Polo Uniforms, Liberty Fabrics & Shoulder Pads: Inside The Costumes Of Rivals Season 2

Everyone’s favourite bonkbuster is back. When Jilly Cooper’s Rivals made the jump from page to screen, it received a reception of blushes, gasps and joyful laughter. It was quickly dubbed the horniest show of 2024 – a title it is sure to reclaim in 2026 – with its drama-packed storyline, devious characters and vibrant costumes quickly encouraging a healthy fanbase. And with last season ending on a pretty big cliffhanger (don’t worry, no spoilers here), audiences are hungry for more. ‘

Rivals does continue pretty much where we left off in season 1 – but as the series goes on, every character evolves,’ teases Rivals costume designer, Ray Holman. ‘We’re still in the Cooper universe. It’s deeper. And there are bolder things to come.’ We sat down with Ray ahead of the release of Rivals season 2 to talk vintage finds, British brands and the key components of a 1980s capsule wardrobe. 

Ray Holman On Designing Costumes For Rivals Season 2

Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones in Rivals Season 2 (c) Robert Viglasky Photography

Hi Ray, thanks for joining us. What was it like to return to Rivals for a second season?

It was amazing, honestly. Season 1 was such a big world to create – and so fun. And literally everyone came back for season 2. Every head of department, every member of the crew. We all came back. I feel like this helped us really preserve the look and feel between both installments of the show. The look feels pretty seamless.

And what was it like working with Jilly Cooper? 

She was so kind. It was amazing to see the Jilly Cooper universe establishing itself with her there – with Jilly’s knowledge. She came to set regularly, and we all got really excited. She really appreciated seeing all of us and what we were working on. And it was really shocking when she died. It was a huge kind of loss for us. 

But she knew that [Rivals] was happening, and she was absolutely enthralled with it. And we were with her as well. We miss her.

Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara & Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals season 2 (c) Robert Viglasky Photography

Talk us through your mood board. Were there any key inspirations this time around? 

So every mood board starts with the script. When we finished season 1, we put together a mood board of each character – containing our favourite outfits for each character. From there, we could start planning season 2.

I also have a personal collection of magazines from throughout the 80s: The Face, Vogue, Country Living. Those magazines are full of ideas, but interestingly, I find that the kinds of things that inform you best about society at the time aren’t really the features – it’s the adverts. You could see what lighters people were using, what jewellery they were wearing, what they were smoking. So we’d use quite a lot of magazine adverts in our mood boards.

We also collaborated with a lot of vintage suppliers, vintage shops and costume hirers, who helped give us period-accurate ideas. So sometimes I’d go to a vintage shop or an individual vintage trader, and I’d just take lots of pictures of what they had available. And then these would go on the mood board for certain characters.

Did you source a lot of vintage pieces?

Some, yes – but we also made things bespoke as well, using these vintage garments as a starting point or reference. For these pieces we were also able to use period-accurate vintage fabrics and prints.

I love working with the tailors on Rivals – Chris Kerr created many of the suits our characters wear, like Tony’s chalk-stripe sets. We worked collaboratively and picked out quite a few vintage fabrics for the men.

But brands were also open to working with us. Dunhill invited me to their archives, and Mulberry sent me loads of bags from the 1980s.

David Tennant as Tony Baddingham in Rivals season 2 (c) Robert Viglasky Photography

Do British brands play a big role in the Rivals universe? 

Yes, they definitely do. The thing with Rivals is that it’s not set in London, it’s set in the Cotswolds. And that’s a place where they really embrace Britishness. 

Take Monica, for example – she wears vintage Liberty print shirts (made by us), and when she’s not dressed up it’s all heritage tweed jackets and skirts. 

