Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck Style: ‘We Talked About What It Meant to Be a Trainwreck,’ Says the Costume Designer

If you’re anything like us, the Trainwreck opening date has been marked in red Sharpie on your calendar for months, and the big day is finally here. Star Amy Schumer has been pulling out all the stops for her sexy, stylish promotional tour, but how does her offscreen style compare to her onscreen alter ego (also named Amy)? We talked to costume designer Leesa Evans to find out.

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“It’s a New York movie, so I wanted to embrace the individuality in fashion that says New York City to me,” Evans tells PEOPLE, adding that the character shops just like a magazine editor (Amy’s job in the film) would. “I shopped everywhere from vintage stores to Forever 21, to high-end boutiques and Barneys. I feel in fashion a great piece can come from many different types of stores.”

Because Amy goes from being a party girl (her first outfit in the film, a glorious walk-of-shame/stride-of-pride number, is particularly memorable) to one half of a happy couple with Bill Hader’s character, Evans got the chance to show all the varied stages of her style evolution. “I appreciate the opportunity to shop for a character who is in the midst of figuring who they are and what they want in life and how their clothing reflects that moment,” she says. “Amy’s style in the film feels real to me; sometimes you try different looks in hopes of different kinds of reactions, so it was fun to explore that.”

Mary Cybulski/Universal

A running theme throughout the film is that Amy always looks just a little off from the people around her — when she’s at a suburban shower, she’s a little sexier than the other attendees, and when she’s at work, she’s a little less professional and tailored than her boss (played to overly tanned perfection by Tilda Swinton).

“Amy and I talked a lot about what it meant to be a ‘trainwreck’ and how that might be portrayed in the clothes she wore,” Evans says. “We came up with the idea that this is a girl that goes out a lot, gets up late for work but still pulls it together.”

That also meant a lot of figuring out the overall look for Amy onscreen — her hair, makeup and accessories all were part of showing that particular girl. “What I love about Amy is that she’s very open-minded and was excited to talk about the fashion for the film,” says Evans. “The fitting process was fun, and we felt confident that we found the look that was right for the character.”

RELATED PHOTOS: Last Night’s Look – Love It or Leave It?

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But enough about Amy: How was working with style chameleon Tilda Swinton? “I love working with Tilda! She transforms herself for each film in such a brilliant way,” she says. “Collaborating with Tilda was fun from the moment we started talking about fashion editors and their style, and ultimately I think the look — clothing, hair and makeup — really came together.”

And LeBron James? It can’t be easy dressing a 6’8″ athlete in prime physical condition. But if that’s the case, Evans isn’t telling. “You can tell LeBron appreciates fashion and fits surprisingly easily into a variety of brands. I found LeBron and his team to be very collaborative and lovely to work with!”

Mary Cybulski/Universal

Though it’s hard to pick a favorite look from the film (we’re still pulling for that opening-scene outfit), Evans says she’s partial to the black-and-white dress that Amy wears to an important event towards the end of the film. “I love the floral Stella McCartney dress — to me it was a moment where she looked great and you could tell she felt it,” Evans says. “Key elements [throughout the film] were either pieces that she had from her past (her worn-in work bag was like a college book bag) or inspirational pieces she bought for the woman she was becoming (a chic clutch bag by Clare V. [seen above]).”

RELATED VIDEO: Inside the star-studded Trainwreck premiere!

And though we aren’t giving away any spoilers here, once you’ve seen the movie immediately after work as planned, know this: That one outfit she wears in the closing scenes was made custom with help from the organization. And something tells us it might be the one thing Amy Schumer (in real life) brought home from the set.

Are you excited for the film?

— Alex Apatoff
Follow @nicefunalex