How to get Claudia Winkleman’s Traitors stylish from simply £6: As retailers report droves of consumers in search of ‘the Traitors look’, a prime trend knowledgeable reveals how YOU can to recreate it
January is looking up. Why? The return of the hit BBC series The Traitors – obviously.
And we’re not only looking forward to the backstabbing, plot-twisting, thrill-a-minute race to a cash prize.
No, it’s presenter Claudia Winkleman‘s outfits that provide much of the show’s appeal, too.
Her looks, masterminded by her long-time stylist Sinead McKeefry, very much lean into the countrycore aesthetic befitting the show’s Scottish castle setting – ‘Ronnie Corbett meets Princess Anne meets that phase when Madonna suddenly found the countryside through Guy Ritchie‘, as Winkleman has described it.
But don’t let that eccentricity put you off – Winkleman’s looks are as much relatable and recreational as they are aspirational. No wonder retailers are reporting of droves of shoppers asking for ‘the Traitors look’.
Read on for our guide on how to incorporate just enough of Claudia’s gothic glam into your January wardrobe… castle-owner’s budget not required!
Claudia Winkleman in her Luxury Family Affair cape and red leather fingerless gloves
Joules’s waterproof Bibury cape (£64, joules.com)
Cape-able
So far we’ve seen Claudia in two capes this series – one a black wool design by Luxury Family Affair (£730), the other a bespoke tweed creation by the same London fashion house.
Hear the word cape and think they’re the sartorial reserve of Tudor kings and fairytale villains? Think again.
Claudia shows us that the cape, in the inherent drama it exhibits due to its lack of lines and clean silhouette (sleeves = superfluous), has modern appeal.
It adds swishy elegance to even then simplest of jeans and boots. Monsoon’s Cecily cape (£80, monsoon.co.uk) boasts military buttons that are all kinds of Claudia, while Joules’ Bibury cape (£64, joules.com) is waterproof. Its relaxed fit means there’s plenty of room for multiple layers, too.
Need for tweed
Claudia circles the contestants in a statement tweed blazer costing £875 by Bella Freud
… or you could opt for a vintage version for a fraction of the price
It’s no surprise that the gentry’s camouflage – tweed – features heavily in Claudia’s Traitors wardrobe. Warm, moisture-resistant and largely self-cleaning, it’s perfect for Scotland’s rugged landscape.
The tweed jacket Claudia wears this series is £875 and by British designer Bella Freud. But the ‘haute country’ look needn’t cost – head to vintage site Vinntry, dedicated to country fashion, for real-deal tweed jackets that don’t cost the earth (vinntry.com).
Crucially, don’t forget this: the cool factor of Claudia’s wardrobe lies in the addition of incongruous elements to could-be-stuffy items like the tweed jacket. Namely, Claudia achieves this via punk fingerless gloves.
If her £24.99 red leather Amazon ones are too bank robber for you, try Rosie Sugden (rosiesugden.com) for more wearable cashmere versions.
New gothic
The presenter’s black velvet tux jacket by Saint Laurent breaks the bank at £2,500
Anna James The Label’s version, however, comes in at under £200
In The Traitors, gothic is less Wednesday Adams, more grown-up glamour. Think opulent velvet tailoring and Dracula-style frilly white shirts.
Claudia’s black velvet jacket is Saint Laurent and comes with the corresponding £2,500 price tag.
The appeal of Claudia’s style comes courtesy of high-low juxtapositions, however, and the Saint Laurent jacket is therefore paired with a much more affordable shirt by Sister Jane. The exact shirt is now sold out, but luckily another London brand – House of Disgrace – has available a similar design (£159, houseofdisgrace.co.uk).
Poke its frilled cuffs out of the sleeves of Anna James’s black jacket (£197.50, annajamesthelabel.com) – its satin lapels are all kinds of Tom Ford.
Oh, and Claudia’s £439 black velvet Sandro jumpsuit from last Thursday’s episode? You can rent it for as little as £6.07/day via By Rotation (byrotation.com).
Heritage knits
Japanese designer Kapital gives Claudia’s Fair Isle knit edge with a skeleton’s bones in the design
Raid the Campbell’s sale for a more versatile offering that’s easier on the bank balance, too
Remember Claudia’s smiley-face jumper from the last series, the one that went viral and sold out everywhere?
Her Fair Isle jumper this season comes courtesy of the same brand, Japanese designers Kapital (£455). In true Claudia style, a punk twist is added to traditional Fair Isle through the addition of a skeleton motif on the jumper’s back and sleeves.
Her jeans (£145) are by Holland Cooper, and her boots are her trusty Dr Martens (£161).
For more purse-friendly but still keep-forever Fair Isle, traditional Scottish outfitters Campbell’s (campbellsofbeauly.com) are your best bet – you can currently snap up a tank top in the sale for £115 and they make the King’s tweeds, no less!
