A seemingly innocuous wardrobe choice—a red dress—was all it took for one contestant to raise suspicions on the reality TV show The Traitors, proving that on this cutthroat competition, what you wear can be as telling as what you say.
Fashion as Strategy: How Outfits Became Clues on The Traitors
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The way contestants present themselves on The Traitors isn’t just about personal style; it’s a calculated move that can influence how others perceive their trustworthiness.
- The most recent series of The Traitors, which concluded on Friday, saw contestants using fashion to project specific images.
- Stylist Carolyn Mair notes that clothing choices can become integral to a contestant’s character.
- Contestants like Stephen strategically used flamboyant outfits to distract from their true intentions.
- Even seemingly innocent choices, like wearing knitwear, were employed as a tactic to appear trustworthy.
“What we wear says a huge amount about us,” says Carolyn Mair, a stylist and author of The Psychology of Fashion. “Some of the contestants used their outfits very carefully and very well. Their clothing becomes their character.”
“How Could I Be a Traitor if I’m Wearing Knitwear?”
The latest season of The Traitors, which wrapped up on Friday, was “the most fashionable yet,” according to Mair, with fashion becoming a key element of the show’s appeal. Claudia Winkleman’s signature gothic looks set the tone, but many contestants also made waves with their carefully curated ensembles, including Jade’s playful cardigans, Jessie’s yellow-toned palette, Stephen’s bold jumpsuits, and Harriet’s collection of scarves.
Stephen, a Traitor on the show, frequently made headlines for his eye-catching outfits—including knitwear, jumpsuits, and tucked-in shirts. “He wanted to be seen,” Mair explains. “He was choosing to be noticed.” She adds that his “playful” style made him appear “open and trustworthy,” fostering a sense of comfort among his fellow contestants.
In the final episode of The Traitors: Uncloaked, Stephen confessed that his flamboyant clothing was a deliberate tactic to divert attention from his facial expressions. “I thought if I wore clothes that are a bit flamboyant and loud then maybe they’d just be going ‘oh Stephen you look really great today’,” he told the audience. “Rather than looking up here [at my face] and going ‘you’re a traitor’. So it was all kind of tactics.”
Stylist Sarah Thomson agrees, noting that Stephen’s choices projected confidence. “People would be quite relaxed around him,” she says. His jumpsuit, from Palomo Spain, was a particularly striking piece—a “wow piece” that has also been worn by stars like Harry Styles and Beyonce, including Styles at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball in 2022.
Jade’s outfits, featuring a £430 Hope Macaulay cardigan and a cherry-patterned cardigan from House of Sunny, created an image of someone “quite young and innocent” and “someone you wouldn’t want to hurt,” according to Mair. Thomson believes Jade used her clothing as a “power play,” employing color and texture to assert herself without appearing threatening.
Rachel also leaned into bright knitwear during the final episodes, sporting a £350 pink and red Hope Macaulay cardigan.
Matthew, a Faithful contestant, deliberately planned his wardrobe to project a specific image. “I wanted to be a Traitor, so I did deliberately bring every jumper that I owned because I thought: ‘How could I be a traitor if I’m wearing nice knitwear?’” he told BBC Local.
Fiona, a Secret Traitor, aimed for a “maternal, non-threatening and nurturing persona,” dressing in “soft, flowery, not particularly fashion-forward” clothes. Mair explains that this strategy played on societal perceptions of mothers as trustworthy and self-sacrificing.
The power of color was particularly evident during a dramatic round table confrontation when Harriet wore a red cardigan and scarf while Rachel donned a red dress. “Red is a real confident ‘I mean business’ colour,” says Thomson. “Whether that was done purposely or not, I don’t know, but it was really clever.” Matthew recalled that Rachel was dressed “absolutely fabulously” during the accusation, adding, “That is such a telltale sign, right?” He speculated that she was dressing up for what she believed would be her final moments on the show.
Ultimately, the key to success on The Traitors, according to Thomson, is to dress in a way that fosters self-assurance. “Whether they are a Traitor or a Faithful, if you’re wearing something that you’re super comfortable in and feel really good in, it’s going to give you that self-assurance and that little bit more confidence in how you play this game,” she says. “I think it also helps people build trust if you’re super relaxed in what you’re wearing.”
Series three winner Leanne intentionally subverted expectations by wearing a bright pink suit to the train station, aiming to appear “girly” and “ditsy” to conceal her background as a soldier. “People are gonna take one look at this pink suit and they’re gonna be like, ‘She’s so girly, she’s so ditsy,’ and they’re so wrong,” she said on the show.
“I Didn’t Pack Enough Clothes”
Contestants on The Traitors are responsible for bringing and styling their own outfits. Anna, from the third series, sourced most of her wardrobe from charity shops, including the crocheted top she wore in promotional images. Matthew, from series four, had to submit photos of his planned outfits to the show’s team in advance.
Charlotte, a Traitor from the third series, said she received minimal guidance on wardrobe choices, other than avoiding logos, bringing activewear for challenges, and packing a dressy outfit for the dinner party. She admits to underpacking. “I didn’t pack enough clothes,” Charlotte told Digital Spy last year. “I thought I’d be out day two… I had nothing to wear.” She jokingly regrets wearing her red dungarees too often, feeling she resembled a children’s TV presenter.
While Charlotte adopted a Welsh accent to appear more trustworthy, she didn’t alter her clothing to match the persona. “If only I had been that clever,” she said.
Frankie, another finalist from series three, revealed to the Not Another Mummy Podcast that she themed her outfits around characters from the board game Cluedo, including a blue denim dress for Mrs. Peacock, yellow shorts for Colonel Mustard, and a red sequined dress for Miss Scarlett. “It was just my way of having a little bit of control over the days that you couldn’t control, a little bit of focus in the morning rather than worrying about the day,” she explained.
Additional reporting by Alix Hattenstone, BBC Local
Photography: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry/Cody Burridge/Paul Chappells & David Fisher/Global/Shutterstock
