The power of Claudia Winkleman — and her £16,000 killer wardrobe

, The Times

As the fourth series of The Traitors continues, this time with a new twist, there’s only one question on the fashion industry’s and every Vogue girl’s lips: what will Claudia Winkleman wear next?

It isn’t, ostensibly, a fashion show. Nor is it even a glam show — not compared to Claudia’s long-term stint at Strictly, where the glitzy costumes came second only to the dancing. The celebrity versions have brought us memorable fashion moments — Jonathan Ross’s capes, for one. But this latest season sees normal people playing wink murder dressed in their high street best, so you might have expected a more low-key wardrobe from Winkleman.

Instead, just three episodes in, Winkleman’s on-screen wardrobe tallies up to somewhere in the region of £16,000, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday. A £3,865 coat and £2,235 velvet jacket from Saint Laurent; a £1,790 pair of Givenchy boots, and another pair — £3,190 — from The Row. These are seriously expensive, seriously stylish clothes that fashion types will love, which is more than can usually be said for the unspoken uniform of female TV presenters: those block-colour bodycon dresses, the twee first lady skirt suits and silk blouses, the unwalkable high heels.

Claudia Winkleman on a red bench wearing a black velvet blazer and black boots.

Blazer, £2,235, Saint Laurent; boots, £1,080, Bottega Veneta

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Winkleman is instantly recognisable for that heavy fringe and heavier eyeliner. Those felt unique enough in the realm of women on primetime TV, who tend mostly to wear “no make-up” make-up and perfectly tonged hair with “natural” highlights — though none of this is actually natural, it’s just supposed to look natural. And in the most youthful, approachable sense of the word, which is why honey blonde is the go-to hair colour of female newsreaders who would otherwise long ago have gone grey. Bar the British grande dames of acting, women on our screens aren’t generally allowed to have wrinkles if they want to keep getting booked for work. Never mind appearing as if they “slept in a skip”, as Winkleman has described her preferred look. In this context Winkleman’s style has always been subversive.

Claudia Winkleman, presenter of The Traitors, looking to the side outdoors, wearing a black coat over a plaid shirt.

Coat, £3,865, Saint Laurent

BBC/STUDIO LAMBERT/EUAN CHERRY

But her Traitors wardrobe feels like a shift further in that direction. Last October Winkleman and Tess Daly announced that they would both be stepping down from hosting Strictly, where they would appear in sequinned minidresses or bodycon catsuits and sky-high stilettos. Yes, Winkleman wore them with her hair and make-up as she likes it, but the clothes still towed the party line. But her latest Traitors wardrobe is fashion for the joy of fashion, and perhaps without a producer’s voice in her ear telling her she needs to wear brighter colours or to show a bit more skin.

Claudia Winkleman, wearing a purple velvet jacket and pink shirt, stands outdoors.

Blazer, £279, Jigsaw; blouse, £179, LK Bennett

BBC/STUDIO LAMBERT/EUAN CHERRY

She hasn’t changed stylists: she has been working with Sinead McKeefry for going on 20 years. So we can assume that what has changed is the budget and the amount of freedom that the pair are given in creating Claudia’s on-screen wardrobe. In earlier series the odd bit of Celine was mixed in with a lot from Reiss, Zara, Cos, LK Bennett, Marks & Spencer in a 20:80 mix; now that ratio seems to have reversed. There are no “friendly” bright colours, no cleavage, no bare legs, no unwalkable high heels. There’s lots of black, brown, burgundy, chunky knits and layers, clompy boots you can walk in and wear a thick pair of socks with. The coats and knits are oversized too: none of the bodycon uniform that women have worn on TV ever since it was proclaimed that the camera adds 10lb.

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It’s hard to track Winkleman’s selling power in the same way that we could track Holly Willoughby’s when the latter was presenting morning TV — and would often sell out that day’s look within hours — because what Claudia is shifting isn’t £40 high street dresses. Many of the women influenced by her Traitors wardrobe will be shopping with a very different budget, and getting the look, rather than the exact piece. But for those of us — and surely there are millions — who don’t aspire to regal block-colour bodycon dresses, nor that daytime TV look of floral midiskirts, Winkleman’s unapologetic love of fashion finally gives us a muse. Certainly she’s setting trends — those kilt-inspired midiskirts have been the fashion editor uniform this winter, and we can thank her for the chunky knits, the tartans, and the waxed jackets that are also all over the high street now.

Claudia Winkleman poses against a wooden door.

Knitted tank, £295, Le Kilt

BBC/STUDIO LAMBERT/EUAN CHERRY

Whether or not you want to dress like Winkleman, she has to be applauded for not playing the game that has always kept women on TV in a neat little box. It was only a decade ago that Fiona Bruce made headlines for reading the news while wearing trainers: now Winkleman is proving that a show can still be a smash hit without its female presenter showing a bit of leg, or sticking to an accessible wardrobe of high street clothes even if she’s making enough money to shop at The Row. So I’ll be tuning into the next episode, not for the twist, but to see what Claudia has been buying.