Inception, Ocean's Eleven, Costume Designer Jeffrey Kurland

Designing Hollywood Podcast Show

"Tenet is a film about many things, from entropy to time travel, Armageddon to environmentalism. But it's also a film about Robert Pattinson wearing a succession of truly astonishing suits. For that, we thank Jeffrey Kurland.

The storied costume designer had previously worked with Nolan on Inception – where he proved his tailoring chops – and Dunkirk, but Tenetposed a very specific set of challenges. The first one being just figuring out what the hell was actually going on.

"I read the script at least six times before I even sat down to talk with Chris," Kurland tells me, over the phone, from LA. "That's how you do any Chris Nolan film. The script is there, and it's totally wonderful. And then it's usually up from there. It's always a wild ride." - Tom Banham, Esquire Magazine, September 22nd, 2020

Jeffrey Kurland began his career in costume design in New York City. After graduating from Northwestern University with a B.A. in design, he moved to the east coast to design for the theatre. Jeffrey soon segued into designing costumes for film when he began designing the stylish films of director Woody Allen.

Jeffrey has the unique distinction of being the costume designer of 15 films for Woody Allen, from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. He has since realized the visual story for over 40 films, collaborating with such renowned directors as Milos Forman, Neil Jordan, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Mann, and Christopher Nolan.

During his career, Jeffrey has dressed a host of leading actors. He has created designs for leading men such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Michael Caine, Viggo Mortensen and Leonardo DiCaprio. He has also designed for leading ladies Julia Roberts, Marion Cotillard, Cameron Diaz, Annette Bening, Diane Keaton, Gena Rowlands and Ellen Page. He received a BAFTA Award, Britain's highest film honor, for his designs for Radio Days and an Academy Award nomination for his work on Bullets Over Broadway. Jeffrey was awarded the Costume Designers Guild award for his designs for the film Erin Brockovich and received a nomination for his work on Ocean's 11. His work has also been recognized through being honored with The Hamilton Timeless Style Award.

Jeffrey Kurland sits on the board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He co-curated the exhibit 50 Designers/50 Costumes: Concept to Character for the Academy, and his designs have also been featured in several exhibits around the world. He has spoken on the art of costume design in numerous symposia at the Directors Guild of America, the American Film Institute, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and UCLA, where he has also taught. Jeffrey's work is featured in the publications Screencraft: Costume Design, 50 Designers/50 Costumes: Concept to Character and Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design.