Congratulations to Paul Tazewell & Team on Oscar Nomination

Although we applaud Jenny Beavan for her amazing costumes and Oscar win for Cruella, we would also like to acknowledge the nomination of Paul Tazewell for his work on West Side Story.

photo: 20th Century Studios / Paul Tazewell

The familiar musical, reimagined by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner, stars Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler. The film had its world premiere at the Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, three days after Sondheim’s death. It garnered critical acclaim and was ultimately nominated for seven Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound – and our favorite: Best Costume Design. 

Paul Tazewell: Road to Oscars

The brilliantly talented Paul Tazewell has been designing costumes for Broadway, Regional Theater, Film & TV, Dance, and Opera Productions for over thirty years. Perhaps best known for his iconic work on Hamilton, Tazewell masterfully tells the story of each character through their wardrobe and deftly merges the modern and period vision of Lin Manuel Miranda.

photo: broadway.com

“I think basic theatergoers realize when a costume is sparkly and glamorous, and they realize when it’s wrong. But if it’s right, then it should get out of the way. It shouldn’t go away, but it should get out of the way so you can be in the moment and experience this world”

– Paul Tazewell for The Art of Costume

Paul Tazewell: West Side Story

photo: Shane Ballard / 20th Century Studios

For his work on WSS, he leaned into the unspoken narrative of the characters’ wardrobes to subtly clue the audience into their aspirations, sense of community, and authenticity. He also created something that felt fresh and exciting whilst still paying homage to the look and feel of the original production.

photo: 20th Century Studios

“We really needed to establish a world for the costumes that felt plausible and reflective of the 1950s because that was how Steven wanted to depict it, in contrast to what had been done on previous productions and in the original film.”  

– Paul Tazewell for Vogue

photo: broadway.com

MWS would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Tazewell and his entire costume crew for this incredible work of art. In addition, we deeply appreciate their continued patronage and support of our store.