Every time The Traitors returns to our screens, I spend hours hunting down the pieces Claudia is wearing. Partly because it’s my job but mostly because I love the mix of practical (read: warm) and whimsical looks. Whether it’s an oversized knit worn over a goth glam lace evening dress or a Yeti coat over your skinny jeans.
But while the showstopping Kapital skeleton jumpers are relatively easy to find, it’s the hardworking staples I'm really interested in. I want to know what she's layering under her velvet blazers and giant red Mr Mittens knits.
So ahead of the first series of Celebrity Traitors this October, I went straight to source: Claudia’s stylist, Sinead McKeefry. As well as an insight into this season’s style influences (more below), she shared details on one of her go-to pieces.
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“I buy these knitted polo necks from COS that I'll layer under everything,” she told me. “They're really fine and I must have bought about 10 of them because they're just so versatile. I've used them in previous series and they're back this year. There was a short Mr Portrait jacket that we layered one under. I like to show people different ways of styling those pieces.”
Obviously, I dropped what I was doing and headed straight to my nearest COS. I managed to grab a burnt orange version in the end-of-summer sale and a black one from new-in. Currently, only black is in stock online in every size, but we expect more sizes in on-trend brown, green and navy to drop soon and you can get more in-store.
Fun fact, you can buy COS via H&M, where I've found a few more colourways in limited sizes.
So what’s so great about them? As McKeefry promised, they're made from a fine merino wool, which means they look luxurious and add a cosy layer without bulk (they're ideal for eveningwear/dramatic roundtables). They’re also long (such a relief when so many tops are cropped right now), so you can wear them ruched over dresses and leggings or to add coverage under shirts.
But it's their versatility that has made them so popular with fashion insiders. I’ve styled mine under a white shirt and blazer, for a comfy tailored look (I promise I do iron my shirt before leaving the house normally) and plan to layer it with a statement oversized knit for fashion’s answer to central heating.
The orange one I grabbed in the sale is perfect for adding a pop of colour over or under a dress. It would go very well with this season's leopard print.
This wearability is exactly why Claudia's stylist loves them.“Claudia's style is actually quite classic,” McKeefry tells me. “We’re going a bit more punk this year, with designers like Simone Rocha and Comme des Garçons, but we’ll dress it down with a classic Brora jumper or one of the polo necks. It’s not scary fashion. I think that’s why people relate.”
Although she does caveat: “She's not afraid of a bit of theatre, either. Our influences for the show are quite random but very specific to a particular time, like Ronnie Corbett or Anita Dobson. We’ll put up pictures on the wall and make mood boards. Whenever you create a look, you have to think, “What’s my starting point?” It can be a person, a place or a moment in time.”
She promises more theatre this October, telling me about the annual Christmas shopping trip she always does with Claudia where they pick up many of the show's most iconic pieces, including last year's Chanel yeti boots and the previous year's big black hairy Saint Laurent coat (which they named Mick). “We got some pieces in Dover Street Market last December that will be on the show this year,” she says. “There will be a moment!”
While we wait, we'll be over here stocking up on turtlenecks...
More fine polo necks for autumn layering
M&S Collection Pure Merino Wool Roll Neck Jumper
Uniqlo 100% Merino Ribbed Turtleneck Jumper
Mango Turtleneck Wool Sweater
