Penny Lovell

At this year’s SAGs, Byrne took a big risk — a Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface-inspired white Elie Saab Couture jumpsuit — and wowed fashion critics. “I love that jumpsuit!” says Lovell. “It’s been on our radar for a while — Rose tried it on two years ago for the Emmys, but we went with Valentino. She called me and said she felt like wearing pants, so I called the same jumpsuit back in.” Stepping out in something other than a dress took some girding, but it was worth it for the visibility.

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“It was a little nerve-racking because it’s not what you’d normally see, but we were prepared for the fact that some people might not like it,” says Lovell. Byrne, who notes that the look complemented her blunt bangs and face-framing bob, also based her distinctive Oscar dress — a black single-shoulder Vivienne Westwood gown — on her hairstyle: “This hair is very ’20s, and it sort of dictates what you wear.”

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Says Lovell of the Oscars look, “It was a different dress when I first saw it, much more voluminous, but they worked with me to narrow it a lot.” Lovell took into account that Byrne was attending the ceremony with her Bridesmaids co-stars: “If you’re in an ensemble cast, you shouldn’t wear an enormous dress, and Rose is respectful of that.” Lovell worked in PR for John Frieda, Burberry and Max Mara and assisted on editorial shoots, which led to styling. She works primarily with the Bridesmaids actress (they’ve been together for three years) and Goodwin, who loves such edgy labels as Roksanda Ilincic, Peter Som and 3.1 Phillip Lim.