Oscar-nominated costumes on display at FIDM Museum exhibit

LOS ANGELES -- You can't get close to the stars when they walk the Oscars red carpet, but starting Tuesday, you can get very close to the costumes they wore in their movies. The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising opens its galleries to a very important part of movie magic: costume design.

"Maleficent" earned costume designers Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive a costume design nomination. And while the costumes displayed in the Disney movie are literally movie magic, there is so much more to see at the exhibit.

Over 100 outstanding costume designs from 23 films are featured in the annual "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" exhibition at the FIDM Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The exhibition also features costume designs from not only "Maleficent", but all five Academy Award nominees.

Filmmaker Paul Thomas Andersons's trippy mystery "Inherent Vice" captures the city of L.A. in the '70s. The film is visually appealing thanks in part to Anderson's collaboration with Academy Award-winning costume designer Mark Bridges, who also created '70s-set wardrobe for "Boogie Nights" and "Blow."

Bridges won his first Academy Award in 2012 for "The Artist," and his latest work on "Inherent Vice" has earned him another nomination. Putting very realistic-looking clothing in among historical and fantasy makes picking the best a tough choice. For Bridges, it was reminding us what the early '70s really looked like.

"It is very difficult to choose what is so-called best costume design. Sometimes I think it's things that capture your imagination and have you thinking about them after you leave the theater," Bridges said.

But at the "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design," the costumes are not on the screen -- they are closer than the best close-up. You can see every detail and also easily see why and how this designer is again nominated.

Coleen Atwood's costumes from "Into the Woods" and all the other Oscar-nominated costume designs are in a very plain gallery setting. It raises the question: Do we appreciate the costumes more or less not seeing them in their movie?

"The movie has to stand, absolutely, for any kind of voting. Absolutely, the movie comes first," said Kevin Jones, a film art historian.

Jones hopes Academy Award voters see the exhibit. He also expects thousands of fans to attend.

The exhibit is free and located on the FIDM campus, allowing costume design students to see the pros up close.

"For the educational content, that's when we step in. And to see the costumes in reality, how different they can look on-screen versus off-screen, that's what's incredibly important," Jones said.

Jacqueline Durran was also nominated for her costume designs in Mike Leigh's artist biopic "Mr. Turner." Wes Anderson's candy-colored comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" earned Milena Canonero a costume design nomination.

There are also 18 other movies to see as well. The exhibit, which runs through April 25, is open from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FIDM is located on the corner of Grand Avenue and 9th Street in downtown L.A. For more information, visit www.fidmmuseum.org.

The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood on Feb. 22. It will be televised live by ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.