This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies.

  • 1948 Black-and-White Roger K. Furse - Hamlet
    • Irene Sharaff - B. F.'s Daughter
  • 1948 Color Dorothy Jeakins, Barbara Karinska - Joan of Arc
    • Edith Head, Gile Steele - The Emperor Waltz
  • 1949 Black-and-White Edith Head, Gile Steele - The Heiress
    • Vittorio Nino Novarese - Prince of Foxes
  • 1949 Color Leah Rhodes, William Travilla, Marjorie Best - Adventures of Don Juan
    • Kay Nelson - \Mother Is a Freshman
  • 1950 Black-and-White Edith Head, Charles LeMaire - All About Eve
  • 1950 Color Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Elois Jenssen, Gile Steele, Gwen Wakeling - Samson and Delilah
    • Michael Whittaker - The Black Rose
    • Walter Plunkett, Arlington Valles - That Forsyte Woman
  • 1951 Black-and-White Edith Head - A Place in the Sun
    • Walter Plunkett, Gile Steele - Kind Lady
    • Charles LeMaire, Renie Conley - The Model and the Marriage Broker
    • Edward Stevenson, Margaret Furse - The Mudlark
    • Lucinda Ballard - A Streetcar Named Desire
  • 1951 Color Walter Plunkett, Irene Sharaff - An American in Paris
    • Charles LeMaire, Edward Stevenson - David and Bathsheba
    • Helen Rose, Gile Steele - The Great Caruso
    • Herschel McCoy - Quo Vadis
    • Hein Heckroth - Tales of Hoffmann
  • 1952 Black-and-White Helen Rose - The Bad and the Beautiful
    • Jean Louis - Affair in Trinidad
    • Edith Head - Carrie
    • Charles LeMaire, Dorothy Jeakins - My Cousin Rachel
    • Sheila O'Brien - Sudden Fear
  • 1952 Color - Marcel Vertes - Moulin Rouge
  • 1953 Black-and-White Edith Head - Roman Holiday
    • Walter Plunkett - The Actress
    • Helen Rose, Herschel McCoy - Dream Wife
    • Jean Louis - From Here to Eternity
    • Charles LeMaire, Renie Conley - The President's Lady
  • 1953 Color Charles LeMaire, Emile Santiago - The Robe
    • Mary Ann Nyberg - The Band Wagon
    • Irene Sharaff - Call Me Madam
    • Charles Le Maire, William Travilla - How to Marry a Millionaire
    • Walter Plunkett - Young Bess
  • 1954 Black-and-White Edith Head - Sabrina
    • Georges Annenkov, Rosine Delamare - The Earrings of Madame De. .
    • Helen Rose - Executive Suite
    • Christian Dior - Indiscretion of an American Wife
    • Jean Louis - It Should Happen to You
  • 1954 Color Sanzo Wada - Gate of Hell
    • Irene Sharaff - Brigadoon
    • Charles LeMaire, Rene Hubert - Desirée
    • Jean Louis, Mary Ann Nyberg, Irene Sharaff - A Stare Is Born
    • Charles LeMaire, William Travilla, Miles White - There's No Business Like Show Business
  • 1955 Black-and-White Helen Rose - I'll Cry Tomorrow
  • 1955 Color Charles LeMaire - Love is a Many-Splendored Thing
  • 1956 Black-and-White Jean Louis - The Solid Gold Cadillac
    • Kohei Ezaki - Shichinin no samurai a.k.a The Seven Samurai, s.k.a. The Magnificent Seven
    • Helen Rose - The Power and the Prize
    • Edith Head - The Proud and the Profane
    • Charles LeMaire, Mary Wills - Teenage Rebel
  • 1956 Color Irene Sharaff - The King and I
    • Miles White - Around the World in 80 Days
    • Moss Mabry, Marjorie Best - Giant
    • Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, Arnold Friberg - The Ten Commandments
    • Marie de Matteis - War and Peace
For 1957 the awards were combined into a single award.
  • 1957 Orry-Kelly - Les Girls
  • 1958 Cecil Beaton - Gigi
    • Jean Louis - Bell, Book and Candle
    • Ralph Jester, Edith Head, John Jensen - The Buccaneer)
    • Charles LeMaire, Mary Wills - A Certain Smile
    • Walter Plunkett - Some Came Running
For 1959 the Award was again divided into two awards. For 1967 the category was recombided for one last time.