2021 Oscar Predictions: COSTUME DESIGN (December)

The United States vs Billie Holiday makes a move into the top 5 this month, just edging out The Personal History of David Copperfield. It would be the first Oscar nomination for Paolo Nieddu, who has earned four Emmy nominations in the contemporary category, two from Holiday director Lee Daniels’ show Empire.
The chart expands to a top 10, giving placements to the Old West of News of the World (from Oscar winner Mark Bridges), 19th century of Ammonite (Oscar winner Michael O’Connor), and the late 1960s and early 1970s of The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Susan Lyall) and Judas and the Black Messiah (Charlese Antoinette Jones).
Here are my ranked 2021 Oscar predictions in Costume Design for December.
Green – moves up; Red – moves down; Blue – new entry this month
1. Mank (Netflix)
Trish Summerville
2. Emma. (Focus Features)
Alexandra Byrne
3. Mulan (Walt Disney Pictures)
Bina Daigeler
4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Ann Roth
5. The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount Pictures)
Paolo Nieddu
6. The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Suzie Harman, Robert Worley
7. News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Mark Bridges
8. Ammonite (Neon)
Michael O’Connor
9. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Susan Lyall
10. Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Charlese Antoinette Jones
Other Contenders (alphabetical)
Cinderella (Sony Pictures)
Ellen Mirojnick
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Donna Berwick
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (20th Century Studios)
Guy Speranza
The Glorias (Roadside Attractions)
Sandy Powell
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
Michael Wilkinson
Rebecca (Netflix)
Julian Day
One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)
Phoenix Mellow
The Witches (HBO Max)
Joanna Johnston
The United States vs Billie Holiday image courtesy of Paramount Pictures
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