Doctored Up.(Ellen Pompeo)

Byline: --HANNAH MORRILL

Who? Ellen Pompeo. What? The October cover of allure , shot by Michael Thompson. When? June 13. Where? Lux Studio in New York City. Why? The Golden Globe-nominated actress is starring in the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy . Dog Days: Pompeo walked into the studio alone but was soon joined by her husband, Chris Ivery, and their toy poodles, Gigi and Valentino. They had just returned from a vacation in Martha's Vineyard, and Pompeo gestured to Ivery, joking, "If you have to be stuck on an island with someone, he's not bad." Costume Party: The shoot was inspired by the 1964 Shirley MacLaine film What a Way to Go! and required Pompeo to make eight costume changes. The actress was game for each one, but had a few comments. "I want to wear this around L.A.," she said as she slipped into a superhero-style black hooded suit. "Can you imagine?" Play Date: When five-year-old chimpanzee Louie--who appears in a few of the photographs--arrived with his handlers, he reached out to shake Pompeo's hand. "It's good to meet you," the actress told him. The chimp was more interested in exploring than in posing for the camera, so Pompeo offered him some advice: "Louie, the sooner you take the picture, the sooner we can go play." Pompeo used her BlackBerry to capture one last photo of herself and Louie before saying good-bye and going with her own pets (and husband) to the Gramercy Park Hotel.

Hair How-to

Hairstylist Serge Normant said the key words for Pompeo were "modern, simple, and sexy." When her hair was wet, he sprayed volumizer on the roots and rubbed silicone serum through the length. He then blew the hair straight with a round brush, ran a ...