PS: How did Andra Day use the clothing to immerse herself in the character of Billie?
PN: Andra was incredible. She became Billie, throwing herself into the role. She herself is a fan of Billie and a fan of vintage. She understands the period and the way the clothes are supposed to be, so when she would try things on in fittings, she transformed and threw herself into it from a style standpoint. She knew how to move in them. When you wear vintage, it's different than now, and I think Andra really understood that, and that helped sell the garment.
PS: What were fittings like?
PN: We had barely any time, but we could have spent hours trying on clothes. We would pose for the fitting photos, and I'd have a thousand pictures of each outfit, as if I was holding a camera with a thousand shutter speeds. We'd be looking at photos of Billie and asking ourselves, "Should we lower this more?" It was really collaborative. Billie smoked cigarettes, so Andra would go over to the little bar and light a cigarette with her coat on to show how the clothes move. Or she'd lay on the floor with her glasses on and read a magazine. The way she was able to role play in the fittings was amazing.