{"id":428947,"date":"2026-05-15T12:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/428947\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:42:09","slug":"how-the-rivals-designers-created-1980s-rutshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/428947\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Rivals designers created 1980s Rutshire"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a big, brash bonk, the best show on telly \u2014 Rivals<\/a> \u2014 is back, bursting with misty-eyed nostalgia thanks to details such as hefty Alice bands, A-reg Austin Metros and tubs of Neapolitan ice cream. The two key architects of the visual feast are the production designer Dominic Hyman and Ray Holman on costumes.<\/p>\n

Hyman, who won a Bafta for the first series, has excellent sources from auctions to car boot sales, as well as the extraordinary world of prop-hire houses. \u201cThe diversity is incredible,\u201d Hyman says of the latter. \u201cSome only rent drapes, some do period television studio equipment.\u201d And when his team can\u2019t unearth what they need, they make it. In series two an entire Waitrose shopfront and its plastic bags were recreated from scratch with the help of the supermarket to access the graphic archives for accuracy.<\/p>\n

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Layered with a bucket of Elnett hairspray on top is, of course, the fashion. \u201cSeries two is bigger and richer,\u201d Holman says. The task is mammoth. \u201cSome days we\u2019ll have up to 250 supporting artists and 45 principles to dress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invaluable research comes from old copies of Vogue, Tatler, Country Living and The Sunday Times Magazine (\u201cI\u2019m not just saying that,\u201d he says with a laugh), as well as vintage shops, costume houses and the internet. Old adverts \u2014 from perfume and watches to cigarettes \u2014 are as useful for his mood boards as fashion-shoot imagery.<\/p>\n

\"ACameron Cook is all about red, power suits and bold goldRobert Viglasky<\/p>\n

The key to the Rivals look is \u201cthe naturalistic feel\u201d, Holman says. \u201cClothes are not worn perfectly, a tie will be loose. They\u2019re real, they\u2019ve been wearing it all day. Maud [O\u2019Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit] doesn\u2019t have a pair of slippers. She\u2019ll wear thick, woolly socks because she\u2019s walking on stone floors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TV producer Cameron Cook (played by Nafessa Williams), on the other hand, is very much not in socks. Her sharp, bold, red power suits and gobstopper gold earrings have the kind of Working Girl attitude that Sigourney Weaver would have broken a leg for. \u201cI started with Sade, Whitney Houston,\u201d Holman says of his inspiration. \u201cWe used original tailoring too. Lolita Lempicka, Azzedine Ala\u00efa, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel as well. Sometimes something will be just the right size, the right period. Then you might find something not in the right size but that is perfect, so we\u2019ll recreate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ALizzie and Freddie in the new seriesRobert Viglasky <\/p>\n

One of this season\u2019s new characters, Helen Gordon (Rupert\u2019s ex-wife, played by Hayley Atwell), appears in polka dots and tailoring \u2014 \u201cbig shoulders, nipped-in waist\u201d \u2014 all made for her. In contrast, the look for Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) is cosy cardigans and old Laura Ashley. \u201cKatherine absolutely loves vintage fashion, she gets obsessed with something new each week,\u201d Holman says. He doesn\u2019t let the cast borrow anything. \u201cBut yes, Katherine tries all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one episode Sarah Stratton, played by Emily Atack, wears a jumpsuit (very Challenge Anneka). \u201cWe found an original one in a vintage shop in Bristol. It was so Eighties it was brilliant. But, because of the story, we needed three copies in Corinium colours. So we made them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the second series brand archives have also been opened up to them now. Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell<\/a>) has some original Dunhill suits. Mulberry sent a \u201cbox full of Eighties bags\u201d. Holman has worked with Burberry, Ray-Ban, Omega and Longines. \u201cBut I don\u2019t prefer one brand to another, I am objective,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The social climber Valerie Jones (Lisa McGrillis) is a particular treat. \u201cWe could go bonkers with Valerie, and even though you think she looks bonkers on screen, we\u2019ve been through even more bonkers things before we get to that point. She never reveals too much flesh. She loves a floral and a shoulder pad. The whole idea about her is that she runs a clothing boutique. The more classic women, they\u2019re wearing tweeds. Valerie is saying, \u2018Come to my boutique.\u2019 It\u2019s her version of high-class Eighties fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key to clever costuming is the way it subtly reinforces characters. For instance, Atack\u2019s Sarah and the tabloid journalist Beattie Johnson (Annabel Scholey) are vying to be Tony Baddingham\u2019s top telly totty. In a scene where Tony (David Tennant) is rallying his Corinium army, \u201cthey\u2019re standing next to each other, they\u2019re antagonistic\u201d. To reflect this Holman \u201cput them in really clashing patterns. Beattie is always slightly cooler, more rock\u2019n\u2019roll, fashionable and wears black. Sarah is a bit more brash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AValerie\u2019s high-class Eighties fashionRobert Viglasky<\/p>\n

