From ‘Chicago’ to ‘Wednesday,’ How Costume Designer Colleen Atwood Makes Black Pop on Screen

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones recalls meeting “Chicago” costume designer Colleen Atwood in her workshop before the musical began filming. “It was this explosion of costume and dancing fishnet tights hanging from every hook,” says Zeta-Jones. “I remember meeting her for the first time and looking at her designs, giddy with anticipation, and looking at her vision and just going ‘Wow!

This is amazing.’” Zeta-Jones had an instant respect and admiration for Atwood and her craft. She’s not the only one. Directors Rob Marshall and Tim Burton have her on speed dial as one of their first go-to department heads and collaborators when starting their new films.

I needed that same group from ‘Chicago’ because we speak the same language and shorthand at this point,” Marshall says. He used Atwood on Disney’s 2023 live action “The Little Mermaid.” Atwood is set to be honored for her work at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival with Variety’s Creative Impact in Costume Design award.

For over four decades, Atwood has crafted costumes for a lengthy rollcall of features, including “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Masters of the Air.” In bringing Melissa McCarthy’s sea witch Ursula to the big screen in “The Little Mermaid,” Atwood went for something glam but dark to go with the character’s cave. “As we know from science, an octopus changes their color to match their environment, so we needed something dark,” Atwood says.