Law Roach, the self-professed “image architect” who transformed Zendaya from a Disney star into a bona fide fashion plate, found himself taking on a new role for his client during the pandemic: costume director. Roach styled the actor in Euphoria director Sam Levinson’s ode to Hollywood romances, Malcolm & Marie. The catch? It was all done remotely.

In the gorgeous black-and-white exploration of one couple’s tumultuous relationship, Roach had just one dress with which to sum up Zendaya’s character. The Netflix film takes place over a single epic night, post-film premiere, when the glamour soon fades away and all that is left are two people trying to make sense of each other. After two rounds of dress fittings that didn’t quite capture Marie – “a fashion girl who’s also relatable” – Roach called up fellow stylist and Aliétte designer, Jason Rembert.

Together, Roach and Rembert – two of the most well-connected celebrity dressers in Hollywood – went down the custom route to create “an iconic, timeless look that could last forever”, Roach tells British Vogue. Rembert sent sketches and FaceTimed him fabric swatches, before they fit the iridescent gold dress with elegant cut-out detailing on Zendaya via Zoom. What’s remarkable is that throughout the process, Roach and Levinson never had a single virtual meeting. The director trusted him implicitly, knowing he would nail it.

“It was a really intimate process,” shares Roach. “Sam would just text me an idea – whatever time of day it was – and it just grew into an organic, seamless process.” Rather than specific fashion references, Levinson’s inspiration focused on mood. “It was really important that the dress was able to carry light and have movement, because the film is shot in one environment,” Roach explains of holding the audience’s attention as the night unfolds. “We had to keep every angle in mind while making sure the dress was beautiful and memorable.”

With just one painstakingly executed look, no detail was overlooked. The Wolford tights Zendaya peels off in a bathroom scene, accordingly, became a huge moment in Roach’s head. “It was so sexy to me,” he says. “I knew Marie was the type of girl who would wear sheer nylons under a dress like that, so I didn’t want to lose that part of her.” The classic stockings – Roach styles all his clients in Wolfords – also added to the relatability of Marie’s character, although he admits they got through a fair amount of pairs when filming.