budget films. “They don’t get recognized,” she said.

Later backstage, Powell admitted she hadn’t known that much about Queen Victoria before working on the film: “My image of her was the old frumpy woman in black, and I didn’t know she was young and vibrant and a real character.”

Earlier this season, Powell picked up two awards from the Costume Designers Guild -- one for “The Young Victoria” and another for career achievement.