Amy Westcott

PARIS--Mila Kunis was a hot ticket at yesterday's Miu Miu show. She looked stunning considering she had only touched down in Paris five hours prior and told us she was "barely, barely" awake. No fewer than three EIC's of major American glossies--Elle's Robbie Myers (with Joe Zee leading the way), Bazaar's Glenda Bailey and Marie Claire's Joanna Coles--stopped by to chat up the starlet. So expect to see her covering numerous glossies in the coming months. We figure at least one of these covers will be timed to the July release of her new movie Friends With Benefits costarring Justin Timberlake. (Guess it's just a coincidence that her Black Swan costar Natalie Portman came out with No Strings Attached, a movie about friends with benefits, last month? Also in French No Strings Attached is called Sex Friends.) Next up, she tells us she's going into production on a film called Ted with Mark Wahlberg, directed by Seth MacFarlane. "They're both very funny," she assures us regarding her next films. "They're definitely not Black Swan." Speaking of Black Swan, we asked if Kunis had any thoughts on her costumes in the film and that whole drama surrounding who got credit for them.

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Mar 10, 2011

More drama over the Black Swan costumes: the film wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for costume design. Nods went to Alice in Wonderland, I Am Love, The King's Speech, The Tempest, and True Grit. We already knew Rodarte's Mulleavy sisters wouldn't see any glory for their beautifully twisted and painstakingly made ballet costumes for Black Swan--despite the buzz that their names had garnered for the film. The Mulleavy sisters weren't members of the Costume Design Guild when they worked on the film and were reportedly "naive" about movie credits. Kate and Laura Mulleavy ended up receiving a backend credit while Amy Westcott, who worked with director Darren Aronofsky on The Wrestler, received the front credit as costume designer, making Westcott the only one eligible for an Oscar. In an interview with Deadline, Westcott explained, "It was Natalie who recommended Rodarte. It was important to her and Darren asked me if it was OK. I met with Laura and Kate Mulleavy and I saw their feathered Vulture collection (I think it was Spring 2010). It seemed very appropriate." But now that whole controversy over Rodarte's ineligibility for Oscar costume credit is moot. And it comes as a bit of a shock that the film was completely left off the list to be considered. Black Swan had already picked up best costume nominations from the Critics' Choice Awards, Bafta and the Costume Designers' Guild.

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Jan 25, 2011

Part of the anticipation leading up to Black Swan's release, at least in the fashion world, had to do with the fact that Rodarte had designed the ballet costumes. The Mulleavy sisters created 40 costumes for the Darren Aronofsky thriller, including outfitting the entire ballet corps. So it follows that Rodarte has been the bold faced name associated with Black Swan's beautifully twisted costumes. But with awards season in full swing, you won't see Kate and Laura Mulleavy's names next to the nominations for Best Costume Design (Black Swan has already received a best costume nom from the Critics Choice Awards and will likely get an Oscar nomination). Amy Westcott will take the credit, as she received the "front credit" as costume designer for the film while the Mulleavy sisters only receive a backend credit. In The Hollywood Reporter, Merle Ginsberg notes there's "a long history of fashion designers creating costumes for stars above and beyond what a film's costume designer does--and not getting the credit they crave." The most famous example of this, Ginsberg points out, is Edith Head winning the Oscar for Sabrina when Givenchy outfitted Hepburn for the film. In the case of Rodarte for Black Swan, a source told THR that the Mulleavy's were "naive about movies," meaning they didn't negotiate credits in their initial deal, and weren't members of the the Costume Design Guild when they worked on the film (they are now).

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Jan 18, 2011