Costume Designers Guild Awards 2026 Winners List
The Costume Designers Guild Awards 2026 crowned One Battle After Another, Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good as the big film winners, underlining how varied and ambitious this year’s costume work has been across genres.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, 12 February 2026, at The Ebell of Los Angeles, right in the thick of awards season buzz, so many viewers were literally jumping between this show and other guild news on the same night.
It felt like one of those evenings where every frame on screen from period gowns to fantasy armor was part of a bigger conversation about how costumes shape story, mood, and even meme‑worthy moments the next morning.
Main Film Category Winners
The top CDGA film prizes for 2026 went to three very different titles:
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Excellence in Contemporary Film – One Battle After Another, costumes by Colleen Atwood with assistant Bryan Roberts Kopp (winner). The look of the film ranges from lived‑in bathrobes to sharply tailored public appearances, and that contrast is part of why the costumes have become such a talking point in awards chatter.
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Excellence in Period Film – Frankenstein, costumes by Kate Hawley with Renée Fontana (winner). Here the guild spotlighted layered, gothic‑leaning period work that still feels surprisingly intimate, the kind of design where a frayed cuff or weathered coat quietly tells the character’s backstory.
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Excellence in Sci‑Fi/Fantasy Film – Wicked: For Good, costumes by Paul Tazewell (winner). This win keeps the Wicked universe firmly in the awards conversation, showing how bold color, silhouettes and theatrical flair can still land as precise, considered design rather than just spectacle.
Television Highlights
In television, the guild continued to reward carefully built worlds, from grounded dramas to large‑scale genre series, with Andor taking a key honor.
The series won in a drama/fantasy‑leaning TV category for an episode titled “Harvest,” recognizing Michael Wilkinson’s work in balancing utilitarian rebel gear with more formal Imperial looks that feel instantly readable even in quick shots.
Elsewhere, the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special earned the variety/live television win, a nod to the constant behind‑the‑scenes scramble of dressing multiple sketches, musical guests and nostalgia callbacks in a single live broadcast.
Special Honors and Career Recognition
Alongside the competitive categories, the 2026 Costume Designers Guild Awards also focused on honoring long‑term influence and cross‑industry collaboration.
Michelle Cole, known for work on Black‑ish and In Living Color, received the Career Achievement Award, a recognition that ties decades of television costume design to how current comedy and family shows look on screen today.
Spotlight‑style tributes went to Kate Hudson and Teyana Taylor, both Oscar nominees this season, reinforcing how performers and costume designers often build iconic characters together long before any trophy is handed out.
Why These Wins Matter for Awards Season
These 2026 CDGA winners matter because they often line up with, or at least heavily influence, Oscars conversation in the Best Costume Design race.
When titles like Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good are recognized here, it signals that voters across the industry see their costume work as more than decorative it is part of narrative, world‑building, and audience memory, which is exactly what many fans and awards watchers look for when searching “Costume Designers Guild Awards 2026 winners list” right after the show wraps.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information and entertainment purposes only and is not an official record of the Costume Designers Guild Awards 2026 winners. Readers should verify final winners, dates, and details from the guild or trusted industry sources before using the information for professional or archival purposes.
