by Strictly Come Dancing is back for a 22nd (!) series, with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly returning to their amazing hosting duties. The BBC dance show, which returned to our screens in September, never fails to deliver sequins and spandex; For style inspiration, Claudia can always be counted on for a masterclass in Saturday night glamour, especially during party season.
Given our love of high/low dressing at Red, it’s no surprise that we admire long-time stylist Claudia Sinead McKeefry, who works with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. Although we’ve often seen Claudia flaunting designer brands such as Self-Portrait and The Vampire’s Wife (RIP, but that black dress from Strictly that Claudia will ‘plan’ to inherit forever), Sinead often mixes the these high level labels together. more affordable high street names such as Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Each year, Claudia and Sinead choose a vague, light-hearted theme for their Strictly appearance, with past inspirational mood boards revolving around everyone from Elvis Presley and Pat Butcher to … the snooker player of 2023. The dynamic pair don’t take this is too serious – but don’t worry, the glam goth vibes are still always there – and that’s definitely just one reason why everything always works. This year? We have the amalgamation of Demis Roussos and Kris Kardashian. Yes, really.
‘Some of our themes were really romantic, but Claudia and I have the same sense of humor so they always make sense to us,’ laughs Sinead. ‘This one happened after I told her how much I loved Taller Marmo [the luxury eveningwear label known for its kaftan-style silhouettes] doing at the moment – they have some great pieces this season. Claud said, “Perfect, I want to be completely covered up!” So I decided to see who could inspire us in the world of kaftans, and we came up with good old Demis, and Kris on one of our holidays. I also have an obsession with Cher in the seventies.’
While we love Claudia’s signature style, we’re excited to enjoy the sartorial event of this series, which Sinead describes as ‘much more glamorous’ than in recent years. ‘Claud tends to mix the masculine and the feminine and hits nicely in the middle,’ she says. ‘But for this year’s Strictly, you’ll see more Cher-inspired, kaftan-y, disco-y, feathered moments. I have one pair of shoes that really stand out – these beautiful high white stilettos with faux fur around them.’
For the first live show, Claudia broke the internet in a flowing Taller Marmo kaftan that saw her compared to Princess Leia … and the Pope. ‘The great thing about Claudia is that we laugh together,’ says Sinead. ‘Every time I would go round to the ‘Clauditorium’ that night and share the feedback with her she would squeal and laugh her head off, which was very funny. It was an over-the-top choice for the first week, but it felt great and fashionistas loved it. I was satisfied with both answers; one thing we are not middle of the road, and it prompted a nice talking point.’
Other highlights to come include plenty more Self-Portrait green sequin dress a la Claudia in week two – ‘It’s great for occasion wear and high quality for the price point,’ says Sinead – as well as some pieces from Nadine Merabi and independent Irish label, Queens of Archive (think The Vampire’s Wife, with glamorous Studio 54 vibes). But many of the high-street looks will be shoppable, too.
‘Yes, we’ve designed our big events but I love the reaction when people tell me they’ve gone and bought something after seeing it on Claudia,’ says Sinead. ‘I love it [Harry Styles’ stylist] Harry Lambert for Zara so it will be fun to see what we do with those pieces, and I loved Reiss too. I’ve also had a lot of calls from Karen Millen. If I like something, the label is not important to me, and Claudia is the same. There’s so much snobbery in fashion, but I’ve got things from places you wouldn’t believe; During the Elvis year I put Claudia in £24.99 trousers from Amazon.’
Speaking of Amazon, Sinead is sold on the e-tailer’s new luxury offering. ‘They’re only taking the best of the best, so you know anything you’re getting from there is in really good condition,’ she says. ‘Claudia’s Saint Laurent dress from week two was from the seventies, so it already had a life of its own 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 photos of their Strictly looks on Instagram, which means we can do some digging (ie beg Sinead to tell us!) and find out how to emulate them. So, now that Strictly is back, we’ll be here updating this page with where to buy Claudia Winkleman’s outfits from each show. Your excuse to shop, if you need one? Christmas is just around the corner, and many of her great looks for Christmas events depend…
Can’t get enough of Claudia’s Strictly style? We take a look back at some of Claudia’s best Strictly outfits from past series, including sharp tailoring, striking dresses and, of course, a healthy dose of sparkle.
Let’s dance!
Where to shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Come Dancing outfits
Week Two: Show Results
As a sustainable move, Claudia wore a vintage YSL dress from Amazon’s new Luxury Stores. She accessorized her monochrome ensemble with a statement white bow with black heeled boots, also by YSL, and rings from Tilly Sveaas.
Week Two: Live Show
For Saturday night’s show, Claudia wore one of her luxury brands, Self-Portrait, with black and green Gucci shoes. A pile of gold bracelets? It was from celebrity and Red team favourite, Tilly Sveaas.
Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly look…
Week One: Live Show
They promised us energy Demis Roussos and they delivered, with a generous helping of the chic Princess Leia. For the first live show of the new series, Claudia wore a floaty cream Taller Marmo kaftan with an elegant high neckline and statement buckle belt. On a high street budget? Watch & Other Stories with a golden edge, below.
Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly look…
Show Address
To kick off the new series, monochrome lover Claudia stepped out in a smart white Zadig & Voltaire outfit, layered over a crisp black shirt and finished off with white stiletto heels and chunky gold jewellery. If we didn’t know better (ahem Demi Roussos x Kris Jenner), we’d guess Sinead and Claud’s style theme this year was Saturday Night Fever. Because this look was giving 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 glitter can be chic in this stunning Self Portrait dress paired with white heels.
We’re still obsessed with this gold sequin dress from Nadine Merabi, which Claudia wore to the Strictly 2023 final.
This dramatic black dress from The Vampire’s Wife was a highlight of the last series. With its high neckline, defined bodice and puffed cap sleeves, it showed the dark romantic elegance that Claudia loves so much.
Tailoring, but do it strictly. This bubblegum-pink dress from Rotate Birger Christensen was everything.
We know an ME+EM statement blouse when we see one, so we headed straight to her site when Claudia wore this pleat-sleeve style last year.
This sparkling white jumper was the perfect choice for the Blackpool 2023 special.
Back in 2022, Claudia reminded us that you can’t go wrong with an LBD when she wore this embellished style from Zara.
Worn for the 2021 final, this stunning silver dress from Self-Portrait is one of Claudia’s all-time favorite Strictly looks.
Strictly Come Dancing returns for its 22nd (!) series next month, with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly set to return to their amazing hosting duties.
The BBC dance show never fails to deliver sequins and spandex, and when it comes to style inspiration, Claudia can always be counted on for a masterclass in Saturday night glamour, especially in the lead up to party season.
Given our love of high-low dressing at Red, it’s no surprise that we admire long-time stylist Claudia Sinead McKeefry, who works with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. While we’ve often seen Claudia rock luxury brands such as Self-Portrait and The Vampire’s Wife (RIP, but that black dress from Strictly that Claudia will ‘plan’ to inherit forever), Sinead often mixes high-end labels this is forever together. more affordable high street names such as Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Helpfully, Sinead and Claudia tend to share behind-the-scenes photos of their Strictly looks on Instagram, meaning we can dig in and find out how to emulate them. Excitement is building for the 2024 series, but we still don’t have a start date (mid-September as usual). While we wait, we look back at some of Claudia’s favorite Strictly outfits, including sharp tailoring, striking dresses and, of course, a healthy dose of sparkle.
Let’s dance!
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