Black Swan's Costume Designer (No, Not Rodarte) Speaks Out, But Why Now?

Amy Westcott (left) and Rodarte (Mulleavy sisters) (right)

Ask any fashion and non-fashion conscious person who designed the costumes for the Oscar nominated film Black Swan and they are sure to respond with Rodarte, the label behind Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The publicity surrounding Rodarte's costume designs for the film has undoubtedly overshadowed the credited costume designer, Amy Westcott.  Who is Westcott, you ask? Well, she's a pretty pissed off woman right this moment. Her recent interview with Clothes on Film reveals her disdain for the controversy surrounding Rodarte's ineligibility for an Oscar nod. Although it's now a moot point since the film didn't get a nomination for costume design, but let's face it, how could the Academy give Westcott the nomination when she didn't design the best costumes from the film?

So, why is Westcott making such a big deal after the nominations have already been announced? Could it be that she's upset that she couldn't ride on the coattail of all the Rodarte attention and earn an Oscar nod? Once articles started surfacing that Rodarte only had a back end credit and wouldn't be included if the film did get nominated, it was glaringly obvious that Westcott didn't deserve a nomination without Rodarte. I'm sure this must have influenced the Academy in some way. It would be one thing if Rodarte designed a dress or two that wasn't the main focus of the film, but their designs were so instrumental that their Black Swan costume was the focus of the promotional campaign.

Then there is the claim by Westcott that Rodarte did not design 40 costumes, which has been printed in almost every article, but instead only 7. In an interview with The Ballet Bag back in October, Westcott explains that Zack Brown (a famous ballet costume designer) designed the costumes for the corps de ballet and Rodarte added pieces to make it work with their Black and White Swan. However, in her interview with Clothes on Film she doesn't acknowledge Rodarte at all and instead says, "The core ballet was designed by Zack Brown (for American Ballet Theater), and my department and I added some feather detailing to assimilate them with the White Swan." So, what is it? Did they collaborate on the other 33 costumes or only designed 7?

Regardless all of this nonsense, it is confirmed that the Mulleavy sisters designed, and hand-made, the Black and White Swan costumes, the maiden costume, and the silk tulle white gown worn by Natalie Portman in the film. They also designed the costumes for Von Rothbart and his evil alter-ego and Prince Siegfried. In fact, several articles reveal the sketches for these designs. Even if they only created these seven looks for the film, they were by far the most creative and unique and are the main reason everyone was raving about the film's costumes. I never once heard someone say how exquisite Nina, Natalie Portman's character in the film, looked in the several different tights and leotards she wore in the first half of the film. To put it simply, the costumes for the rest of the film did not stand out compared to the ones Rodarte designed.  Westcott discusses in her Clothes in Film  interview how she spent endless amounts of time researching what actual ballerinas wear and, in fact, consulted with ballet dancers from American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet. I give Westcott a lot of credit for creating the look and feel of a realistic ballet setting throughout the film but it certainty does not compare to the outstanding original ballet costumes by Rodarte.

In her interview, Westcott also explains the role of a costume designer as the person who oversees every stitch that goes before the camera. She also goes on to say that she collaborated with Rodarte on their designs. I don't doubt these statements aren't true but this all sounds to me like a work colleague who wants to take credit for their co-workers brilliant and original idea. The Mulleavy sisters deserved the film credit alongside Westcott but unfortunately were too naive to ask for it and Westcott was definitely not clueing them in.

Until recently, Westcott's name has been rarely associated with Black Swan, but from now on it will not be forgotten. She's finally gotten the spotlight she has so desperately wanted, but was it worth it?

Although the Mulleavy sister's won't be at the Oscars, their MOCA exhibition Rodarte: States of Matter will be on view soon after, from March 4–June 5, 2011, at MOCA Pacific Design Center. The exhibition will display 20 pieces by Rodarte including the original ballet costumes they designed for Black Swan. Finally we'll be able to see their exquisiteness up close.

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