Move over, Claudia: How Jonathan Ross became a traitorous style icon | Traitors

TThe most dramatic moment in each episode of the reality TV show Celebrity Traitors is when the ornate door to the breakfast room opens to reveal which of the faithful has survived another night of murder.

However, there has been an added element of anticipation this season for the contestants and viewers at home. What would Jonathan Ross wear?

Since the hit show debuted in 2022, it has been presenter Claudia Winklemann who has been attracting attention with her sexy oversized skirts and knitwear and sexy coats. This time Ross had an ensemble cast and the nation was in control until the last minute of his exile. Over the past three weeks, the presenter has appeared in everything from chic tailoring to an 80s Top Gun-esque jumpsuit. There were stylish ties, oversized sunglasses and sexy, fuzzy shawls. At one point, he paid tribute to Winckelmann’s signature style by strolling around the castle wearing a tweed cloak and fingerless leather gloves.

Throughout his career, on screen and off, the 64-year-old has been known for his eccentric personal style. Since he appeared on screens in 1986 as presenter of late-night TV chat show The Last Resort, the eye-catching oversized suit has been his signature. So, while no one expected Ross, who once wore a blue Jean-Paul Gaultier tailored skirt suit to the Pulp Fiction premiere in 1994, to start dressing as a member of the Labor Party, his decision to step up his eccentric style as a traitor came as a surprise. Because staying inconspicuous is key. In earlier seasons of the civilian version of the show, contestants like Paul Gorton tried to fly under the radar wearing jeans and plain T-shirts, and former Army engineer Harry Clarke tended to a “softboi” character in flannel shirts and a pearl necklace.

Dr. Dion Terrelonge, a fashion psychologist, believes that Ross’s look is a costume. “In a game about perception, Ross seemed to lean more into his personal style than he did in his day-to-day life,” he said. Terrelonge believes that Ross’s appearance contributed to the “Big Dog” theory of believers as they were convinced that either he or Stephen Fry was leading the group of traitors. “He went to a show where usually the simplest strategy used was to try to blend in,” Terrelonge says. “But by dressing in a way that attracted attention, Ross chose to intentionally stand out. Sometimes when people dress that way, it’s used to indicate their status. It says ‘I’m a leader’ and ‘I’ll do things my way’. It was risky. It could have made him more vulnerable just because he physically stood out.”

While the actors were assigned a hairstylist, Ross drew his own looks, selecting pieces from his extensive personal wardrobe. In an interview after the show, he explained that he collected more funky pieces — including a full-on goth look — that he never had the chance to wear.

Naturally, only viewers at home would know that Ross was truly a traitor. As a result, his wardrobe performed in the same way as his treacherous behavior towards the other cast members. Those aforementioned suits and Ray-Ban aviators reference Tom Cruise’s hero “Maverick” and created a kind of sincere energy as Ross pushed the two-and-a-half-ton Trojan up the hill with his fellow celebrities.

Under the cover of darkness, Ross donned a velvet cloak to carry out killings, and by day, his jovial tweed robe evoked the suave detective Sherlock Holmes as he pretended to help the faithful identify their deceivers. All that was missing was a deer hunter’s hat. His homespun knitwear also helped mislead players as he captured the cozy aesthetic of crime films like The Thursday Murder Club. Would a ruthless killer wear a fuzzy leopard-print cardigan and caramel-colored shorts to breakfast in the morning? Claire Balding didn’t seem to think so when she compared that particular look to the Flintstones crew. “Yabba, yabba don’t do that,” Alan Carr quipped in response.

But for every innocent look there was an undeniable look of disbelief. In an interview after the show, comedian Lucy Beaumont, who was murdered face-to-face by Ross, said she could not believe it and her fellow believers could not understand that Ross was a traitor from his clothes alone.

Designer Peter Bevan refers to the elaborate tailoring as “coded Bond Buddy” and compares the black fur worn by Ross at Paloma Faith’s funeral to Cruella de Vil. “Although his clothes were inherently eccentric, he seemed to be deliberately distorting the bad guy persona,” says Bevan.

However, even when Ross realized he was approaching his death, he remained defiant, choosing to wear Kermit’s attention-grabbing green jacket to attend what would be his last roundtable. After seven days and dozens of wardrobe changes, the faithful have finally put together their not-so-secret clothing guides.