Does 'Wicked' Deserve its Best Costume Design Nomination?
I investigated.
The 2025 Oscar nomination list was announced today, and as always, my first order of business was scrolling to the Best Costume Design nominees and judging accordingly. Nominees include that of Linda Muir and Arianne Phillips for their costumes in ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’ respectively—which had come as a shock to nobody. Unfortunately, the same can be said for Paul Tazewell’s costumes for ‘Wicked’. Although lacking in the same context as the designs of his peers, throughout this award season, Tazewell has been praised for the fun and frills he allotted Ariana Grande’s Glinda, and the dramatic black used for Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba—as if this would not have been obvious choices for any costuming novice.
Upon seeing ‘Wicked’, I had left the theater feeling that the costumes were lackluster, given how similar they were to the Broadway costumes. Beyond being uninteresting, however, the designs felt lazy, with the Shiz University uniforms looking entirely too similar to school uniforms of our own reality, and velvet being used way too liberally. Given that Shiz is located in a presumably humid climate (am I the only one who paid attention to the body of water surrounding the university?) —the use of heavy materials rang untrue, and took me out of the story. Of course, I realize that although Tazewell had not been limited to reality, he did carry the enormous responsibility of creating costumes recognizable to not only the ‘Wicked’ stage adaptation, but 1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’. That being said, subtle creativity should not have been an expectation so impossible to reach. Glinda’s broadway bubble dress being blue is creative while still being recognizable to the 1939 character… Tazewell’s bubble dress being similarly pink, with literal bubble motifs is lazy, tacky, cheap, and disappointing.
Anyone who watches the film would agree that the ‘Wicked’ costumes are appropriate and do their job well, but to call them great or award them an Oscar would be a disservice to the thought and detail typically required of immersive costume design. From the beginning, I had felt negatively towards Tazewell’s costuming, but vowed to bite my tongue until I had investigated for myself—and so, to give both ‘Wicked’ and my investigation the proper respect they deserve, I put on my trench coat, brought my magnifying glass, and visited the ‘Wicked’ archives.
What immediately comes to mind upon surviving the aftermath of the gown’s obnoxious rays of sequins, is its silhouette reminiscent of 1950s cupcake dresses—which is not a particularly interesting reference. I suppose the line of thought was “Glinda is feminine, let’s give her the arguably, most feminine silhouette of the past century”. For a film set in a magical world, I would have preferred an ethereal gown which leaned more into experimental and inventive silhouettes, rather than an archaic teenager’s party dress… And with Glinda’s bubble considered, I’m reminded of Gaurav Gupta’s work which plays with forms inspired by clouds, waves, and other natural elements. I suppose what I had wished from Glinda’s costumes was more whimsy, rather than the obvious use of pinks and layering that Tazewell had featured—I mean, there had to have been a more subtle way to communicate Glinda’s overt femininity. The sequined bodice, abundance of tulle, pink, and bubble motifs are an eyesore, regardless of Glinda’s loud personality (Case in point: At one point Broadway Glinda wears a yellow sundress—subtle, but still overtly feminine).
Looking at both 1939’s Glinda and Broadway’s Glinda compared to Ariana’s, doesn’t Tazewell’s rendition look like a poor combination of both? The 1939 and stage dress had required their ostentatious flares due to a lesser camera quality, and physical audiences’ need to see. Jon Chu’s HD film required subtlety in its costuming to combat his poorly colored movie; what Tazewell provided was the final straw to break the camel’s back (my eyes).
And furthermore, in terms of storytelling, Glinda’s bubble dress is propaganda and meant to communicate feelings of trust in the Ozians. 1939 Glinda accomplishes this with its puff sleeves, full skirt made of similarly lengthed layers of tulle, and soft use of pink, while Broadway’s Glinda uses a baby-blue, with round petal-like layers invoking ease. Contrary to this, Tazewell’s interpretation of Glinda’s bubble dress is made up of a bubble-gum pink (invoking thoughts of immaturity) and its layers are made of harsh lines. Tazewell’s Glinda dress felt entirely too girlish, rather than feminine. If I hadn’t seen Wicked, I would have thought the dress was made for the latest installment of a Disney Channel original musical starring Dove Cameron—because what do you mean this isn’t a ‘Descendants’ esque Prom dress?
I feel a lot less harsh towards Tazewell’s rendition of the Wicked Witch of the West’s dress than I do Glinda’s dress, given that Elphaba’s costume had set guidelines (black, hat, cape, broom) that would have been virtually impossible to screw up. Although Elphaba’s iconic ‘witch’ ensemble appears simple at first glance, I actually quite admire the detail Tazewell incorporates into the structure of the hat and dress. Tazewell had previously said that he had been inspired by the underside of mushrooms when designing Elphaba’s costuming, and as such, had used felting, gauze, chiffon, and embroidery to mimic a similar texture throughout her wardrobe. I find this creative and innovative, however, the connection between Elphaba and mushrooms being based purely on her animal rights activism feels weak in retrospect. My suggested alternative, would have been harsher lines, potentially padded shoulders to mimic that of animal horns. Cynthia Erivo had previously worn a custom Thom Browne dress for the press tour, which had featured an exaggerated peplum at the hips and claws forming at the shoulders. Although this design had been meant to pay homage to Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch in the 1939 film, the Thom Browne dress, in my opinion, is more reminiscent of Gale Sondergaard’s rendition of the Wicked Witch, who had originally been planned as a glamorous villainess for ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Not to suggest that 2024’s Elphaba should have been made a fashion diva, but I do believe her perceived intimidation should have been escalated by severe style choices compared to her classmates and other Ozians. As Thom Browne truly is the current standard for tailored ensembles, I feel we need not look further for alternative inspirations.
Tazewell has also said that the choice for black in Elphaba’s costumes is due to her prolonged mourning for her late mother. In the sense that Elphaba is a character who navigates not only the loss of others, but grieves the social acceptance she had never found, the Victorian reference makes a lot of sense, especially in the context of mourning dress. That being said, I would have liked to have seen Tazewell lean further into the Victorian elements, by featuring an abundance of lace as a way to allude to Elphaba’s delicacy and desire to be perceived as any other beautiful, desirable, and “popular” girl. And furthermore, I remain adamant that Elphaba should have had a glove collection to illustrate her initial fear of her powers, as well as her wish to not draw unnecessary attention to her green skin. In conclusion, Tazewell’s rendition of the Wicked Witch was the bare minimum—but sufficient… Which is not what I expect from a Best Costume contender.
So does Paul Tazewell’s work for ‘Wicked’ deserve the Oscar for Best Costume Design? Based on my case study of Glinda’s bubble dress and Elphaba’s witch ensemble, not by a long shot—and frankly, if it weren’t for the abundance of boring and colorless films this year, I don’t believe ‘Wicked’ would have secured a nomination either. In a word, the ‘Wicked’ costumes are lackluster—especially compared to their stage and 1939 counterparts. Cinephiles and fashion girlies alike will be rooting for Linda Muir’s costumes in ‘Nosferatu’ this award season instead.
As always, thank you for reading and subscribe for more! Link here for my sister and I’s take on Glinda and Elphaba: Our Wicked Costumes!