Francine Jamison-Tanchuck is about to receive a fabulously fitting honor for her incredible career in costume design. After more than 45 years of working her magic on movie and TV costumes, the Costume Designers Guild has announced that she will be the recipient of its 2024 Career Achievement Award. This award recognizes individuals whose impact on the world of costume design in film and television is basically legendary.
Jamison-Tanchuck has been slaying the costume game for quite some time now. She made her grand entrance as a costume designer with the 1989 Civil War epic Glory, and has been racking up the credits ever since. From The Color Purple to One Night in Miami to They Cloned Tyrone to Emancipation, she’s been serving looks left and right. And let’s not forget her work on gems like Barely Lethal, This Christmas, Big Momma’s House, Courage Under Fire, Boomerang, and White Men Can’t Jump, as well as HBO’s The Wire. Seriously, this lady has been everywhere.
But let’s take it back to the beginning, shall we? She started out as a costumer on the 1970s NBC series Serpico and then went on to work on some major Hollywood hits like Robert Redford’s The Electric Horseman, Joel Schumacher’s St. Elmo’s Fire, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Running Man, and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. Oh, and let’s not forget the Eddie Murphy classic Coming to America. She’s basically been in the presence of greatness her entire career.
In her own words, “Try not to allow someone’s negative thoughts or comments keep you from moving forward creatively. You can be nervous, but don’t be afraid to risk taking the first steps even if you can’t completely see the staircase.” This is some seriously inspiring advice from someone who has climbed the costume design staircase all the way to the top.
The high point of this fabulous career achievement will be celebrated at the guild’s 26th annual CDGA ceremony on February 21 at NeueHouse Hollywood. This is going to be a red-carpet affair to remember, with all the stars of the costume design world shining bright. And let’s be real, with over 1,200 members in the CDG, this is going to be one star-studded event. Don’t forget to mark it in your calendar – this is going to be a night to remember.
So here’s to Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, a true icon in the world of costume design. She’s about to receive all the recognition she deserves, and we couldn’t be happier for her. Let’s raise a glass to her legendary career and all the fabulous looks she’s created over the years. Cheers to the queen of costume design!
