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The image of Claudia Winkleman sitting astride a black steed, her face covered in a black veil, wearing a white ruffled shirt under a black jacket, has fast become one of this year’s most powerful fashion moments – and it’s one of her most iconic looks since The Traitors first aired. Just as the show’s audience (9.2 million and counting) wait on tenterhooks for the next twist in TV’s murderous game of wits, which launched with a star-studded cast earlier this month, they also eagerly anticipate the next ensemble in the host’s dramatically fabulous wardrobe. It’s the work of one woman: the stylist Sinead McKeefry, who’s been working with Claudia for 20 years and whose fame has grown as much as the programme’s viewership. Given that her client is one of the busiest prime-time TV presenters in the UK, it’s fair to say that Sinead has her work cut out tending to Claudia’s brilliantly put-together looks. "We've got very similar aesthetics, and we send each other ideas all the time," she says. "Some of them are really jokey – she'll send me an outrageous pic of something. She’s very collaborative." Sinead describes the initial brief for The Traitors, which arrived on the BBC in November 2022, as “specific in a non-specific way”, with a lot of big ideas thrown around. "For the first show, the producers said they visualised Claudia with – and I'm not even joking – a top hat and a parrot on her shoulder," she laughs. "All we knew was that we had this epic Scottish castle and its amazing backdrop. We also knew we had Claud, with the cool hair and the eyeliner. "My moodboards then were still full of the same things they are now, but a little bit safer: Bruce Weber and Amanda Harlech references, lots of Chanel and lots of early 2000s fashion shoots from The Face and i-D magazines." Sinead was also inspired by the Scottish brand Le Kilt. "I found their aesthetic really appealing. For the first series, although we used some lovely labels, it was quite neat, but Claudia made it all look really cool." The duo’s take on “Highland goth”, a winning mix of kilts, cosy knits, outerwear and winter boots, has made Claudia’s style the envy of the nation, with brands including Marks & Spencer, Brora, Johnstons of Elgin and Next reporting surges and sell-outs every time she wears their clothes. But Sinead is equally keen to support independent labels. "I studied knitwear at Central Saint Martins, so I know that it’s virtually impossible to have a knitwear company in the UK. Some of these businesses, like Mr Mittens [whose red jumper was featured in season two], are really small, knitting by themselves at home. "When they send pieces, we’re honest and say that we can’t commit to using them, nor can we promote them, due to the BBC’s strict guidelines. I’m always so happy when the process works in their favour, because it really can change a business and take it to the next level." On The Celebrity Traitors, the fashion has been taken to the next level. The first few episodes spawned a slew of striking looks, such as the herringbone Chloé jacket and Hunter wellies worn by Claudia for the Trojan-horse mission. "It was pure fluke that we chose a look that was slightly horsey – a nice little lucky moment," Sinead laughs. Royal style inspiration Claudia recently revealed that she takes inspiration for her outfits on the show from Morticia Addams, Miss Trunchbull and the Princess Royal, whose style is often overlooked. "Princess Anne has always been so cool," Sinead says, adding that she really fell for her style after watching The Crown. "It’s all about her understated attitude." However, "understated" is not how you’d describe Claudia’s look in The Celebrity Traitors, with Sinead admitting that they have ramped it up. "We thought we needed to distinguish her from the contestants, assuming they’d probably all be coming wearing tweedy knits. But they've surprised me, because they haven't all dressed in homage to the Highlands." Which celebrity does she think has nailed classic Traitors style? "Oh, that’s a good question. I love what Cat [Burns] has been wearing. And I love Stephen Fry. I just want him to be my dad." Sinead was sad to bid farewell to the singer Paloma Faith, she adds. "She would have brought a lot to the show, plus I would have been really interested to see what the rest of her wardrobe was like." Although there are more designer labels in the mix (Sinead says that there will be “a big Prada moment”), the duo’s beloved high-low approach to dressing will never change, with Zara, Marks & Spencer and Next sharing airtime with mid-range labels such as Me+Em, Holland Cooper and Reiss, as well as designer pieces from Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren and Simone Rocha. "I really am not precious," Sinead says. How the cape became cool Styling the show is clearly a huge undertaking. "It’s quite a lot of looks,”she says. “There are nine episodes and they each require three looks a day – breakfast, the mission and the round table. Then you’ve got the ‘murder cape’, with the red gloves, as well." Ah yes, the murder cape, a garment that was adopted by chance. "In the first series, we didn’t even know we’d need to have coats for missions, because we didn’t know the format. I didn’t know what the hell a round table meant! "But the cape [by Luxury Family Affair, £766] came into the office and we tried it and loved the shape of it, so we decided it would be a brilliant thing to carry through." For this series, it’s been pimped up with shoulder pads and emblazoned with the word "celebrities". Incredibly, Sinead doesn’t even set foot in the castle throughout the styling process. "We do everything in London. It’s almost like prepping for a catwalk show. I have a photo of Claudia in the outfit, then the outfits are checked three million times before they get put into a van and sent overnight to Scotland. "Every photo of every look is laminated, so anyone can dress Claudia when she gets there. It's idiot-proof. I also do a lookbook, so everyone knows what's happening on which day." As organised as she is, Sinead can’t control the Scottish weather. Even in May, when The Celebrity Traitors was filmed, it didn’t play ball. "It really turned. And trying to get things to that castle is not easy. I spend a lot of time on the phone with DHL. Amazon’s party section has also got us out of a hole." Sinead isn’t involved in styling the celebrity contestants, but says that all the ad hoc extras they wear, such as veils, are prepped by the stylist Catherine Moran. "I believe they were asked to pack a black outfit, but they weren't told what it was for." Perhaps it’s only right that the styling process is as cloak and dagger as the show itself. And although Sinead clocked off the job long ago (she’s currently focusing on Claudia’s Strictly Come Dancing wardrobe), the tension remains. "I'm walking down the road and everyone's going: ‘Oh my god, Traitors! Do you know who wins?’ And I'm like: ‘No!’ I specifically ask not to be told, because I can't keep a secret. It would have been out by now. "So just don't tell me. It also means I can enjoy watching it." She and the nation both. Pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
