Dressed To Win

When it comes to tallying up the credits from Ruth E. Carter’s career, she’s actually lost count, but not in a boastful way. Her history runs that deep

- Regina R. Robertson

It’s nearly impossible to settle on an entry point when preparing to speak with costume designer Ruth E. Carter. Is it when she nabbed her first Academy Award this past February for Black Panther? Or after she earned nominations for Malcolm X in 1993 and Amistad in 1998? Her win and nominations marked the first for a Black person in the costume design category. Or perhaps it’s 1988, when she made her big-screen debut with School Daze alongside Spike Lee, who happened to win an Academy Award this past February, too? “That night was like seeing God at work,” she remembers blissfully. Maybe it’s when she was weaving her magic in films like Do the Right Thing, What’s Love Got to Do With It, The Five Heartbeats, Selma and B*A*P*S? Or even the intense prep work she’s putting in for the upcoming sequel to Coming to America?