The 23rd Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards will be handed on Tuesday, April 13th, 2021.

As I have been doing for a few years, as we get into the awards season, I’ll post the fictional ballots for some of the guild awards, showing what my vote would be if I had one. I will, as a rule, abstain from my fictional vote if I haven’t seen at least half of the nominees. And to be perfectly clear, I’m not a member of any of these guilds and organizations.

The list of nominees can be seen here.

Here it goes:

Excellence in Contemporary Film: Nancy Steiner, for Promising Young Woman

The costumes used by the protagonist of Promising Young Woman are a weapon, a part of her act; they need to reflect the situation and what she is supposed to be. Nancy Steiner executes that with great efficiency. (Not seen: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, The Prom.)

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Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Film: Bina Daigeler, for Mulan

Even though it straggles the line between fantasy and period, Bina Daigeler’s work in Mulan is colorful and beautiful to look at. (Not seen: Dolittle, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.)

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Excellence in Period Film: Alexandra Byrne, for Emma.

Costumes are thematically relevant for this film, as it is the first evidence of what social class a character belongs to, something that is very important to the characters. Byrne creates clothes that are not only visually impressive but also very precise in that representation.