She went on to design costumes for several iconic films of the 1970s and 1980s, including Capricorn One (1977), Days of Heaven (1978), Victor/Victoria (1982) and Scarface (1983).
In 1980, she designed the costumes for The Elephant Man, the first of many collaborations with director David Lynch.
For her next project with Lynch, Blue Velvet, she received her first credit as production designer, taking responsibility for the entirety of the film's decor, not just the costumes.
She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series for Twin Peaks (Episode: Pilot).
She also won the Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Period Film for 12 Years a Slave.