Social class is reflected in riveting details. Tony\u2019s pinky ring was custom-made by Alex Monroe. \u201cI don\u2019t know if anybody has noticed but it has the Corinium ram on it. Tony\u2019s nouveau, he\u2019s had that made.\u201d Unlike the inherited gold signet ring on Rupert Everett\u2019s cravated Malise Gordon, another new character. \u201cThere are certain colours that are split up according to their class. Malise wouldn\u2019t wear a taupe suit \u2014 he wears blues. Freddie [Danny Dyer] doesn\u2019t wear a pinky ring, but he does wear a gold digital watch \u2014 he\u2019s a modern man. Monica [Tony\u2019s wife, played by Claire Rushbrook] is classic, she\u2019s pearls and old watches, it\u2019s old and passed down. Lizzie is quirky, she\u2019ll have fuchsia earrings.\u201d She does, however, have a good watch. \u201cThat\u2019s what she bought herself when she had her first novel published.\u201d That\u2019s also why she has a sparkly Princess Di-style sapphire engagement ring. \u201cWhen James was wooing her, she was the person with the money, so she got herself a really good ring.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wonderful chump that is James Vereker (a little Richard Madeley, a little Nick Owen; played by Oliver Chris) has a trove of horrendous sweaters. \u201cWe try to find the worst jumpers we can, and we use originals if possible. If they\u2019re very specific to a scene, I design them and get them made up by Corgi in Wales.\u201d Sometimes shots are filmed on an original Eighties Ikegami camera: \u201cThe knitwear can strobe. I have to do camera tests on all James\u2019s jumpers to make sure they\u2019re going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ADeclan, above, and Taggie O\u2019Hara, below, wear low-key silver chains: \u201cThey\u2019re not part of fashion\u201dDisney+<\/p>\n

\"ARobert Viglasky<\/p>\n

There are Argos-catalogue-coded gold chains glistening on the chests of the men in one pool scene. \u201cFreddie will wear a gold chain. Bas [Baddingham, played by Luca Pasqualino] will as he\u2019s an international playboy. Rupert won\u2019t, he\u2019s not that crass. The O\u2019Haras don\u2019t wear gold, they wear silver chains. Patrick [Gabriel Tierney], Declan [Aidan Turner<\/a>] and Taggie [Bella Maclean<\/a>] all have tiny silver necklaces, to set them apart. They\u2019re not part of fashion.\u201d Although Maud has flashes \u2014 often wearing green \u2014 but also \u201cSeventies Biba, in her bohemian way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tony\u2019s suits are bespoke. Cooper wrote that he based his look on a production of Bugsy Malone, hence the double-breasted style. Holman unearthed \u201can original Eighties fabric with a red chalk stripe. He has matching socks but they\u2019re not tasteful. It\u2019s a little bit gangster.\u201d Rupert has a Valentino Prince of Wales check suit. Declan\u2019s are real Irish tweed. Fit is crucial, but pity poor Freddie, whose suits Holman cuts small, \u201cbecause Valerie berates Freddie about his eating and weight, so they\u2019re a little snug\u201d.<\/p>\n

Before shooting everything is fitted and photographed for the showrunners. \u201cMost things make the pass,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes we tone it down, but to be honest we think, let\u2019s just make it fun. Isn\u2019t Rivals the perfect show to cheer people up? If you\u2019re in one of those tasteless, clashing scenes, it\u2019s part of the character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rivals season 2 is available now on Disney+<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a big, brash bonk, the best show on telly \u2014 Rivals \u2014 is back, bursting with misty-eyed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":["post-428947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}