Lizzy Gardiner

Last updated
Lizzy Gardiner
Born1966
Dubbo, Orana, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma mater Accademia Italiana
Occupationcostume designer
Children1 daughter

Lizzy Gardiner (born 1966[ citation needed ]) is an Australian costume designer, who has been working in Hollywood since the early 1990s. Noted for her originality, she is best known for her American Express gold card dress which she wore to collect her Academy Award for Best Costume Designer at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995 for her work on The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . Her highest profile film was Mission: Impossible 2 in 2000 for which she designed the costumes.

Contents

Early life

Gardiner was born in the rural city of Dubbo, in western New South Wales, and lived there until she was sent to boarding school for six years. [1] She left Australia after finishing high school and moved to Italy, where she studied fashion and costume design for three years at the Accademia di Italiana in Florence. [1] [2]

Career

After graduating she returned to Australia and began working in the Australian film and TV industry, working on the soap opera E Street . [1] [3] While working on E Street in 1993, she began working with Tim Chappel. Together, they designed outlandish costumes for Stephan Elliott's Australian LGBT comedy film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . [3] Amongst the bizarre costumes they designed for the film was a dress consisting of many pairs of pink flip flops. [4] She studied Australian drag queens and their clothes and commented, "I love the fact that you can do things without much budget." [5]

Subsequent films which Gardiner worked on include Bound (1996), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Gone Fishin' (1997), Woundings (1998), Theory of the Trojans (1999), Eye of the Beholder (1999), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Effie: Just Quietly TV series (2001), Stealth (2005), The Great Raid (2005), Ghost Rider (2007), and The Ruins (2008).

More recent costume design work includes: Burning Man (2011), A Few Best Men (2011), The Railway Man (2013), Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), 2:22 (2017), Peter Rabbit (2018), Swinging Safari (2018), Danger Close (2019), Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2020), and The King's Daughter (2022).

Gardiner has a biographical entry in the book 1001 Australians You Should Know. [2] She was also very selected as one of the entrants to the Who's Who in Australia 2012 edition. [6]

Awards

Gardiner and Chappel’s costumes won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design at the 67th Academy Awards, Best Costume at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and Best Costume Design at the Australian Film Institute Awards. [1] The Motion Picture Guide 1995 Annual, covering the films of 1994, said, "The Oscar-winning costumes by Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel are wildly inspired and range from the bizarre to the simply indescribable." [7]

She gained worldwide attention when she picked up her award wearing an unusual dress she designed, consisting of 254 expired American Express gold cards. The dress had originally been made for the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert but was forbidden by American Express. [8] However, after the dress was worn by Gardiner herself, the company saw its marketing potential and was keen to showcase it throughout its travel offices in the United States. [9] The dress was auctioned off for charity in March 1999 for $12,650, with the proceeds going to the American Foundation for AIDS research. [10] It has been cited as amongst the worst Oscar gowns of all time. [11] [12]

Personal life

As of mid-2017, Gardiner was living in Australia with her only child, a daughter. [13]

In answer to queries about her working on the gay film and a lesbian thriller, Gardiner who identifies as straight, said, "It just never occurred to me that sexuality is an issue. Australia has grown up dramatically in the past five years." [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Head</span> American costume designer (1897–1981)

Edith Claire Head was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential costume designers in film history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Field</span> American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer

Patricia Field is an American costume designer, stylist, and fashion designer working in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Powell (costume designer)</span> English costume designer

Sandy Powell is an English costume designer. In a career spanning over three decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across independent films and blockbusters. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards. Powell was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the film industry.

Colleen Atwood is an American costume designer. In a career spanning over four decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across film and television. She has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephan Elliott</span> Australian film director (born 1964)

Stephan Elliott is an Australian film director and screenwriter. His best-known film internationally is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).

Ann Bishop Roth is an American costume designer. In a career spanning over six decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across stage and screen. She has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Tony Award.

Alexandra Byrne is an English costume designer. Much of her career has focused on creating costumes for period dramas. These films include Persuasion (1995), Hamlet (1996), Elizabeth (1998), Finding Neverland (2004), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), The Aeronauts (2019), and Emma. (2020). She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design six times, winning once for Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhanu Athaiya</span> Indian costume designer and painter (1929–2020)

Bhanu Athaiya was an Indian costume designer and painter. She was the first Indian to win an Academy Award. Alongside being Bollywood's most iconic costume designer, she had a historically important early career as an artist with contemporaries like M. F. Husain, F. N. Souza and Vasudeo S. Gaitonde. She was the only woman member of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group. Two of Bhanu Rajopadhye's artworks were included in the 1953 Progressive Artists' Group show in Bombay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth E. Carter</span> American costume designer

Ruth E. Carter is an American costume designer for film and television. She is best known for her collaborations with Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Ryan Coogler. During her film career, Carter has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, for her work on Lee's biographical film Malcolm X (1992), Steven Spielberg's historical drama film Amistad (1997), and winning twice for Coogler's Marvel superhero films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). She was the first African-American to win and be nominated for Best Costume Design and the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards in any category. Her other film credits include Do the Right Thing (1989), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Love & Basketball (2000), Serenity (2005), The Butler (2013), Selma (2014), Marshall (2017), Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and Coming 2 America (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Martin (designer)</span> Australian designer and producer (born 1965)

Catherine Martin is an Australian costume, production, and set designer. In a career spanning over three decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across stage and screen with her husband, Baz Luhrmann. These include their collaborations on such acclaimed films as Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Australia (2008), The Great Gatsby (2013), and Elvis (2022). She has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, six BAFTA Awards, and a Tony Award.

