Costumes are as integral to the aesthetics of a movie as dialogue is to the unfolding of the plot. And those talented and tireless workers behind the camera are the unsung heroes of every cinematic success story. Below are four designers, game changers in their field, who have altered the course of fashion, not only in cinema and on the runways, but also, through the actors they dress, serendipitously influencing what we wear in everyday life.

Michelle Matland – Succession

When Mark Twain coined the phrase “clothes make the man,” those words could not have been more prescient than if he had foreseen the appearance of the hit TV series, Succession, more than 120 years later. A show about a global media and entertainment conglomerate run by the powerhouse patriarch of a family whose offspring are consistently fighting for control, the Roy family wear their immense wealth like a badge of honor, and their wardrobe is as important to their image as are the deluxe houses and cars they own. But to the show’s credit, their opulent attire is executed with the understated aesthetic reserved for those wealthy enough that they have nothing to prove. Responsible for their wardrobe is Michelle Matland, who has also dressed the cast of The Girl on the Train, Saturday Night Live, and Angels in America. She told Town and Country magazine, “They are anti-bling. They don’t need to present themselves that way. They choose what is luxurious to them – the labels don’t count. Of course, they’re going to be buying expensive accessories and clothes, but they don’t need to posture. It may be a two-thousand-dollar sweater – [but] it doesn’t need to have a logo. They know who they are. They’re already established.” The most dramatic character arc, as evidenced by her change in fashion, is displayed by the only woman in the family, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook). As her ambition became more evident through the seasons, she swapped her long, flowing hair for an angular bob, and traded her sweaters and pants for power suits and monochromatic trouser and shirt ensembles. 

Patricia Field – Emily in Paris

Known for creating the look for the four archetypical women in Sex and the City, as well as for the cast of The Devil Wears Prada, Patricia Field also spearheads the fashion-forward ensembles in Emily in Paris, worn primarily by Lily Collins in the titular role. Through Field’s vision, the evolution of Emily’s persona from the naïve, fish-out-of-water character whom we meet at the beginning of the series is shown in both sensibility and style through her wardrobe. She transitions from a Midwestern Chicago native to a Parisian sophisticate. This isn’t the first time Field has waved her magic wand and transformed a character, as evidenced by Anne Hathaway’s makeover in The Devil Wears Prada.  

“When Emily starts out, she’s a gal from Chicago, young and smart but not chic, so to speak. And she gets that the Parisians in the office are thumbing their nose at her because she looks so not chic. As the episodes develop, she definitely picks up some Paris hints, which I had so much fun with because I just love Paris. This opportunity was once in a lifetime,” Field said during an HFPA interview.

When Field isn’t dressing Hollywood A-listers, she spends her time at The ARTFashion Gallery in New York, which leads a movement to push back against the current trend of fast fashion and mass production. The gallery features a compilation of made-to-order, hand-crafted pieces by a select group of artists curated by Field. 

Anna Robbins – Downton Abbey: A New Era

The work of Anna Robbins has been seen by audiences around the world since the fifth season of the show, earning her two Emmy nominations, in 2015 and 2016.  More recently, Robbins was tasked with bringing the aristocrats from Downton Abbey into the 1930s for the film Downton Abbey: A New Era. The new decade represents much less formality for the cast than we’ve seen previously, and the increasingly casual approach is reflected in the costumes. Robbins was also responsible for the costumes in The Father in 2020, and last year’s Letter from Your Lover. She told Guild Magazine of her unusual path that led to the wardrobe department, “Ironically, I graduated from Edinburgh Law School in Scotland. However, I didn’t work in law as I had a change of heart. I thought I’d first get something more creative out of my system before perhaps going back to law. I discovered costume design as a career path and realized that was where my future lay, so I studied for an art degree and took an honors course in performance costume design, graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 2005. Quite a long time ago! From there, I fell into the world of film, which I love, and have been working in it ever since graduating.”

Sharen Davis – Watchmen, King Richard

Twice-nominated Academy Award costume designer Sharen Davis, known for her work on Dreamgirls and Ray, has worked on upwards of 50 films and TV series, including Django Unchained, The Help, Fences, Watchmen, and most recently, King Richard. 

Davis moved around a lot in her formative years due to her father’s career in the United States Air Force. She was born on an air force base in Louisiana, relocating to Germany and Japan before the family settled in California, where her father retired.

Although she set out to be an actress, a career which didn’t pan out, Davis said to Variety, “I always say, ‘Your art will find you.’” She landed a job in a costume shop, was promoted to assistant costumer, then to wardrobe supervisor, and, eventually, to designing costumes for the stage and screen. “I really fell in love with film. I loved working with the actors and doing their arcs with clothes,” she said in the same interview. “It was like acting for me, but I didn’t have to get in front of the camera.”

Her first costume design job was for 1992’s Equinox, but her career changed when she worked on Devil in a Blue Dress, in 1995. “That put me in a different direction and really started my career,” she told FilmDoctor online. 

David was recently received an Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design award at the 7^th annual Hollywood Beauty Awards.