Rivals, Dominic Treadwell-Collins’s exuberant adaptation of the delicious Jilly Cooper romp, knows its appeal—copious sex, endless yearning, jaw-dropping boardroom maneuvers, and an unapologetically ostentatious ’80s wardrobe, as provided by British TV veteran Ray Holman (Broadchurch, Fleabag, Doctor Who). Now, the talented costume designer is back to outfit all of our favorites—Bella Maclean’s wide-eyed Taggie O’Hara, Nafessa Williams’s no-nonsense TV producer Cameron Cook, David Tennant’s conniving CEO Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell’s charismatic MP Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner’s dashing journalist Declan O’Hara—for a rip-roaring second installment.
It finds two factions at war: Tony is determined to hold onto power at the helm of TV network Corinium, while its rival, Venturer, the 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 kill—the shoulder pads are bigger, the suits sharper, and the embellishment even more eye-popping. Paired with hair backcombed to the heavens, giant earrings, and bright red lips, it’s a knockout.
Here, Holman discusses the ’80s icons on his moodboard, the designer archives he delved into, and the Vogue covers which provided inspiration.
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 around?
Ray Holman: Well, when we came back, I said to the executives and directors, “Can I carry on with the naturalistic look?” And they said yes. It’s a decision to make this world feel real. And yes, there is some of that from designers. Obviously, I have to make sure one brand doesn’t get preference over others, but we had great support. For Rupert, for example, Dunhill let me go into their ’80s archives and get 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 load 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.
