Strictly Come Dancing returns for its 22nd (!) series with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly continuing their glittering hosting duties. The BBC dance show, which returns to our screens in September, never fails when it comes to sequins and spandex; When it comes to style inspiration, Claudia can always be relied on for a masterclass in Saturday night glamour, especially in the build-up to party season.
Given our love of dressy/underdressing on Red, it’ll come as no surprise that we’re big fans of Claudia’s long-time stylist Sinead McKeefry, who has worked with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. While we’ve often seen Claudia rocking designer labels 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 often expertly pairs these high-end labels together . More affordable high street names like Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Each year Claudia and Sinead choose an obscure, cheerful theme for their Strictly appearance; Inspiring mood boards of the past revolve around everyone from Elvis Presley and Pat Butcher to the pool player of 2023. This dynamic duo doesn’t take themselves too seriously – though don’t worry, the glamorous goth vibes are still always in effect – which is just one of the reasons why it absolutely always works. This year? We have a combination of Demis Roussos and Kris Kardashian. Yes really.
‘Some of our themes were absolutely ridiculous, but Claudia and I have the same sense of humour, so they always made sense to us,’ laughs Sinead. ‘This came about after I told him how much I loved Long Marmo. [the luxury eveningwear label known for its kaftan-style silhouettes] This is what I was doing right now; They have some really great pieces this season. Claud: “Perfect, I want to be completely covered!” he said. So I decided to look at who could inspire us in the caftan world and on one of our holidays we met up with old dears Demis and Kris. I have a real obsession with Cher from the 70s too.’
As much as we love Claudia’s signature style, we’re excited to enjoy some sartorial style in this range, which Sinead describes as ‘much more glamorous’ than in years past. ‘Claud tends to mix the masculine and feminine and hits somewhere in the middle beautifully,’ she says. ‘But this year you’ll definitely see more Cher-inspired, kaftan-style, disco-style, creepy moments. I have one pair of shoes that particularly stands out; Beautiful high white stilettos with faux fur trim around them.’
At the first live show, Claudia shook the internet with her flowing cream Long Marmo caftan that made her look like Princess Leia and the pope. Sinead says: ‘The best thing about Claudia is that we laugh together,’ he says. ‘Every time I went to ‘Clauditorium’ that night and shared my feedback with him, he would squeal and laugh and find it all hilarious. It was a pretty unconventional choice for the first week, but she felt great and fashion people loved her. I was pleased with both responses; The only thing we’re not is middle of the road and that sparked a nice talking point.’
Other highlights to come include much more Self-Portrait a la Claudia’s green sequin dress from week two – “It’s really great for everyday wear and fantastic quality for the price point,” says Sinead – plus some from Nadine Merabi and indie Irish label Queens pieces of Archive (think The Vampire’s Wife with its glamorous Studio 54 vibe). But there will also be plenty of shoppable street views.
‘Yes, we have our big design moments, but I love the way people react when they tell me they’ve gone out and bought something after seeing it at Claudia,’ says Sinead. ‘I love [Harry Styles’ stylist] Harry Lambert for Zara so it will be fun to see what we can do with these pieces and I love Reiss too. Actually, I got a lot of calls from Karen Millen. If I love something, the label doesn’t matter to me, and Claudia is the same way. There is so much snobbery in fashion, but I sourced some things from places you wouldn’t believe; During the Elvis year I dressed Claudia in a pair of trousers from Amazon worth £24.99.’
Speaking of Amazon, Sinead is sold through the e-retailer’s new hit luxury offering. ‘They only buy the best of the best, so you know everything you buy from there is in very, very good condition,’ he 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 been a great example of how sustainability can work.’
