Paul Feig knew he wanted fabulous fashion in Another Simple Favor, and he was willing to do just about anything to get it—including a total script overhaul.
“We had an early version that was about the two of them on the run, trying to hide, which meant they were going to be in disguise,” the director told Decider in a recent Zoom interview. “My producer partner, Laura [Fischer] looked at each other like, ‘We want fashion.’ I don’t want to see Blake having to tone down her look! We re-jiggered the whole script to accommodate that.”
The new script—a sequel to 2018’s A Simple Favor, co-written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis—picks up seven years after the events of the 2018 dark comedy thriller, which starred Anna Kendrick as Stephanie, a stay-at-home mommy vlogger who gets sucked into a world of intrigue and murder via Emily (Blake Lively), a glamorous, high-powered working mom with a dark past.
Another Simple Favor, which released via streaming on Amazon Prime today, picks up with Emily fresh out of prison (some murder, some attempted murder, no biggie) and newly engaged to an Italian dreamboat. She’s planned an extravagant wedding on the isle of Capri, and she wants Stephanie as her maid of honor.
Feig—the acclaimed director best known for his women-led comedies like Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy— insisted the prouduction film on location in Capri. His inspiration? The real-life Capri wedding of Vogue fashion editor Giovanna Battaglia. “They took over Capri for three days and had the most audacious, expensive wedding you’ve ever seen in your life. I saw those pictures and I said, ‘I want to recreate that wedding,’ Feig said in an interview for the film’s production notes. Obviously, he needed some audacious, expensive costumes to match.
Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus—who Feig hired as his designer on the first Simple Favor, as well on 2019’s Last Christmas and 2024’s Jackpot!—was more than happy to follow Feig’s directive to go “over the top.” Kalfus worked closely with Lively to create Emily’s many extravagant outfits, each more outrageous than the last. “She’s intimidating and provocative at any turn,” Kalfus told Decider.
Decider spoke to Feig and Kalfus to break down some of Another Simple Favor‘s most jaw-dropping costumes, from Emily’s latex wedding dress, to her halter top originally designed for Florence Pugh, to her four-foot-brim hat. Said Feig with a laugh, “If I approve that giant hat, there’s clearly no limit on what we can do.”
Warning: Some spoilers for Another Simple Favor ahead.