Mr Viral
Severance’s costume designer Sarah Edwards described the characters as being “oppressed by their clothing,” in soulness, corporate outfits void of time. But for Britt Lower, who plays the rebellious and defiant office worker Helly R., style is architectural, off-beat, and elegant.
So says her stylist, Rose Forde. “She has a real love for fashion and wearing conceptual design, but there is always a personal twist,” Forde tells Vogue. Forde’s curated list of clients—from Lower to Cillian Murphy and Emma D’Arcy—reflect Forde’s styling language as full of personality and wit, heavily influenced by art and film, and in conversation with each star she dresses. Right now, out of the awards season and fashion month tumult, is the time she and Lower can have fun with her look and “let it flow.”
Britt Lower in Maison MargielaPhoto: Kenna
Britt Lower in Courrèges.Photo: Kenna
“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: Kenna
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 label, the print and texture agnostic Talia Byre, for her signature striped and endlessly fun outerwear, and then 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: Kenna
Britt Lower in Conner Ives fall 2025.Photo: Kenna
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: Kenna
Britt Lower in Loewe.Photo: Sela Shiloni
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.”
For both Forde and Lower, it’s about creating a curated moment, with each look flowing into the other. Lower’s hair and makeup team are also super involved. MUA Zoe Taylor has crafted refined, glowy glam, while hairstylist Kenna has buffed her Holly Golightly-esque bangs. “Everything is considered—her skin, eyes, lips, nails, and hair, and how it all plays off the fabric,” says Forde. “It’s thinking about everything as editorial, rather than red carpet or press call.”
“Britt really appreciates design, wearing clothes and knowing where they’ve come from, and the story behind them,” says Forde. “That carries over from her own dedication to her work. It’s special, and people appreciate that when they work with her.”
