Look by look, Arianne Phillips is piecing together Bob Dylan’s evolution from “A Complete Unknown” to a cultural icon.

Celebrated for her work on renowned films such as “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and her collaboration with musical legend Madonna, Phillips has earned her fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown.” The musical biopic, which follows the emergence of icon Bob Dylan onto the folk music scene, relies heavily on its visual storytelling, with the costume department playing an integral role in depicting Dylan’s journey of self-discovery. Curating over 7,000 costumes for the film, Phillips said she immersed herself in Dylan’s life, crafting designs that capture not only his aesthetic but also his artistic development.

Ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday, Phillips spoke with the Daily Bruin’s Ruwani Jayasekara about her approach to reflecting Dylan’s story through costume.

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Daily Bruin: Were there any specific costume pieces that you feel played a key role in shaping those characters’ identities?

Ariane Phillips: Our story takes place over four years from 1961 to 1965, and in those four years, we’re telling a story of a young man finding his creative identity, growing as an artist and figuring out the kind of music he wants to make and the kind of artist he wants to be. You see that mirrored in the way that he dresses. We see that evolution in the way of his expression of how he dresses and the expression of his music, and they go hand in hand.

He’s not evolving himself through fashion, per se. What he’s doing is he’s evolving as an artist, as a musician, and the way that he presents himself – the way that he dresses himself – is in tandem with that. The way he dresses is an expression of his artistic personality or his artistic endeavors of his growth as a musician. His influences are a reflection of where he’s at in his life. So, initially, the way he dresses and his music are a reflection of his admiration and appreciation of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. As he grows as an artist, he starts to develop his own style and you see that as he gains notoriety.

DB: The film only spans about four years, a smaller window than most biopics. How did that affect your costume design choices?

AP: What’s unique about this story is it’s over four years, and during these four years, Bob Dylan grew exponentially as an artist. In these four years … he wrote over 40 songs that are some of the most enduring songs, that endure to this day. Normally, in a biopic, you would see technology changing, or automobiles changing or architecture changing. In this film, you don’t see any of that, but what you do see is the growth of a young man from 19 to 24.

For me, as the costume designer, I knew upon reading the script and speaking to the director how important it was for my job as the costume designer to help show that trajectory, that growth, that character arc. Even what people wore around him didn’t even change that much – it was more of his evolution that changed.

DB: Given how extensively Bob Dylan himself has been documented over the years, what was your research process like in capturing the essence of his character through costume?

AP: In the early years, he was well-photographed and filmed. We also had unprecedented access to the Columbia Records photo archive, which was really special for us and really helpful. I learned mostly about the way he dressed and who he was through reading books written by other people who observed him, who were in his life, whether it was known people like Alan Lomax or Joan Baez to his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo.

I immersed myself in research, both digitally and print, and also did a lot of reading and watched a lot of interviews with him. Of course, we didn’t have any private photos because most of the research was from public appearances. Telling the private stories is more about becoming immersed in Bob Dylan’s aesthetic and understanding what he gravitated to, in terms of what he wore and the colors he liked, creating that essence of who he was both in front of the camera and behind the camera.

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DB: This is your fourth Oscar nomination now, with your first being for “Walk the Line.” How has your approach to costume design evolved since then?

AP: Looking back, I can see that I have been able to further hone my craft as a costume designer. I’ve educated myself through working across mediums and working with different directors on different films. … I would say that the past 20 years has afforded me wisdom, and I don’t think it has any reflection on the acknowledgments or the nominations, but it’s more about the experience. Every time I design a film, I learn something new and I take that with me. Whether it’s something I failed at or something that I was successful at, I take it with me, and then every film I’ve gotten better at my job. … I think being willing to take creative risks and knowing that it might not always translate has been as fruitful and helpful as the successes.