by Strictly Come Dancing is back for its 22nd (!) season, with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly resuming their glamorous presenting duties. The BBC dance show, which returned to our screens in September, continues to shine in sequins and spandex; When it comes to style inspiration, you can always count on Claudia to give you a masterclass in Saturday night glamour, especially leading up to party season.
Given our penchant for high-low dressing on Red, it’s no surprise that we’re big admirers of Claudia’s long-time stylist Sinead McKeefry, who works with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. While we’ve often seen Claudia rocking designer brands like Self-Portrait and The Vampire’s Wife (RIP, but that black dress from last year’s Strictly that Claudia “suggested” will forever be his legacy), Sinead mixes it up High-end labels often skilful with cheaper high street names like Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Every year Claudia and Sinead choose a vague, light-hearted theme for their Strictly looks, with inspirational moodboards from the past revolving around everyone from Elvis Presley and Pat Butcher to the 2023 snooker player of the year. This dynamic duo take their own cue nothing too serious – but don’t worry, the glam-goth vibes are still in full swing – which is certainly just one reason why everything always works. This year? We have a mix of Demis Roussos and Kris Kardashian. Yes, really.
“Some of our topics were absolutely ridiculous, but Claudia and I have the same sense of humor so they always make sense to us,” laughs Sinead. “This one came about after I told her how much I loved Taller Marmo.” [the luxury eveningwear label known for its kaftan-style silhouettes] was just there – they have some really cool pieces this season. Claude said: “Perfect, I want to be completely covered!” So I decided to see who could inspire us in the world of caftans and on one of our holidays we came across good old Demis and Kris. “I’m also really obsessed with Cher in the ’70s.”
As much as we love Claudia’s signature style, we’re also excited to see some fashion variety in this series, which Sinead describes as “much more glamorous” than previous years. “Claud tends to mix masculine and feminine and land somewhere in the middle,” she says. “But on this year’s Strictly you’ll see more Cher-inspired, kaftan-y, disco-y, feathery moments.” “I have one pair of shoes that particularly stand out – these beautiful tall white stilettos with faux fur all around.”
At the first live show, Claudia turned heads with a flowy cream Taller Marmo kaftan that drew comparisons to Princess Leia… and the Pope. “The great thing about Claudia is that we laugh together,” says Sinead. “Every time I went to the Clauditorium that night and shared the feedback with her, she squealed and laughed out loud and thought it was all hilarious.” It was quite an unusual choice for the first week, but she felt great about it and the fashion people loved it. I was happy with both answers; “One thing we don’t have is standing in the middle of the street, and that sparked a nice little conversation.”
Other highlights to come include lots more green sequin dresses from Self-Portrait a la Claudia in week two – “It’s really great for occasion wear and is fantastic quality for the price,” says Sinead – as well as a few Pieces from Nadine Merabi and independent Irish label Queens from Archive (think The Vampire’s Wife with glamorous Studio 54 vibes). But there will also be plenty of shoppable high street looks.
“Yes, we have our big designer moments, but I love the reaction when people tell me they bought something after seeing it on Claudia,” says Sinead. ‘I love [Harry Styles’ stylist] Harry Lambert for Zara, so it will be fun to see what we do with these pieces and I love Reiss too. I actually called some Karen Millen stuff too. If I like something, the label doesn’t matter to me, and Claudia feels the same way. There’s so much snobbery in fashion, but I sourced things from places you wouldn’t believe; “During Elvis year I wore Claudia trousers for £24.99 from Amazon.”
Speaking of Amazon: Sinead is enthusiastic about the e-retailer’s new, popular luxury offering. “They only take the best of the best, so you can be sure that whatever you get from there is in very, very good condition,” she says. “Claudia’s Saint Laurent dress from week two was from the ’70s, so it already had its own life cycle before she wore it. Now one of my private clients wants to buy it, so it’s a great example of how sustainability can work.”
