Morecambe and Wise, Reeves and Mortimer, Ant and Dec … British television wouldn’t be the same without its well-loved double-acts.
When Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman tripped into this male-dominated landscape in 2014 to co-host Strictly Come Dancing, they made history as prime-time TV’s first female presenting duo.
Viewers loved their camaraderie and professionalism, but also coveted their sartorial style. Before a pasa had even been dobled, the nation would be glued to the screen to see what Tess and Claudia were wearing.
Week after week, they were a masterclass in contrasting glamour, a fashion double act that was as much a part of the show’s DNA as its coveted glitterball trophy.
While their presenting styles might be in sync, their wardrobes were as discordant as a toddler at a piano. But it worked. Both stylish, they saw fashion through a different lens.
If Tess is Strictly’s reigning queen of polished glamour, Claudia is its edgy fashion risk-taker, as comfortable in leggings and an oversized blazer as her co-host is in her shimmering sequin gowns.
They were fashion yin and yang, proving that there’s no single way to do glamour.
They also afforded fans a diverse 360-degree take on the trends of the season. Women who found Tess’s high-octane colours, embellishment and thigh slits to be a glamour girl too far could take crib notes from Claudia’s masculine tailoring, oversized shapes and muted colour palette; women who found Claudia’s looks too off-beat and eclectic could opt for Tess’s more traditional ‘give us a twirl’ take on style.
Claudia wears a vintage cream midi from Reloved Again for Strictly’s Christmas Day Special, while Tess waltzes off in a £590 trouser-suit by Nadine Merabi
Claudia in a £22.99 leopard-print dress from H&M and Tess’s £179 Karen Millen gown
Claudia rocks a £880 mini-dress by The New Arrivals, while Tess goes girlie in a £810 Rebecca Vallance midi
It wasn’t their job to provide fashion inspiration to the masses, yet equipped with a joint wardrobe for this series worth more than £20,000, that’s exactly what they did – a side-hustle that turned out to be highly lucrative.
Since the show’s inception 21 years ago, Tess has bagged fashion deals with Marks & Spencer, lingerie label La Senza and jewellery brand Pandora as well as beauty brand ambassadorships with L’Oreal, Space NK and Cult Beauty.
Claudia also has a fashion deal with M&S, while her sleek, shiny black hair bagged her a long-running ambassadorship for Head & Shoulders.
It was this distinct hair style, along with the wilder reaches of Claudia’s wardrobe, that ripped up the rulebook of what was deemed acceptable attire for a prime-time female TV presenter.
Where Tess conformed to the paradigm of the willowy blonde anchor whose eyes and smile were fully visible at all times, from the moment she first stepped onto the dancefloor as a full-time co-host in 2014, Claudia was refreshingly different.
She had an obtusely long fringe, her eyes lined heavily in black kohl like an endearing, if obstinate, panda. This was further cemented by her steadfast embracing of black, accented by a palette of red, white and metallics.
Where Claudia was eclectic, Tess was reassuringly consistent, with a polished, aspirational take on glamour.
Dresses were fitted, heels were high and minimalism wasn’t in her lexicon. Her traditionally glossy hair and make-up mirrored the same ethos, speaking directly to the audience at home in a way that inspired prom night Pinterest boards across the country.
Claudia’s customised £355 Kooples blazer and Tess’s £758 Bronx and Banco gown
Claudia’s £1,390 Victoria Beckham showstopper, with Tess in a £650 Self Portrait maxi dress
What they were united in was their support of British fashion, especially British mid-market eveningwear by brands including Reiss, Karen Millen, Nadine Merabi and Self Portrait.
For this season’s opening show, Claudia wore a white Bella Freud silk shirt, £475, with cropped black tuxedo trousers, £195, by Me+Em.
The following week, she hosted the results show in £180 black velvet Reiss trousers with an £88 pussybow blouse from Next in collaboration with British designer Tabitha Simmons.
Meanwhile, Tess’s most expensive showstopper – a £1,395 white one-shouldered jumpsuit – was made by London-based label Safiyaa. For the results show in week five, Tess wore a £430 floor-length pink one-shoulder gown by Solace London and Claudia a £99 black velvet mini-dress by Albaray.
To the delight of viewers, many of the duo’s looks were affordable. They’ve worn plenty of High Street brands, from Zara and The Kooples to H&M, with the most affordable of Claudia’s looks being a £22.99 H&M leopard-print dress, and Tess’s being an £89 one-shoulder dress by Karen Millen.
But they haven’t been afraid to push the boat out on occasion either. Mid-way through the series, Claudia looked stunning in a £1,390 long red gown by Victoria Beckham, while the quarter-finals saw Tess maxing the glamour in an £810 fitted pink gown by Australian designer Rebecca Vallance.
For the series finale on Saturday, Tess was quintessentially Tess in a trademark one-shouldered metallic gold Farah gown by Australian label Bronx and Banco, £758; Claudia typically Claudia in black leggings and a customised £355 Kooples blazer emblazoned with the words ‘Keep Dancing’.
For the Christmas Day Special, in a rare and knowing case of role reversal, Tess wears the trousers in a white trouser-suit by her trusty Brit designer Nadine Merabi.
Embellished with silver sequins, the blazer (£355, but currently reduced to £107) remains classic Tess. Claudia, meanwhile, wears an equally classic cream midi from secondhand site Reloved Again.
In a world obsessed with quick-fire trends, Tess and Claudia always stayed true to themselves. Rather than competing, they complemented each other.
There might only be one celebrity winner on the dancefloor. But when it comes to fashion, both presenters deserve to hold that glitterball aloft.
