The Story Behind Claudia Winkleman’s Traitors Style

4 months ago

We go under the hood with stylist Sinead McKeefry ahead of series three

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Charlie Colville meets fashion stylist Sinead McKeefry, the brains behind Claudia Winkleman’s fabulous Traitors outfits.

Sinead McKeefry On British Brands, Claudia Winkleman & The Traitors

‘I’ve just got off the phone with Claudia – they’re filming in Inverness,’ stylist Sinead McKeefry begins. ‘There’s a bit of back and forth about a white tie at the minute.’

We’re talking about Claudia Winkleman, fashion’s woman of the moment. The TV host has risen to the ranks of style royalty in recent years, thanks to a streak of viral outfits featured in BBC reality series The Traitors. But where Claudia sits front and centre in the show, behind the scenes is where you’ll find her stylist, Sinead.

(L to R) Sinead and Claudia, Sinead’s mood board for The Traitors

She began her career over 20 years ago, becoming the go-to stylist for household names like Fearne Cotton, Billie Piper and, of course, Claudia. ‘It’s been a long old relationship,’ the stylist remarks. ‘It was Fearne actually who introduced me to Claudia around 18 years ago. We just clicked instantly. Claudia has a really good sense of style and a natural interest in fashion. She’s forever sending me things on Instagram.’

But in the two decades they’ve worked together, Sinead says she’s never seen anything quite like the response to The Traitors. ‘I wondered what it [the show] would be like at first, because it was outside what Claudia would normally do. But when I spoke to production and they showed me the backdrop of the castle and Inverness, I just thought, “Wow, okay, we can do something really special here.”’

And it seems UK audiences agree; there is something special about The Traitors, and its impeccably dressed host. Sinead admits she didn’t really expect the reaction both the show and her work received. ‘It’s been pretty insane, I have to say,’ she says. ‘I usually get a great response from Strictly, but people hadn’t really seen Claudia in the outdoor elements before. It was new and exciting.’

After the success of series one, Sinead decided to ‘do what we did, but also bring a few little twists in’ for series two. ‘Like the Brora kilt look, which we paired with the Kapital jumper – the one with the smiley faces on the elbows,’ she explains.

Claudia Winkleman in green jumper and kilt with black tights and boots | outfit style by Sinead Mckeefry for The Traitors

The outfit was one of the most memorable from the series. ‘My daughter’s friend said she saw “TraitorsCore” in Grazia, and I remember thinking, “What does that even mean?”’ the stylist recalls. ‘So, I went and bought a copy, and there was a huge picture of that outfit, a huge article about it.’

It was one of many hotly discussed outfits from the show. As a rule, Sinead creates 24 looks each season: ‘There are 12 daytime looks, then 12 round table looks’ – each one treading the lines of country chic and urban glamour, with a sprinkling of reality TV theatricality.

‘Within the game, there are the missions,’ she adds. ‘The missions can determine whether we can be a bit more theatrical, but we often don’t know what those missions will be until we get there. So, we have to go out on a bit of a limb.’

With a vague idea of what to expect from the show, Sinead leans into both wardrobe staples and wild cards to make a statement. ‘Look at the Saint Laurent fringe coat, for example,’ she recounts. ‘And then there was the funeral challenge. That came very late – we had 24 hours to send a veil up to Inverness.’

Last minute details aside, Sinead is meticulous when it comes to crafting a Traitors look. ‘I mood board first of all,’ she says. ‘We used old pictures of Amanda Harlech, some Jigsaw and Burberry campaigns from years ago. It’s also about having the right fabrics, textures, colours – and playing with them.’

Claudia Winkleman in green coat, knit jumper, trousers and green boots in field with scarecrows | outfit style by Sinead Mckeefry for The Traitors

And, with a backdrop as magnificent as the Highlands, British and Irish brands sit at the top of the stylist’s checklist. ‘I naturally love those brands anyway – you know, all the heritage brands,’ she tells us. ‘Purdey, Brora, Barbour, Dubarry of Ireland, Johnstons of Elgin. They’re all brands that I would wear myself. And Claudia really naturally makes the clothes look quite cool. So, sometimes I can afford to put her in things that are a bit more traditional. She carries it. She makes it work.’

Out of all the brands mentioned, there’s one that has Sinead’s heart: ‘Johnstons of Elgin just really fits in well with the visual story and theme we had in mind; it’s a really luxe Scottish brand.’ It’s also the maker behind the presenter’s famed fingerless gloves. ‘Claudia and I go to its sample sales when we can – you’ll catch everyone elbowing each other out of the way to get those fingerless gloves.’

But Sinead doesn’t want us to get used to these fan favourite finds. ‘I’ve had to dig deeper in this [next] series,’ she confides. ‘Because the fashion has been picked up so much, it felt a shame to miss that opportunity to keep digging deeper – to keep creating surprises. We’ve decided that each series will have its own theme when it comes to wardrobe. It will be very obvious. We’ll try to add a little twist each year, so that there’s a way to visually identify each series. It will be different from anything you’ve seen before.’

And, being the good Faithfuls we are, we can’t wait to see it all onscreen.