The Traitors II finale: How Claudia Winkleman’s edgy outfits revolutionised British country style

If 2023 was all about Barbie-core, 2024 has kicked off with Traitor-core as the No 1 fashion trend to aspire to. (Core, in case you are wondering, is online slang for aesthetic, used as a suffix on a noun to emphasise its elevation to a recognisable vibe or trend.)

At its heart, Traitor-core is all about taking traditional country style staples - tweed jackets and coats, fairisle and chunky knits, wellies and scarves - and adding more than a dash of gothic glamour, to create looks that are striking, fresh, recognisable, intriguing and wearable, all at the same. Why wouldn’t you?

For anyone fortunate enough to find themselves staying in a stately pile this winter, Claudia’s series two outfits have offered masterclasses in how to dress from day to night, outdoors and in. Like the first series, Traitors II was filmed at Ardross Castle, which was remodelled in the 19th century in the splendiferous Scottish Baronial style and is set in 100 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Alness, just north of Inverness.

It is against this backdrop that reality game show host Claudia presides over the fortunes of her puppet Faithfuls and Traitors while wearing a series of swoon-worthy, polished looks that have seen fashion lovers take to social media the instant she appears from behind an oak panelled door or emerges from a swirl of mist beside a huge stone tomb.

Claudia’s stylist, Sinead McKeefry, said she has been receiving more than 600 messages after the first airing of each programme, from women of all ages, congratulating her and wanting to know where they can buy the items worn. Many are designer and high end, natch - £880 Saint Laurent boots, don’t you know - but there are also £23.99 Decathlon leggings, and high street mixed in.

Sinead, who also styles Claudia for Strictly Come Dancing, has described the sentiment behind her Traitors II looks as “Ronnie Corbett meets Princess Anne meets Madonna (the Guy Ritchie days)”. Another muse mentioned is Lady Amanda Harlech, a veteran blender of country elegance with punk undertones.

Many fans have commented on the wearability of the outfits, but some are admittedly a little bonkers, with Claudia describing one that will be auctioned in March as “sea monster meets Princess Anne and then they go to a golf sale and they nod at Jane McDonald”. Er, right.

But the sum of her outfits is so much more than the parts. Take an earthy-toned grey/green/black tartan kilt style skirt (£480, from Brora), and add an slightly oversized moss green cable-knit jumper (with a contemporary twist of smiley faces on the elbows, it’s from Japanese menswear brand Kapital, £480). Put on opaque black tights (or leggings) and finish with hi-top Dr Martens Chelsea boots (£180, sadly sold out). Voila.

Claudia’s eveningwear is equally impressive, donned for the round table banishments, a sleek mix of satin blouses, lace detail, pearls and ruffles, and including a showstopping black velvet mini dress by The Vampire’s Wife.

The devil is often in the detail. Edgy colour pops come in the form of red fingernails or bright fingerless gloves. Lacy wrist cuffs (from ME+EM) elevate and add interest to cashmere jumpers and quality leggings, such as the Spanx ones used in the show, pair with tweed blazers and oversized knits.

Claudia’s hair, of course, plays a starring role and sets the tone, whether swept back in a ponytail or loose and artfully zag-ironed. Claudia’s lips might be adorned in MAC Fleshpot (discontinued), or, said her make-up artist Lucy Gibson on Instagram, it might also be Crème D’Nude or Bosom Friend.

Other brands featured include Burberry, Johnstons of Elgin, Officine Generale, Cordings of Piccadilly, Church's, Walker Slater, Self Portrait, Wardrobe NYC, Anna Mason London and Bella Freud (witness the sweeping herringbone tweed £1,250 great coat). Many pieces are pricey, yes, but if you cannot stretch to Saint Laurent for a tailored jacket but still want a classic keeper, try Reiss, Whistles or Jigsaw, and take a closer look at what our increasingly brilliant charity shops have to offer, not forgetting to browse the menswear rails, too.

The injection of interest for the British brands mentioned is welcome. Cordings of Piccadilly said it had seen a flurry of enquiries about its Wincanton check trousers, after they were featured. Founded in 1839 on The Strand in London as an outfitter and waterproofer, the Cordings name is synonymous with tailoring and country pursuits and, since 2003, has been part owned by Eric Clapton, who walked past the store in his teens after gigs.

Johnstons of Elgin, meanwhile, is based not far from The Traitors castle and has a rich heritage of tweed and knitwear making, spanning 225 years. Beloved of Vogue, it even has a Traitors’ edit on its website (see johnstonsofelgin.com/collections/the-traitors-edit)

Walker Slater was also founded in the Scottish Highlands, in 1989, later settling in Edinburgh’s Old Town, where it champions the heritage and sustainability of tweed and woollen fabrics, and now has outlets in Glasgow and London.

For more outfit inspo, check out The Traitors US in BBC iPlayer (season two has been running concurrently on US TV). Also filmed at Ardross Castle (both shows are based on Dutch series De Verraders), it is hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, whose outfits have also become a talking point, created with his stylist Sam Spector to evoke a mood that mixes James Bond villain with laird of the manor and a dash of eccentric inventor. There can never be too much Traitor style.

The Traitors finale is tonight, January 26, at 9pm on BBC One and then available on BBC iPlayer.