Alan Cumming's most fabulous “The Traitors” season 2 looks, dissected
The host's stylist Sam Spector breaks down the top season 2 masterpieces from reality TV’s newest fashion icon.
Season 2 of The Traitors has delighted audiences with non-stop intrigue involving murders, poisonings, banishments, backstabbing, and M.J. walking very, very awkwardly backwards out of a room. But the Peacock reality competition series (which wraps up tonight at 9 p.m.) has also been notable for something else — the outlandish and impeccable fashion statements made on a weekly basis by its master of ceremonies, Alan Cumming.
Parading around in ensembles that would make his Good Wife character Eli Gold blush, Cumming has turned the reality TV grand entrance into an art form. To honor the spectacle, we asked the host’s stylist on the show, Sam Spector, to share the inspirations for Cumming’s most killer looks of the season — including two sneak peeks from tonight’s finale.
Death Becomes Him
If you’re ranking Cumming’s looks from season 2 — and why wouldn’t you be? — then this is numero uno for the stylist. “The funeral look is by far my favorite," says Spector. "Deliciously layered, the cape adds so much drama as Alan leads the players down a funeral procession."
Seeing Red
“The show starts with a Scottish splash,” says Spector. “The plaid cape was a last-minute addition to really drill in the Scottish influence right off the bat in episode 1. The cuffs of the jacket were hand-bedazzled to elicit the fire in the first dramatic mission.”
Peacocking
One of our personal favorite ensembles from this season is positively for the birds! “While the contestants were busy making silly bird calls in this episode, Alan was quite literally covered in birds. I made this silly peacock hat, and the ostrich feather blouse wasn’t quite enough, so we added MORE feathers to create MORE drama!”
The Wicker Man
“I took the sleeves from two different plaid blazers and added them to the body of a third to create this scarecrow-inspired look,” reveals Spector. “The wicker headpiece was created by the brilliant milliner Gigi Burris and perfectly references the straw on a scarecrow. I accessorize a lot of Alan’s looks with dramatic eyewear.”
Dr. Hell Yes
Someone get Alan Cumming a fluffy white cat to pet! “We went all-in on Bond villain here,” Spector notes. “And the mission in this episode had the contestants literally digging for gold, so I found a metallic gold blazer here. I further accessorized the look with mesh gloves beaded with spiders to dial in on the spookiness of the murder mystery series.”
Positively Bluetiful
“The kilt was from Alan’s own Scottish collection,” Spector notes. “And I found the perfect matching gloves from C’est Jeanne in Amsterdam who custom-made them to fit Alan. I love when Alan takes off the Ortuu weird-cape-thing to reveal a royal blue pussy bow blouse where we TRIPLE-down in blue with the beret and matching glasses.”
Caught in the Net
Spector says this Cumming special played off of booby-traps in the mission facing the players. “The custom draped netting was added to this Paisley & Gray suit to reference the net traps in which the contestants got caught when they failed the mission," reveals Spector. "The Coco Chanel saying, 'Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take off one accessory,' doesn’t apply in The Traitors. The more the merrier in Scotland!”
Looking Wooden
In this case, says Spector, the episode’s destination was also inspiration. “The mission in this episode took place in a log cabin, so we hand-sewed wood logs on the lapel of this suit and accessorized with Buchanan scarves to resemble traditional Scottish fly-plaids and added a jeweled kilt brooch.”
Always Sleek in Sleet
This look for the host was simple, yet elegant. “We embroidered Alan’s initials on this APC raincoat for those rainy nights in Scotland,” says Spector.
Looks That Kill
Spector and Cumming kept the host's classic style from season 1 for his main look in season 2, but accented with new accessories. “This peacoat cape from Spanish label Sesña is the signature murder cape for The Traitors as it was used also in season 1, but redone here with a new cap, scarf, and gloves.” How deliciously diabolical!
Final Entrance
Oh, the intrigue! We have our first look at the host in the finale, and it’s a doozy. “In the finale, Alan dramatically exits a helicopter as a British gentleman. We wrapped him in a tweed sash to resemble Scottish fly-plaid and gave him a wire eyeglass to complete his look. Drama!”
The Caped Crusader
Question: Has anyone ever not looked fabulous in a cape? Cumming will certainly finish the season in style courtesy of this head-turning finale get-up. “As Alan walks in the room, he makes ‘the whole place shimmer’ in this hand bejeweled cape reimagined from the first season.”
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