Photo: Regina Weinreich

The makeup, hair people and costumers behind the scenes rarely get their due attention, but for 20 years, New York Women in Film and Television, has been celebrating them. While women are under represented in media, and often paid less than men doing the same jobs, makeup artists, hair stylists, and costume designers enjoy a distinct parity, even if they are not as publicly visible. As comedian Zainab Johnson, host of last evening’s star-studded event at the Directors Guild Theater pointed out, “Women can do anything.” Everyone in this room could laugh at how banal that sounded.

Leslie Stahl, represented the 60-Minutes reporters in paying tribute to Riccie Johnson, who managed to erase their wrinkles over decades and also raise seven children. Her career goes back to doing makeup for The Beatles when they played Ed Sullivan, and she said, she was surprised that Paul McCartney remembered just how she did them, pancake and all, when she met him later on. Zazie Beetz of Atlanta introduced honoree for hairstyling Shunika Terry who thanked “her butterfly” for being available

HBO’s Janet Graham-Borba presented the Tiffany award to Michele Clapton, Game of Throne’s costume designer. Her work was displayed on mannequins: some of the heavy fabrics used for the Belfast, Northern Ireland shoots were repurposed IKEA rugs. She’s responsible for Daenerys Targaryen’s Mother of Dragons’ necklace and white coat, the metal costume Cercei Lannister wore when she was crowned, not to mention Sansa Stark’s silver circle neckpiece pierced by a needle, symbolic of her making her own clothes when we meet her, and of the name of her sister’s sword.

The Variety Ensemble Award went to the entire costume, hair and makeup design team of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Caroline Aaron, Marin Hinkle, and Rachel Brosnahan presented the awards to Jerry DeCarlo, Patricia Regan, and Donna Zakowska who was especially pleased because this award celebrated collaboration. Designer of the women’s and men’s ‘fifties era ensembles, including coats and well, marvelous, hats, Zakowska told me she got her fabrics mostly in England.

Now planning Season 3, the idea is to do 5, one insider told me.