These ’80s Icons Inspired the Costumes in ‘Rivals’ Season 2

Reported by Vogue.

There's a specific kind of fashion fantasy that only the 1980s can deliver — the excess, the tailoring, the sheer commitment to being seen — and Rivals Season 2 is leaning in harder than ever. Costume designer Ray Holman, the British TV veteran behind Fleabag and Broadchurch, is back to dress the warring factions of Corinium and Venturer, and this time everything is amplified: bigger shoulder pads, sharper suits, more embellishment, more drama. The only direction was forward.

According to Vogue, Holman's moodboard for the season — set in 1987 — pulled directly from the era's most iconic images. He raided his personal archive of The Face, British Vogue, and Tatler, drawing on covers featuring Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington. For Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), the references were Sade and Whitney Houston; for Hayley Atwell's new character, Rupert's ex-wife, the touchstones were Cindy and Linda Evangelista — including a bespoke dramatic hat built directly from their period looks. Designer support followed the show's success: Dunhill opened its '80s archive for three blazers and a suit, Mulberry sent original saddlebags and evening bags, and Longines, Omega, Burberry, and Ray-Ban all contributed — carefully mixed with non-designer pieces to keep things grounded.

Dressing to Kill, Character by Character

The men's suits do serious narrative work. Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), Holman explains, is pure Bugsy Malone energy — double-breasted chalk stripes, braces, buckled shoes, brash socks, everything bespoke and brand new. Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is his opposite: Prince of Wales checks, brogues, houndstooth, a Longines watch chosen because the brand once sponsored polo. Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner) lives in Irish tweed; Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) goes brasher, right down to a gold digital watch. The accessories alone tell you who has old money, who made it yesterday, and who's performing wealth they don't quite have yet.

For the women, Holman's choices track emotional arcs as much as aesthetics. Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean) stays rooted in her naturalistic Sloane-adjacent simplicity — embroidered cotton shirts, Levi's, cowboy boots, denim dresses — but gains cashmere this season, a quiet signal that she's earning and growing. Cameron, established in Season 1 as a ballbreaker in red, gets softer tailoring and longer skirts to reflect her damage; when she does go for it, she reaches for Armani, Lolita Lempicka, and Alaïa, plus one look inspired by Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel work from the period.

When costume design is this intentional, fashion stops being decoration and starts being character — and that's exactly what makes Rivals worth watching twice.

Read the original at Vogue.