NYWIFT Blog

Annie production still courtesy of Sony Pictures Publicity.

When fashion meets film, the results are some of the silver screen’s most striking moments—the majestic dancers announcing Elizabeth Taylor’s arrival in Rome in Cleopatra, Ursula Andress rising from the ocean in Dr. No, Jimmy Stewart’s first glance of the mysterious Kim Novak in Vertigo.

The costume designers, makeup artists, and hair stylists that shape a character’s legendary look may not be household names, but they undeniably play a vital role in making those characters shine. New York Women in Film & Television’s (NYWIFT’s) annual spring awards event, Designing Women, honors those artists behind the scenes. It will be held on Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 7 pm, at McGraw Hill (1221 Avenue of the Americas).

Co-presented by Variety, Designing Women originally began in 2000 as Designing Hollywood, and is one of the most unique events in the industry. The evening starts off with an awards presentation with video interviews and film clips, followed by a reception where attendees can mingle with the designers and celebrity presenters while viewing costumes, sketches, posters and stills illustrating the work of the honorees.

So who are this year’s talented honorees? Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus (Annie, Friends with Benefits, The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?), makeup artist Evelyne Noraz (American Hustle, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rachel Getting Married) and hair stylist Kerrie Smith (Now You See Me, Behind the Candelabra, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Rescue Me). The Variety Ensemble Award will be presented to the costume, makeup and hair design team of The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, a new film to be released this spring, starring Robin Williams, Mila Kunis and Peter Dinklage.

This year’s celebrity presenters will be announced soon. Past presenters have included Tina Fey, Julia Roberts, S. Epatha Merkerson, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Jodie Foster, Norah Jones and Edward Burns.

And just in case you need another reason to attend—you can feel good about the fact that the proceeds from Designing Women benefit the nonprofit educational programs of NYWIFT.

What are you waiting for? Tickets for Designing Women 2014 are on sale now.

— TERESA ABBATE