Patricia Field Couldn't Shake Sex and the City When Styling The Other Woman

POPSUGAR: This was your first time seeing the film. What did you think?

Patricia Field: I enjoyed it because at the end of the day, the audience only knows what's on the screen, so if a better idea comes along, [points to the screen] that's what you're going to see. It was fun. I enjoyed it. People say it looked really good, but I said, 'OK, but is it funny?' You can dress it nice, but it's gotta make you laugh.

PS: Of the leading ladies, who was your favorite to work with?

PF: Leslie Mann – she just doesn't stop. I really think she was the highlight of this movie, and actually . . . I was inspired immediately by her. She started out as this airhead. Like a woman from the '50s, a throwback. I thought of her as a Charlotte-type of genre. She had a great body, was easy to dress, so we went for a Stepford wife suburban wacky girl. I enjoyed her wardrobe most.

PS: One of the best scenes, costume-wise, was in the bar, where every single patron is wearing all black, and then there's Leslie, who just pops in that canary-yellow cardigan and pink floral dress. Did you conceptualize that?

PF: I like that one – she's like a bumblebee! Whenever we achieve that, anything animated on her, it's like comedic animation.

PS: You actually took on this film for the chance to work with Cameron Diaz. What about her drew you in?

PF: Cameron is a professional. I love working with pros. She teaches me as well, like working with Meryl Streep. And Cameron, she wears clothes well.

Source: 20th Century Fox

PS: It's hard to forget the scene where we meet Kate Upton. You made such a basic white string bikini look like so much more! How many did you look at before settling on that one?

PF: Maybe about 20. We presented her with them, and she picked a few, and then the director. You know, everybody has to decide . . . It's a decision fest.

PS: When you watch the movie, the style looks effortless, but behind the scenes there are so many layers to every look we see on screen. What's the costume-design process like?

PF: It's a long process. It starts out with a script. You read the script, you learn the characters. Then you meet the director. You now have a character you are picturing from this script and from what the director sees. And then you meet the actors. It's very important that you observe and learn the different ways they move, what their body's like, their ideas, how they communicate. And then you find the parallels between the actor – the actual human being – and the fictional character. You stay within those boundaries – what they share in common.

If you can isolate the characteristics they share and if you stay within those boundaries, you'll end up with something believable. If you try to put a round form into a square form, it just won't go. You have to find the compatibilities and stay there. At the end of the day, the actor is in front of the camera. I'm there to help the actor find this character. It's a personal relationship. It's sensitive, and it's creative. That's my process.

Source: 20th Century Fox

PS: There was so much physical comedy in this movie: Leslie suffocating Cameron with the tulle of a wedding dress, Cameron carrying Leslie while wearing sky-high Jimmy Choos . . . How do you dress these scenes? Does practicality trump style?

PF: Some actresses love the heels and want to wear them, and we give them to them. We like to give them the heels, but if the actress says, "I only wear a two-inch heel," I give them a two-inch heel. I'm not going to tell them, "You have to wear a six-inch spike." You go with the flow, you give it the best you can.

PS: Women and clothes – there's often an emotional connection there. Have you ever had to coach an actress into a look they weren't comfortable in?

PF: My responsibility is to make the actress feel comfortable. If they don't believe in how they look or feel, and they're distracted . . . They're not there to worry about their wardrobe. If they're worrying about their wardrobe, you haven't done your job. For example, "I'm not comfortable because I don't like my legs, and I don't want to show my legs." If you're not comfortable showing your legs, I'm not going to show them. People are under the impression that it could become a battle, if you have your taste and the actress has their taste. I'm only here to make the actor feel the part.

Source: 20th Century Fox