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The costume design race is a design dream, from the fantasy world of “Dune,” to 1970s London in “Cruella,” the iconic re-creation of legendary gowns in “Respect” and the power pants of Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos,” which help tell the story of a trailblazer. Designers such as Chanel collaborated for the psychological drama “Spencer,” while Gucci opened its archives to “House of Gucci.”

Here’s a look at some of the contenders.

“Being the Ricardos”

Costume designer: Susan Lyall

Lyall built a wardrobe for the performer Lucille Ball as well as the behind-the-scenes creative producer and wife Lucille Arnaz, played by Nicole Kidman. For the latter, at one point, Arnaz wears pantsuits. With the film set around a week of filming the iconic “I Love Lucy,” Lyall occasionally put Kidman in pants, even in the 1950s, a look mostly worn by female trailblazers and not the wardrobe staple of today’s women.

Janty Yates, costume designer for director Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sci-fi prequel Prometheus, is multi-award nominated and an Oscar winner for Gladiator (2000). She almost always collaborates with Scott (they have made seven pictures together and counting), but has an impressive catalogue of stand-alone work including Jude (1996), Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and Miami Vice (2006).

Clothes on Film caught up with Ms. Yates for an exclusive chat about the space suits and fatigues in Prometheus, which she describes as containing some of her proudest work since Gladiator. Spoiler Warning: We suggest only reading this after you have seen the film.

Clothes on Film, Chris: What was the costume brief for Prometheus?

Janty Yates: We wanted to go somewhere where it wasn’t traditional spacesuits. Sleek and slimline, to avoid the sort of ‘Michelin Man’ look of the Nasa suit.

CoF: So, to get away from any direct Alien references?

Jy: Well, it is a prequel,...