She's back. The first series of Celebrity Traitors is here and we're already hooked. With a line-up that includes Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Judi Love and Joe Wilkinson, it was always going to be TV gold.
But, as always, we're equally excited for the high-camp-meets-Scottish-Highlands outfits from Claudia. While the fingerless gloves, skinny jeans and capes are a given, we spoke to her stylist, Sinead McKeefry, to find out what else we can expect from her signature Castle style this series.
Discover who and what inspired this year's looks below, and come back to this page after every episode for a breakdown of what she's wearing (and where to shop it) *Prays for another Mr Mittens giant knit moment*.
What to read next
Episode 1
First, a moment please for this amazing celeb version of her famous cape.
The safari-meets-Scottish-Highlands look
When we spoke to Claude's stylist, she referenced the Chloe show numerous times, so we're not surprised to see the label pop up on episode 1. This is the actual herringbone wool jacket, but we've found a good stand in at ME + EM or a more relaxed alternative from Hush, which we'd wear buttoned up with our favourite skinny jeans.
Get the look
The tartan suit
McKeefry has already shared this shot on her Instagram and we know it's from Ralph Lauren. The real deal is on sale (see the jacket and trousers) but almost sold out. But we think Boden's tartan two-piece is just as lovely on the high street.
Get the look
The cape & boots
She had us at the boots. Sadly, they are Givenchy and no longer available. There is a similar new-season style if you have a cool £1,800. Otherwise, we suggest these fab replica ones we've found on Amazon (see below) to wear with your Spanx leggings and this rather fabulous Monsoon cape – we'll be asking our mum to sew 'Celebrities' on the back. You'll have to persuade your friends to dress up as Traitors, though.
Get the look
How to get Claudia Winkleman's Celebrity Traitors look
Stylist (and textiles graduate) Sinead McKeefry has worked with Claudia for almost two decades and is the woman behind both her Strictly wardrobe and her signature Traitors look. “We always find a muse or a collection of people we like,” she says of planning the looks for the new series. “They’ll be quite random but also very specific to an era, like Ronnie Corbett, Princess Anne or Anita Dobson.
“We also love Patti Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees references. There are lots of layers to it. We’ll put up pictures on the wall and make moodboards. 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.”
So what can we expect this year? “We've definitely moved to more of a punk silhouette, inspired by designers like Simone Rocha and Comme des Garçons – the Scottish Highlands are the perfect backdrop for it,” she says. “We've still got lots of heritage pieces in there too, so it's going to be a real mix. I'll dress it down with a Brora jumper or I'll find some great pieces in Zara or COS.
“I'm such a fan of the high street,” she adds. “Whistles, Jigsaw and Reiss are great for tailoring and investment pieces. I always go to The Kooples for suits as well as it's a little bit different, a bit rock 'n' roll.”
McKeefry's top tip ahead of the new series? “I buy these fine knitted polo necks from COS and layer them under everything,” she says. “I must have bought about 10 of them. They're great for putting under short sleeves or just giving something a completely different look.”
Oh, and we can expect a little cosplay, too. “Claudia's not afraid of a little theatre,” laughs McKeefry, referencing the Chanel yeti boots from last year’s series of The Traitors and the big black hairy Saint Laurent coat (which they called Mick) from the year before. “There's always a moment,” she says.
Those iconic pieces were both picked up on the duo's annual shopping trip. “We have this pattern of going shopping for the day just before Christmas and we're absolutely beside ourselves because Strictly's just finished,” McKeefry says. “That's when we bought the boots and the black coat. We don't think about it too much and Claudia's so good at owning those theatrical pieces. We got a couple of things in Dover Street Market this year. If you're going to buy something like that, you want people to make memes about it.”
In other words, we can expect some more meme-worthy moments from the new series.