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Meet the woman who has 3 Oscars and is competing against herself for another one

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Costume designer Sandy Powell.
Eamonn M. McCormack | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

If you've ever been transfixed by the beautiful outfits your favorite stars are wearing onscreen, there's a good chance Sandy Powell is behind the magic.

The flame-haired costume designer has worked on close to 40 films since the 1980s, earning her 14 Oscar nominations and the distinction of being the only Oscar-contender competing against themselves for an award this year.

With only five nomination slots per category it is quite a feat for a single person to scoop up two, but Powell has managed it with her outfitting efforts in "The Favourite" and "Mary Poppins Returns."

Already the most-nominated living artist in her field, Powell could tie with fellow designer Colleen Atwood to become the most-awarded too, if she nabs a fourth Oscar win on Sunday.

And she's likely to. "The Favourite" is a frontrunner for the award, according to Variety, and Powell's already received a British Film Academy Award and a Costume Designers Guild Award for her work on the movie.

A win would also put her one step closer to matching the accomplishments of cinema's most decorated costume designer, Edith Head, who reigned during Hollywood's Golden Age and, more recently, served as the inspiration for Pixar's superhero designer Edna Mode in "The Incredibles." Head did set quite a precedent, though, with 35 nominations and eight wins.

But Powell doesn't seem to be particularly interested in reaching for that mantle, telling Deadline Hollywood that the recognition was "thrilling" but that the end goal is really about creating a certain kind of audience reaction, saying, "I think it's when people say they haven't seen something like it before. I think that's what we all aim to achieve."

Powell earned her first costume design Oscar in 1998 for her work on the film "Shakespeare in Love." Her other two Oscars were awarded in 2004 for "The Aviator" and in 2009 for "The Young Victoria."

She has received dual nominations in the costume design category twice before, first in 1998 with "Shakespeare in Love" and "Velvet Goldmine" and then again in 2015 with "Carol" and "Cinderella."

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