<i>Priscilla, Queen of the Desert</i> (musical) 2006 musical by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a jukebox musical with book by Australian film director-writer Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, using well-known pop songs as its score. Adapted from Elliott's 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical tells the story of two drag queens and a trans woman, who contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. As they head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla, the three friends come to the forefront of a comedy of errors, encountering a number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while widening comfort zones and finding new horizons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan dress</span> Gown worn by Björk in 2001

The swan dress is a dress resembling a mute swan designed by Marjan Pejoski and worn by the Icelandic artist Björk at the 73rd Academy Awards on March 25, 2001, as well as on the cover of her album Vespertine. A Debenhams poll published in The Daily Telegraph in 2008 voted it the ninth-most iconic red carpet dress of all time. Björk's swan dress was reimagined by Valentino at its Spring 2014 Couture fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, which received praise from fashion blogs and social media. In 2019, the dress was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition Camp: Notes on Fashion.

American actress Michelle Williams wore a saffron-colored Vera Wang dress to the 78th Academy Awards on March 5, 2006, which was the subject of acclaim in the fashion press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Express Gold card dress of Lizzy Gardiner</span>

Australian costume designer Lizzy Gardiner wore a dress made of 254 American Express Gold cards to the 67th Academy Awards on 27 March 1995, where she won the Best Costume Design award for her work on the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. All of the cards were authentic, but had expired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink dress of Marilyn Monroe</span> Iconic dress by designer William "Billy" Travilla

Marilyn Monroe wore a shocking pink dress in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, directed by Howard Hawks. The dress was created by costume designer William "Billy" Travilla and was used in one of the most famous scenes of the film, which subsequently became the subject of numerous imitations, significantly from Madonna in the music video for her 1985 song "Material Girl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Aghayan</span> American fashion designer

Gorgen Ray Aghayan was an American fashion designer and costume designer for the United States film industry. He won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his costume design. From the early 1960s until his death in 2011, Aghayan's partner was fashion designer Bob Mackie.

Lora Hirschberg is an American sound engineer. She won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for the film Inception and was nominated for the same award for the film The Dark Knight. She has worked on more than 110 films since 1990.

Janet Patterson was an Australian costume and production designer. She is best known for her collaborations with directors Gillian Armstrong and Jane Campion. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design four times.

Tim Chappel is an Australian costume designer. He won an Academy Award in the category Best Costume Design for the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lizzy Gardiner". Priscilla at the Musical. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 Toby Creswell; Samantha Trenoweth (2006). 1001 Australians You Should Know. Pluto Press Australia. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-86403-361-8 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "The Advocate". The Advocate the National Gay & Lesbian Newsmagazine. Here Publishing: 47. 4 April 1725. ISSN   0001-8996 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Mansour, David (1 June 2005). From Abba to Zoom: a pop culture encyclopedia of the late 20th century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 161. ISBN   978-0-7407-5118-9 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  5. ↑ Moss, Sylvia (July 2001). Costumes & chemistry: a comprehensive guide to materials and applications. Costume & Fashion Press. p. 309. ISBN   978-0-89676-214-5 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "Emile Sherman, Ben Mendelsohn and Lizzy Gardiner recognised in 2012′s…". Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
  7. ↑ Pallot, James (31 December 1994). The Motion Picture Guide 1995 Annual: The Films of 1994. CineBooks. ISBN   978-0-933997-35-6 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  8. ↑ Crouse, Richard (1 September 2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia. Dundurn Press Ltd. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-55002-574-3 . Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Gellene, Denise (24 April 1995). "Designer Cashes In on That American Express Gold Card Dress". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  10. ↑ Serwin, Lisa (9 June 2009). So Many Shoes, So Little Money: A Girl's Guide to Finance. Lisa Serwin. p. 42. ISBN   978-1-4392-3121-0 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  11. ↑ "Oscars Best and Worst Dressed". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "The 25 Best and Worst Oscar Gowns of All-TIME". TIME . 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  13. ↑ "#14: Lizzy, queen of costumes". ABC Radio National. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "The Advocate". The Advocate the National Gay & Lesbian Newsmagazine. Here Publishing: 69. 16 May 1995. ISSN   0001-8996 . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.