Sinead and Claudia tend to share behind-the-scenes photos of their Strictly appearances on Instagram; This means we can do some research (so beg Sinead to tell us!) and find out how we can emulate them ourselves. Now that Strictly is back, we’ll be updating this page with where Claudia Winkleman’s outfits can be purchased from each show. Excuse to shop if you need it? Christmas is just around the corner and many of their looks look perfect for festive occasions…
Can’t get enough of Claudia’s Strictly style? We also took a look at some of Claudia’s best Strictly outfits from past series; These include stylish tailoring, stunning dresses and, of course, a healthy dose of sparkle.
I’m dancing!
Where can I buy Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Come Dancing clothes?
Week Two: Results Reveal
In a sustainable move, Claudia wore a much-loved vintage YSL dress from Amazon’s new Luxury Stores. She accessorized her monochrome mini with black boots with a bold white bow, also with YSL heels, and rings from Tilly Sveaas.
Week Two: Live Show
At the show on Saturday night, Claudia wore one of her luxury brands, Self-Portrait, with black and green Gucci shoes. A pile of gold bangles? These were from the famous and Red team favorite Tilly Sveaas.
Check out Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Look…
Week One: Live Show
They promised us the energy of Demis Roussos and they delivered, with generous help from Princess Leia chic. For the first live show of the new series, Claudia wore a flowing cream Taller Marmo kaftan with a sleek high collar and statement buckle belt. On a high street budget? Check out & Other Stories’ gold-fringed delight below.
Check out Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Look…
Start Show
Kicking off the new range, monochrome lover Claudia wowed in a sparkling white Zadig & Voltaire suit, worn over a shiny black shirt and complemented by white stilettos and chunky gold jewellery. If we didn’t know any better (ahem Demi Roussos x Kris Jenner), we’d guess that Saturday Night Fever was Sinead and Claud’s style theme this year. Because this look gave us the best John Travolta vibes…
Check out Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly Look…
More of Claudia Winkleman’s best looks
Claudia proves that sparkle can be stylish in this stunning Self-Portrait dress paired with white heels.
We’re still obsessed with this eye-catching gold sequined jumpsuit from Nadine Merabi that Claudia wore in the 2023 Strictly final.
This stunning black dress from The Vampire’s Wife was a real highlight from last series. With its high neckline, defined bodice and puffed cap sleeves, it embodied the dark romantic elegance that Claudia loved so much.
Tailoring but definitely do it. This bubblegum pink suit from Rotate Birger Christensen was everything.
We know a ME+EM blouse when we see it, so when Claudia wore this pleated sleeve style last year, we headed straight to their site.
This sparkling white jumpsuit was the ideal choice for the 2023 Blackpool special.
In 2022, Claudia reminded us that you can’t go wrong with an LBD when she wore this embellished style from Zara.
This dazzling silver dress from Self-Portrait, worn for the 2021 final, is one of our favorite Strictly looks from Claudia of all time.
Strictly Come Dancing will return for its 22nd (!) series next month, with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly continuing their glittering hosting duties.
The BBC dance show never fails when it comes to sequins and spandex, and when it comes to style inspiration Claudia can always be counted on for a masterclass in Saturday night glam, especially in the build-up to party season.
Given our love of high-low dressing at Red, it’s no surprise that we’re big fans of Claudia’s long-time stylist Sinead McKeefry, who has worked with the presenter on both Strictly and The Traitors. While we’ve often seen Claudia rocking luxury brands like Self-Portrait and The Vampire’s Wife (RIP, but the black dress Claudia suggested in last year’s Strictly will forever be her legacy), Sinead often expertly brings these high-end labels together. More affordable high street names like Zara, ME+EM and Sister Jane.
Helpfully, both Sinead and Claudia tend to share behind-the-scenes photos of their Strictly appearances on Instagram; This means we can do some research and figure out how to emulate these ourselves. Excitement is building for the 2024 series but we haven’t received a start date yet (normally mid-September). While we wait, we took a look at some of Claudia’s best Strictly outfits; these include sharp tailoring, stunning dresses and, of course, a healthy dose of sparkle.
I’m dancing!
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