“When those first images of Severance came out, I saw the David Lynch quality,” says Forde. “Britt felt like one of those Lynchian female icons. Captivating! The show very quietly looks like a high fashion editorial, when so many other shows right now are full of busy over-styling. When I work with someone, I think the roles they choose is a signifier for what kind of collaborator they would be. This is left field, stylistic, super interesting.”
Forde and Lower immediately connected over references and their love of fashion, film, and art. “She’s as intrigued by the world as I am—she’s methodical, researched, philosophical,” she says. “We bring that all into styling. It goes far beyond personal style and clothes. Fashion for us is a tool to bring out other narratives.”
Britt Lower in Talia ByrePhoto: Rose Forde
They began playing around with moodboards and found they were both massive David Bowie fans, and talked a lot about Patti Smith. “Britt lives in New York, hangs out in Brooklyn, and is so embedded in the culture of her city—like Patti! We want that New York spirit to shine through. Then, we looked to Audrey Hepburn. How do we merge these worlds of the androgynous, the inner city, the coolness and poetry, with the iconic beauty and femininity? There’s a playfulness, and an off-beat beauty to Audrey Hepburn we wanted to tap.”
That’s Lower’s visual language summed up. So what does that look like in practice? The actor’s recent promotional tour has articulated Lower’s style through fitted knits via Courreges and butter yellow Maison Margiela. In London, she looked to British labels like print and texture agnostic Talia Byre for her signature striped and endlessly fun outerwear, and to Conner Ives for a silky red halter mini dress paired with similarly toned tights perfect for evening attire. In Paris, a sharp, sleek, and silver-studded Coperni suit. “I love to utilize the amazing designers of whatever city we are in, and also support young talent,” says Forde. The stylist called upon Ives’ fall 2025 collection early, making Lower one of the first to wear it on the public circuit. They fitted Lower for her Tonight with Jimmy Fallon TV appearance in London, and so fell in love with Ives’ long-sleeved royal blue sequin gown. “It feels so powerful but with a sense of humor,” says Forde. “It was a nod to Bowie—I texted her and said ‘this is your Ziggy Stardust moment!’” Apt, for Lower to have a go at the trumpet on the show, somehow looking sophisticated while doing so.
Britt Lower in Coperni.Photo: Rose Forde.
Britt Lower in Conner Ives fall 2025.Photo: Rose Forde
Forde has also pegged Japanese label Shushu/Tong for Lower, the Japanese brand that traverses the hyper-feminine and more subversive, sensual takes on corporate wear that harks back to Helly. “It encapsulates an intriguing dichotomy,” says Forde. “We can play with a slightly fucked up version of her character, adding an element of the undone—cinched pencil skirts, unfinished hems, some skin.”
Photo: Rose Forde.
Britt Lower in Loewe.Photo: Rose Forde
Another red carpet look saw Lower in Loewe: A gathered black leather maxi skirt with a chocolate brown leather jacket, which was deliberately left unzipped and open to expose a triangular slither of skin. “It could have been quite severe with all that leather,” explains Forde, “but the choice to peek out with some skin is another nod to playfulness and daring.”
