Psych’s Maggie Lawson is fierce, fun and fabulous as Lacey Smithsonian, a Washington, D.C., fashion reporter who uses her eye for detail to solve murders in Killer Hair (airing June 21 at 8/7c) and Hostile Makeover (airing June 28 at 8/7c), two Lifetime Movie Network adaptations of Ellen Byerrum’s Crime of Fashion mysteries. TV Guide Magazine talked to the actress about playing this Sherlock Holmes of Style.

Why will people not want to miss these movies?
It’s like Sex and the City with a dead body, basically. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and I think people are in the mood for that right now.

What attracted you to the role?
The clothes. [Laughs] There are so many different sides to the character and to the story—there are her girlfriends, her romantic life, her work life and her relationship with fashion, which is a tumultuous one. For any girl, it’s a dream role [and] it’s a nice change. I play a detective on Psych, but here I have better clothes. Don’t tell them I said that!

Lacey’s vintage wardrobe is to die for!
It took me a little while to learn how to wear the clothes. We’ve become casual and laid back, whereas in the Forties you almost have to stand differently to pull off the clothes—my posture changed! And it’s an event, putting on the clothing, because designers from the Forties didn’t miss one detail—stockings, gloves, handbags, earrings, and hats. Normally on a set, they allow a couple minutes for you to get into your wardrobe and [here] I had a half-hour every day just for to put on my clothes. I absolutely loved it! It was my favorite part of the morning—getting into my wardrobe.

Chasing down bad guys in stilettos and pencil skirts is no cakewalk…
There’s one scene where I go mano y mano with the killer and I have to run—they should have training for women who have to do that! It takes a skill that I learned the hard way, because I had many, many bruises after that. Then there’s one scene in Hostile Makeover where someone gets shot and there’s this blood that splatters and I remember being so sad because I had this vintage dress on and I almost wanted to weep for the blood that was ruining this fabulous dress.

Do you have a favorite scene?
In Killer Hair, following a really long day, we’re having a girls’ night—drinking wine, having popcorn, and listening to music. We shot the scene on the second day of work and we had so much fun—you can tell watching it. We’re just being silly and I don’t even know if we followed what was in the script. We were just three girls having a good time. We were dying laughing having so much fun.

Are any more Crime of Fashion adaptations in the works?
Fingers are crossed. There are several books, so I would be the luckiest girl in the world to be able to do more of these. There’s definitely talk of that, so hopefully people will watch and have as much fun as we did making it.

You spend a lot of time solving crimes in movies and on TV…
[Laughs] When I was a little girl, my mom actually thought there was something wrong with me because I would spend hours in the true crime section of Barnes and Noble. Once I got into acting, I did fall into these detective roles—Nancy Drew, Psych—maybe, it’s just my calling.

Are you good at “figuring things out” in real life?
Once I had my credit card stolen out of my dressing room and I went so far as to call the Rite Aid where it was used and have them send me copies of the receipt and I actually matched the signature. [Laughs] I didn’t go through with pressing charges, but I solved it and that’s all I really cared about—the fact that I got it right!

What’s in store when Season 4 of Psych begins in August?
We’re taking a more emotional approach to the season. Rachael Leigh Cook is coming back and there’s some love in the air. The stakes are higher in the cases and some of them are more personal—there may be a tear hear or there. But it’s still Psych, so there will be crazy shenanigans and Shawn and Gus getting into trouble.

How does Juliet feel about Abigail (Rachael Leigh Cook) getting romantic with Shawn?
We’re going to see a different side of Juliet this year. She’s keeping it together, but by a thread.

Will she try dating someone else?
It’s a storyline that’s very secretive, even for me at this point. I feel like there could be a relationship in Juliet’s future and that would spice things up a lot—Shawn would have to deal with how he really feels for her then.

So how much fun is it working with James Roday and Dule Hill?
There’s never a dull moment—there’s a lot of singing and practical jokes. We are a family—it’s really cool!

And you and James even found love on the set…
[Laughs] I got lucky! It’s this giant bonus that has come along with all the great things that Psych is for us.

So when are fans going to get a musical episode?
We push for it every year. It will probably be our final season, second-to-last episode. We’re all so musically inclined as a cast—I feel like we could pull it off in a big way!