GUEST EDIT: SHIRLEY KURATA

GUEST EDIT: SHIRLEY KURATA

Oscar-nominated for her work costuming Everything Everywhere All at Once and a star stylist who collaborates with the likes of Rodarte and Pharrell, Shirley Kurata spoke with us about the directors who inspire her work (more Wong Kar-Wai, please), the unexpected things she collects, and her favorite works from the March selection.

PLATFORM

What have you been up to lately?

SHIRLEY

I just finished working with Kate and Laura Mulleavy on their FW 2023 runway show in New York, which was one of my favorite shows by them to date. I’m also in the midst of working out my own Oscars look and those of a few other people attending the ceremony. And I'm preparing for the next movie that I’m costume designing.

Backstage at the Rodarte Fall/Winter 2023 fashion show. Shirley Kurata | Instagram
PLATFORM

You have such eclectic taste. What are some of the things you collect?

SHIRLEY

I have a small collection of Japanese kokeshi dolls and Danish modern Viking figurines. I also collect Catherine Ogust dresses, which are my day-to-day uniform; they’re like abstract paintings on a dress.

PLATFORM

How about the kind of art you're drawn to?

SHIRLEY

I tend to be drawn to modern artwork with bold or expressionist colors: artists such as Alex Katz (whose exhibition I just saw at the Guggenheim), David Hockney, Paul Klee, Yayoi Kusama and Ellsworth Kelly.

PLATFORM

We read that Alejandro Jodorowsky was an influence for the amazing costumes you created for EEAAO. Were there any artists on your mind as you were working on the project? Or other visual references in general?

SHIRLEY

In terms of visual references, movies such as Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love, Coppola’s Dracula, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Satoshi Kon’s Paprika were some of the movies I drew inspiration from. For Jobu, there was definitely inspiration taken from anime and artists like Takashi Murakami. I was also inspired by the book and blog Chinatown Pretty for the everyday wardrobes of Evelyn, Waymond and Gong Gong.

Criterion

PLATFORM

You’ve worked on such a cool variety of projects—with Rodarte, Pharrell, this movie, and so many others. Is there a dream project you haven't worked on yet?

SHIRLEY

There are so many dream projects I’d love to work on: a period film with great fashion; working with directors I’ve admired like David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch; working on the next Daniels project. Too many to list here, but if it involves working with cool artists and inspires and makes the world a better place, then it’s a dream job!