Explore iconic onscreen styles at SCAD TVfest: Costume Design
Through the bold looks of a main character and the period-appropriate garments of a background player, costume designers transform actors and transport viewers to historical times and fantastical worlds through their artistry. At SCAD TVfest: Costume Design, SCADFILM turns the spotlight onto some of the top costume designers for the screen, who will share how they mold inspiration, design, and fabric to set the scene for our favorite shows.
In this latest installment of the dynamic SCAD TVfest programming series, the expertise of award-winning costume designers will be on display with curated panel discussions, screenings, and more.
2 p.m.
Stitching Stories: The Art and Impact of Costume Design in Film and Television
SCADshow, Stage 2
Explore the intricate world of costume design and its profound impact on storytelling for film and television. This group of elite costume design experts will reveal how they use clothing to create characters, set time periods, and enhance the emotional depth of a narrative. From historical accuracy to modern-day trends, learn how designers balance creativity with practicality to build the visual identities of your favorite shows and films. Discover how the art of costume design shapes the way audiences connect with characters and drives the visual language of cinematic storytelling.
Costume Design Panelists:
Eric Daman, Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, It Ends with Us
Mary Jane Fort, Bring It On, Mean Girls, Fear the Walking Dead
Stephani Lewis, Ozark, Dark Matter, Mayor of Kingstown
Tickets are free for SCAD Card holders; $5 for students, alumni, military, and seniors; and $10 for general public. Tickets are required for entry.
3:30 p.m.
Exhibition walkthrough: 'Sandy Powell’s Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film'
SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film
Join us for a curated walkthrough of the newest SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film exhibition, Sandy Powell’s Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film, featuring the legendary work of the paradigmatic costume designer.
Recipient of the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship, Sandy Powell is a formidable force in the filmmaking industry. Her work is continually recognized and celebrated among her peers, earning the highest honors for achievement in costume design, including three Academy Awards. Her longstanding collaborations with directors Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, and Neil Jordan and actors Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett have encouraged Powell to design costumes that become characters of their own and vehicles of discovery for those who embody them.
In this debut exhibition of her work, visitors will bear witness to Powell's 40-year career of storytelling within a series of vignettes featuring more than 70 costumes from nearly 30 films, including Shakespeare in Love, The Wolf of Wall Street, and How to Talk to Girls at Parties. By experiencing Powell’s practice across an array of genres, periods, and realities, viewers are immersed in her legacy of worldbuilding. Sandy Powell’s Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film is curated by Rafael Gomes, creative director of SCAD FASH museums. Opening Friday, Oct. 11, the exhibition runs through Sunday, March 16, 2025.
This event is free and open to the public.
5 p.m.
Behind the Threads: The Visionary Costume Designs of 'Stranger Things'
SCADshow, Main Stage
Amy Parris, the designer behind the iconic costumes of Stranger Things, will dive into the process of bringing the 1980s to life on screen in the Netflix smash hit. From Demogorgon battles to high school hangouts, discover how the show's wardrobe plays a crucial role in shaping its nostalgic and eerie atmosphere. Parris will explore the inspirations, challenges, and intricate details that make each character's look so memorable, discussing how costume design enhances storytelling in one of TV's most beloved and popular series.
'Stranger Things' Panelists:
Amy Parris, costume designer
Kristin Garaventa, assistant costume designer
Jaime Cockerham, head of tailor shop
Tavares Ingram, breakdown artist
Tickets are free for SCAD Card holders; $5 for students, alumni, military, and seniors; and $10 for general public. Tickets are required for entry.
7 p.m.
Screening: 'Hugo'
SCADshow, Main Stage
Sandy Powell received a richly deserved Academy Award for Best Costume Design nomination for her work on Hugo, Martin Scorsese's thrilling family adventure. An exquisitely crafted ode to the magic of cinema, it tells the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life winding the clocks of a Paris railway station in the 1930s. Tinkering with a broken automaton passed down from his father, an unexpected connection to the filmmaker Georges Méliès threatens to reveal the many mysteries the machine holds. From the fantastical flashback pieces to the use of color in the children's and adult garments, Powell's marvelously detailed costumes make this pre-war period piece come alive.
An In Conversation event with costume designer Sandy Powell immediately follows the screening.
7 p.m.
In Conversation with Sandy Powell
SCADshow, Main Stage
Legendary costume designer Sandy Powell sits down for an intimate conversation about her illustrious career and groundbreaking work in film. With multiple Academy Awards and a signature style that blends historical accuracy with bold innovation, Powell has shaped the visual identity of iconic films like Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, Hugo, and The Favourite. In this expansive discussion, Powell will share insights into her creative process, the challenges of designing for different periods and genres, and the collaborative nature of bringing characters to life through costume.
Taught to use a sewing machine at a young age, Powell developed an early infatuation with fashion when she began making clothes for her dolls. Seduced by the aesthetics of film and stage as a teenager, she realized her love of design could be combined with her interest in storytelling. Following her secondary education, she briefly attended Saint Martin's School of Art before entering the world of theater in collaboration with choreographer and dancer Lindsay Kemp. After branching into music videos, Powell designed costumes for Caravaggio, her first film with Derek Jarman, in 1986.
Throughout her career, Powell has designed for more than 50 films, including large-scale commercial ventures like Disney's Cinderella and Mary Poppins Returns, period films The Young Victoria and The Favourite, and indie productions Velvet Goldmine and Living. Across her career, Powell has received numerous awards, including three BAFTA Awards (Velvet Goldmine, The Young Victoria, The Favourite), three Academy Awards (Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, The Young Victoria), and the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award. In 2011, Powell was honored with the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
This In Conversation event is preceded by a screening of Hugo. Tickets are free for SCAD Card holders; $5 for students, alumni, military, and seniors; and $10 for general public. Tickets are required for entry.