It’s a similar story for Rupert and Tony. Dunhill helped us enormously when we were refining their looks. Like I mentioned, we were able to visit their archive, and they loaned us a few original pieces from the 80s that we could use as a reference. Even though Tony’s suits are made from heritage fabrics, they’re newly made for him as they would have been in the 1980s. They’re kind of brash. Rupert has a great Valentino Prince of Wales check suit, too. We also rotated in classic wool trousers, brogues and other pieces by English brands that helped root his character in the Cotswolds.

Were there any characters you particularly enjoyed dressing for Season 2? 

Honestly, it’s so fun to dress the women in Rivals. I especially loved working on Valerie’s costumes – although she was one we had to temper quite a bit, as it could get very weird very quickly. We had to be careful not to make her feel too costume-y.

We actually see a bit more of Beattie this season, and her look is a bit different from the other girls at Corinium. She has a very defined kind of character; she has good taste, is fashion forward and wears a lot of black.

I also love Monica’s tweeds and her country looks, Maud’s bohemian silhouettes and Lizzie’s vintage Laura Ashley dresses. They’re all quite clearly defined by Jilly, and they all have their personal looks – and even some onscreen looks, where these characters also work in television. There was such a huge sweep of things to do, but I think we’ve defined them all quite well. They’ve all got their identities through their silhouettes, colours and prints.

Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones in Rivals Season 2 (c) Disney/Robert Viglasky Photography

A character we’re excited to see more of this season is Helen, played by Hayley Atwell. How did you develop her character this season?

On Helen’s mood board, we actually used lots of images of supermodels of the period – with the shoulder pads and the nipped in waists. And I showed them to [Hayley], chose colours, and then I was like, ‘right, we’re going to make it all’ – because we wanted to. 

We didn’t have much time with her to get her ready, so I spent quite a bit of time before meetings and fittings sourcing fabrics that would have been suitable in the 1980s. With fabrics now, they’re usually stretchy and full of Lycra – but that wouldn’t have been a thing 40 years ago. A designer we did look at was Azzedine Alaïa, whose dresses are knitted, so they had a certain amount of stretch. I was trying to find the same kinds of fabrics, as well as hammered silks.

We got all of her clothing tailored, did a fitting and refined it all then and there. I think we made more for Helen than she actually wore in the series. So there’s more to come.

Did you have any favourite looks for Helen?

For the first time the audience sees her as Helen, Hayley said she wanted to wear a hat indoors. It seemed a little odd, but it works for her story in that moment – she’s about to jet off abroad. So she’s wearing this white suit and a huge white hat, which was such a bold statement for her character. It was quite unlike anything else in Rivals, and it really carved out her character.

Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, Luca Pasqualino as Bas Baddingham, Brendan Patricks as Henry Hampshire & Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black (c) Disney

Any standout moments from your time working on season 2?

The polo match was really memorable for me. Dressing the cast and going out on the field together was really special. I think we were there for three or four days, and the weather was great. The men were on real horses, galloping across the grass, and everyone else was in their polo finery. And the way it was shot – it was like a Martin Parr photograph. That’s the moment that really made me think, ‘we’re back’. It was just so absolutely British and so exciting.

Can you tell us about an upcoming look that you can’t wait for audiences to see?

I can’t just yet! All I can say is to keep an eye on Maude.

There are also a couple of pieces that come later in the series, which I got from really high-end vintage websites – mainly runway pieces authenticated from 1986 and 1987 – but again, I can’t tell you about those yet.

Victoria Smurfit as Maude O’Hara and Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara (c) Disney

If you were to curate a Rivals capsule wardrobe, what would you put in it? 

Starting with the women, it would be shoulders pads and some nice jewellery – the jewellery itself doesn’t have to be big, clunky, gold stuff. You can also go back to the 1970s, like Lizzie, and wear some quirky hippie earrings. 

With the men, it’s all about the suiting. High-waisted pleated trousers, slip on shoes and a good watch. Very classic, masculine dressing.

WATCH

Rivals season 2 is available to stream on Disney+ from 15 May, with a three‑episode premiere. disneyplus.com