Sinead and Claudia tend to share behind-the-scenes photos of their Strictly looks on Instagram, which means we do some research (like asking Sinead to tell us!) and find out how we can emulate them ourselves. Now that Strictly is back, we’re updating this page with information about where to buy Claudia Winkleman’s outfit for each show. Your excuse to shop if you need one? Christmas is just around the corner and many of her looks are perfect for festive occasions…
Can’t get enough of Claudia’s Strictly style? We’ve also taken a look back at some of Claudia’s best Strictly outfits from past series, including sleek tailoring, statement dresses and of course a healthy dose of glitter.
Keeeeep dance!
Where to buy Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Come Dancing outfits
Week two: Show results
In a sustainable move, Claudia wore a pre-owned vintage YSL dress from Amazon’s new luxury stores. She accessorized her monochrome mini with the statement white bow with black heeled boots, also YSL, and rings from Tilly Sveaas.
Week two: live show
For Saturday night’s show, Claudia wore one of her favorite luxury brands, Self-Portrait, with black and green Gucci shoes. Your stack of gold bracelets? They came from Tilly Sveaas, the prominent Red Team favorite.
Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly look…
Week one: Live show
They promised us Demis Rousso’s energy and they delivered, with a generous helping of Princess Leia chic. For the first live show of the new series, Claudia wore a flowy cream Taller Marmo kaftan with an elegant high neckline and statement buckled belt. With a big budget? Check out & Other Stories’ gold fringe embellishment below.
Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly look…
Start show
Kicking off the new series, monochrome lover Claudia wowed in a sparkling white Zadig & Voltaire suit layered over a crisp black shirt and finished off with white stiletto heels and chunky gold jewelry. If we didn’t know better (ahem Demi Roussos x Kris Jenner), we would have guessed that “Saturday Night Fever” was Sinead and Claud’s styling theme this year. Because this look gave us John Travolta vibes, in the best possible way…
Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly look…
More of Claudia Winkleman’s best Strictly looks
Claudia proved that shimmer can be chic in this stunning dress from Self-Portrait combined with white heels.
We’re still obsessed with this stunning gold sequin Nadine Merabi jumpsuit that Claudia wore to the 2023 Strictly final.
This dramatic black dress from The Vampire’s Wife was a real highlight of the last series. With its high neckline, defined bodice and puffed sleeves, it embodied the darkly romantic elegance that Claudia loves.
Tailoring, but do it strictly. This bubblegum pink suit from Rotate Birger Christensen was everything.
We know a statement ME+EM blouse when we see one, so when Claudia wore this pleated-sleeve style last year, we headed straight to her website.
This shimmering white jumpsuit was the ideal choice for the 2023 Blackpool special.
In 2022, Claudia reminded us that you can’t go wrong with a little black dress when she wore this embellished number from Zara.
This dazzling silver dress from Self-Portrait was worn for the 2021 final and is one of our absolute favorite Strictly looks from Claudia.
Strictly Come Dancing returns for its 22nd (!) season next month, with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly set to resume their glittering presenting duties.
The BBC dance show always shines with sequins and spandex, and when it comes to style inspiration, you can always count on Claudia to be a masterclass in Saturday night glamour, especially in the run-up to party season.
Given our penchant for high-low dressing on Red, it’s no surprise that we’re big admirers of Claudia’s long-time stylist Sinead McKeefry, who works with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. While we often saw Claudia rocking luxury brands like Self-Portrait and The Vampire’s Wife (RIP, but the black dress from last year’s Strictly that Claudia “proposed” will forever be her legacy), Sinead mixes it up high-end Labels often cleverly partner with cheaper high street names such as Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Helpfully, both Sinead and Claudia love sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of their Strictly looks on Instagram, so we can do some research and find out how we can emulate them ourselves. Excitement is building for the 2024 series, but we don’t have a start date yet (usually mid-September). While we wait, we’ve taken a look back at some of Claudia’s best Strictly outfits, including sleek cuts, statement dresses and, of course, a healthy dose of glitter.
Keeeeep dance!
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