Staging the costume design category: A chronicle of costume epiphenomena and the politics of spectacle at the Academy Awards

The potential of costume design for marketing synergy and cultural influence is widely recognized within the media industries. However, costume designers often find themselves excluded from the added value generated by their work. This article explores the role of the Best Costume Design category at the Academy Awards, arguing that although its introduction increased the visibility of the profession, it primarily served to transform the ceremony into a televised spectacle rather than enhancing the professional standing of costume designers. By tracing the category’s presentation from its inception to the present, the study identifies five recurring strategies used to showcase it: pseudo-fashion shows, musical numbers, the display of design sketches, references to fashion trendsetting and efforts to distinguish costume from fashion. Drawing on Barbara Klinger’s use of epiphenomena and Guy Debord’s theory of spectacle, the article argues that costumes, once removed from their narrative context, are repurposed as marketing assets, acquiring new cultural meanings. Rather than rejecting this process, designers might instead benefit from negotiating a more active role in the afterlife of their work. In this light, the article presents spectacle not solely as a site of commodification but also as a potential platform for leverage. Ultimately, it calls for structural recognition of costume labour, proposing that designers reclaim visibility as a form of both symbolic and material value within Hollywood’s image economy.