A Simple Favor is one of the most stylish films of the year.
That’s hardly surprising since it was overseen by Paul Feig, the perennially suit-wearing and always dashing looking director of the likes of “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters.”
But while Feig made sure he looked impressive behind the camera, Blake Lively’s Emily Nelson, who strikes up a surprising friendship with Anna Kendrick’s quiet vlogger before suddenly going missing, is undeniably the most stylish character in the thriller.
“Blake plays this glamorous creature that no-one in this suburban neighborhood can relate to. But all of them wish they were,” Feig recently told me over the phone.
“I’m known for wearing for my suits and ties and being fairly stylish all of the time so I really related to that side of Emily’s character, too.”
“I really wanted to have fun with the fashion in this film. I love that. That was a really exciting thing for me to do. It is one of my favorite parts of the process.”
But, almost by accident, Feig had a much bigger impact on “A Simple Favor’s” style than he has had on any of his previous films, as, during pre-production, Blake Lively actually pointed out his swanky attire and then based the glorious clothes of her character on his fashion.
“We had an amazing costume designer in Renee Kalfus. Actresses especially, I always say to them, ‘I want you to invent your look.’ Because they have to inhabit their characters.”
“Having been an actor for years, I know that the wardrobe affects you as much as the script and your hair and your surroundings.”
“We started to gravitate towards Blake being in some sort of men’s suiting. Then at some point early on she looked at me, saw me in one of my three-piece suits, and said, ‘I want to dress like you.’ I was just like, ‘Cool!’”
“So I contacted my friend at Ralph Lauren, Kimball Hastings, who does a lot of work of celebrities, and asked him, ‘Do you have any women’s suiting you can send over?’”
“He went into their archives and found a bunch of things which then Renee and Blake took and rethought and added all these accessories, too.”
“They figured out ways to make them different, from having tear away shirts that Blake could rip off when she got home. It was fun to watch them build that.”
“Even the dress at the end, if you watch earlier in the movie there’s a scene with Anna where Anna is wearing a very similar dress. We liked the idea that she takes one of Anna’s dresses and wears it. We had a lot of fun with the clothes.”
“A Simple Favor” is now in cinemas.
