Rivals, Dominic Treadwell-Collins’ lively take on Jilly Cooper’s deliciously fun story, knows exactly what draws people in—plenty of sex, endless longing, jaw-dropping boardroom battles, and a proudly over-the-top ‘80s wardrobe, thanks to veteran British costume designer Ray Holman (Broadchurch, Fleabag, Doctor Who). Now, the talented designer is back to dress all our favorites—Bella Maclean’s wide-eyed Taggie O’Hara, Nafessa Williams’ no-nonsense TV producer Cameron Cook, David Tennant’s scheming CEO Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell’s charismatic MP Rupert Campbell-Black, and Aidan Turner’s dashing journalist Declan O’Hara—for a thrilling second season.
This time, two factions are at war: Tony is determined to keep his grip on power at TV network Corinium, while its rival, Venturer—a new upstart from Rupert, Declan, and self-made businessman Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer)—faces an uphill battle. As a result, all our ambitious power players are dressed to impress—the shoulder pads are bigger, the suits sharper, and the embellishments even more eye-catching. Paired with hair teased sky-high, giant earrings, and bright red lips, it’s a knockout.
Here, Holman talks about the ‘80s icons on his moodboard, the designer archives he explored, and the Vogue covers that inspired him.
Vogue: The first season of Rivals was such a hit. Does that mean even more designers wanted to lend you pieces from their archives this time?
Ray Holman: Well, when we came back, I asked the executives and directors, “Can I keep going with the naturalistic look?” And they said yes. It’s a choice to make this world feel real. And yes, some designers did help out. Obviously, I have to make sure no one brand gets favored over others, but we had great support. For Rupert, for example, Dunhill let me go into their ‘80s archives and grab three blazers and a suit. Mulberry also sent me a box of original ‘80s classic bags to use—saddlebags and evening bags. And Ray-Ban sent me a bunch of sunglasses, Longines and Omega gave us watches, Burberry helped too. We just had to be careful about how we used them, mixing them with non-designer pieces and everyday clothes.
What was on your Season 2 moodboard?
I have a personal collection of The Face from the ‘80s, and Vogue and Tatler too, so I went through them. This season is set in 1987, so on the covers of British Vogue you see Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell. For Cameron, we also looked at Sade and Whitney Houston.
And for Hayley Atwell’s character [a newcomer in Season 2, playing Rupert’s ex-wife], there’s some Cindy and Linda Evangelista—she wears this big, dramatic hat in one scene that was custom-made and inspired by their looks from that time. It’s all wide shoulders, nipped-in waists, and tailoring. I also looked at the ads in the magazines—the brands, the models. For every character, we put their Season 1 looks on a board and thought about how we could go bigger, deeper, and move it forward.
Tell me about Taggie. How is she growing as a character?
She’s completely naturalistic. In the mid-‘80s, there were these white cotton shirts with embroidery on them. I’ve done a bit of that, and kept her Levi’s and cowboy boots. She also has comfy pumps, cowboy belts, classic denim dresses, high-back dungarees—there’s a black denim pair that was a remake of an original I found from the ‘80s. And this season, we’ve also given Taggie some cashmere jumpers, because now she’s cooking and earning money. They’re from vintage cashmere sites. Her clothes aren’t flashy. The references for her are…People at polo matches, for example. When people think of polo matches in the ’80s, they remember them being fancier than they actually were. It’s that Sloaney look, but Taggie isn’t a Sloane Ranger. It’s very simple and classic.
Coming back to Cameron, how is she different this time around?
In the first season, we were setting Cameron up as a ballbreaker. Now, she’s a bit damaged—she’s been through a lot. We kept the red, but only when we need that dramatic feel. Other than that, I went with softer tailoring and longer skirts. At the polo match, she’s wearing a copy of a Ralph Lauren suit from that time. There are moments when she goes all out, fashion-wise—we looked at Armani, she has Armani trousers, and also Lolita Lempicka and Azzedine Alaïa. And later in the series, I have an outfit inspired by Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel from that period.
And when it comes to the men in their suits, how do you make each character feel different?
With Tony, Jilly wrote that he saw Bugsy Malone and based himself on the gangster—so it’s that double-breasted, chalk-striped style, single-breasted with waistcoats. He has everything, all new and bespoke—and that’s the point. He’ll wear braces, a handkerchief, shoes with buckles on the sides, and loud socks.
Rupert is more subtle—he doesn’t do any of that. He’ll wear Prince of Wales checks. His suits might not be as new, but they’re classic. They sometimes have that hand-me-down feel. He likes blues and grays, wears brogues, a houndstooth coat, and doesn’t like big stripes. We try to take his tie off as much as possible. But then he’s an MP, so he has those MP suits, and also that bit of tweediness from his riding. His clothes are really influenced by that.
Then we have Declan, who wears pure Irish tweed, and Freddie, whose clothes are a bit louder. And it shows in the accessories too. Freddie has an ’80s gold digital watch. Tony has the flashiest watches, two or three, and then Rupert has a Longines because they used to sponsor polo in the ’80s. Declan’s is an Omega.
The show has so many other big characters. Who else do you enjoy dressing?
Valerie [the wife of Danny Dyer’s Freddie, played by Lisa McGrillis], Maud [Declan’s wife, played by Victoria Smurfit], and Monica [Tony’s wife, Lady Baddingham, played by Claire Rushbrook]—I absolutely love dressing them.
Rivals Season 2 premieres on Hulu on May 15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic The costumes in Rivals Season 2 were inspired by these iconic 80s figures
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q Who were the main 80s figures that inspired the costumes in Rivals Season 2
A The designers looked to icons like Princess Diana Jane Fonda and Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street
Q Was the whole cast dressed like specific celebrities
A Not exactly The designers used the vibe of those icons as a starting point So a character might have Princess Dianas bold shoulders or Jane Fondas leggings but mixed with their own personality
Q Why did they choose 80s figures for the inspiration
A The show is set in the 1980s a decade known for big bold fashion Using reallife icons helps ground the story in that specific time period and makes the characters feel authentic
Q Does that mean the costumes are exact copies of what those people wore
A No The costumes are inspired by not copied from those figures The costume designer took the key elementslike the big hair shoulder pads or bright colorsand adapted them to fit the shows characters and story
IntermediateLevel Questions
Q How did the costume designer blend the different 80s icons into one character
A They looked at a characters personality first For example a competitive character might get the strong tailored shoulders of a Wall Street figure but their casual wear might borrow the sporty colorful look of Jane Fonda to show they are active
Q What specific Princess Diana elements were used in the costumes
A Youll see a lot of her power dressing phase highnecked blouses oversized blazers with strong shoulders and bold geometric patterns The designers also used her love of bright singlecolor outfits
Q Was there any influence from music icons of the 80s like Madonna or Cyndi Lauper