Aesthetics and drama: 10 of Britain’s most stylish TV series

 

The regime of self-isolation has dyed the world in dim colors and taken away the ability to move freely, so it’s time to escape to an alternate reality. A hospitable shelter for “prisoners of the four walls” will be British TV series. Excellent actors, subtle humor, and intricate storylines are not all of the show’s virtues, born in the land of misty Albion. We have selected a list of those where a well-chosen costume plays an important role in conveying the character of the main characters. Make a cup of tea and get ready for some aesthetic pleasure.

1 Killing Eve, or Killing Eve.

When Killing Eve hit the mainstream in 2018, famed British agent James Bond realized he had a worthy competitor and drowned his sorrows in whiskey. Jokes are jokes, but the story of scout Eva Polastri, who plays cat and mouse with psychopathic hitwoman Villanelle, has broken viewing records in the UK and beyond. The audience instantly fell in love a female special agent for her naturalness. Eva is not able to do backflips, does not imagine it possible to take down three villains with one bullet and in any dangerous situation prefers not to risk her life, but to hide. The desire for security is also reflected in the closet – no leather jumpsuits and other spy clichés. Instead, the practical stuff is stretchy tank tops, teenage parkas and timeless jeans. Variety in the somber palette of the multi-part thriller brings villain Villanelle – a girl of doll-like appearance, who at any moment will plunge a knife into the throat of the victim. Disguising her obvious mental health issues, she is helped by eye-catching clothes, from a jacquard bomber with baroque patterns to an airy pink tulle cake dress. The villain’s “deceptive” closet was handled by renowned costume designer Phoebe De Geye. It was she who made sure that the series was not just a duel of opposites, but also a guide to dozens of high-profile modern trends in fashion and makeup.

 

2 “Sharp visors,” or Peaky Blinders

Steven Knight’s crime drama is based on true events and retells the story of a youth gang from Birmingham that terrorized good citizens across the UK in the 1920s. In the director’s interpretation, all members of this criminal group were deeply concerned not only with their victories in the criminal field, but also with their image. They wore “Manchester” style tee suits and sewed a well-sharpened blade into the visors of their adored caps. Hence the name “Sharp Trump.” According to reviews in social networks, it is clear that viewers from the first series appreciated not only the dashingly twisted plot and the gloomy atmosphere of the streets that survived the war, but also the aesthetic component of the picture. Thanks to the work of the costumers, all the atrocities committed by the Shelby clan have been unwittingly romanticized. And the universal favorite was definitely the popular Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who played the role of Thomas – a strong impassioned knight, who became by fate a fierce scoundrel for the sake of the welfare of his family. The tale of the strongest “players” in England’s illegal business promises to be a week’s entertainment and a visual aid in learning the philosophy of “dandyism”.

 

3Lady Luck or The Paradise

A British television series co-produced by the BBC and Masterpiece is an interpretation of Emile Zola’s novel of the same name, set in 1890s Paris, England. In the script, young hick Denise finds herself in the big city and without any means of livelihood and gets a job at a ladies’ store. Behind the lavishly decorated department store windows and mannequins dressed in the latest fashions, there is a world full of temptation and intrigue. Every day Denise, going through mountains of lace gloves and listening to the scent of musky perfume, discovers her talent as an entrepreneur and tries her best to demonstrate her new skills to the store owner Mr. Morey. A noted dandy and businessman is charmed by his employee’s enthusiasm and sense of style. He feels that Cupid himself has intervened in their corporate relationship. Thus, in the setting of a Victorian boutique, many curious plot twists blossom – from touching declarations of love to crimes of jealousy. All this is accompanied by the rustling of dresses with tournures, the clattering of heels and the fainting of regular customers of the most mysterious store in the history of cinema and literature. A must-see for fans of historical costume.

 

4 “Sex education” or Sex education

In the case of this series, the often superficial and clichéd theme of intimate relationships takes on a new non-trivial sound. The quartet of British directors (Ben Taylor, Soph Goodhart, Alice Seabright and Kate Herron) spared their brainchild’s plot from lewd jokes and vulgar scenes, giving each character a charming shyness. At the center of attention is an unsociable teenage virgin named Otis. He lives with his mom, who ironically works as a sex therapist. Teaming up with classmate Maeve, Otis holds therapy sessions for his peers to help them deal with awkward and confusing situations. The main action unfolds in the middle school of the small town of Murdale. Despite the provincial location, all students can claim to be style icons. They are clever with mini-skirts, predatory leopard print, windbreakers from the 80s, that is, they want to hide their teenage complexes behind a colorful facade. You will have to laugh, blush embarrassingly and enjoy the imagination of costumers who see the world exclusively in rainbow colors.

 

5 “Downton Abbey” or Downton Abbey.

Back in 2010, writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker Julian Fellowes invited all comers to visit a prim English family who live on the family estate of Downton in the Yorkshire countryside. By clicking the “view” button, you are transported to the post-Edwardian era – a time of sweeping historical change that shatters the usual social hierarchy. In this regard, it is possible to peek not only into the lives of the Crawley aristocrats, but also into the lives of their servants. The believable sets, Maggie Smith’s witticisms, the attention-grabbing plot twists, and, of course, the style of the main characters deserve thunderous applause. Costume designer Anna Robins approached the creation of each character’s image as responsibly as possible: she went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, analyzed 1920s clothing and accessories, and began shopping at vintage markets to look at the cut and construction of those times. Thus, the accessories and fabrics found on Portobello Road translated into flapper ball gowns, coats with pagoda sleeves and felt hats of different degrees of dressiness, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off.

 

6 “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” or Secret Diary of a Call Girl

“Secret Diary of a Call Girl” has often been compared to the TV series “Sex and the City,” mostly due to its humorous treatment of sex. However, the British version, based on the diary and books by the author of Belle de Jour, is a slightly different, more personal story. The main character Hannah leads a double life. By day she is a law-abiding young woman and the soul of the company, but at dusk she transforms into an inventive priestess of love named Belle. Armed with fabulously expensive lingerie, stockings and other attributes of boudoir style, she realizes the most absurd fantasies of clients, and then describes the details of the voluptuous night in an electronic diary. Belle’s stories can cause a fit of unrestrained laughter, and her semi-nude defiles around the apartment in negligee and “crystal” shoes are no less fascinating than Victoria’s Secret shows.

 

7 “Sherlock” or Sherlock

The series “Sherlock”, the first season of which was released in 2010, does not need a loud introduction. The amazing adventures of a genius detective and his faithful assistant with a medical degree have long become classics of British cinema, despite the fact that the action is transferred to the XXI century. The authors of the project Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, each of whom had already adapted Victorian literature for television, decided: “this time Mr. Holmes should become something like an eccentric superhero” and took Benedict Cumberbatch for the main role. Before that, the British actor had already had to play brilliant men with mental disabilities. The new Holmes hypnotized with a velvety voice, made deductive chains with lightning speed and violated gentlemanly etiquette, especially in terms of clothing, on a daily basis. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is not as meticulous with his costume choices and prefers to wear whatever comes to hand before investigating the next murder. In his case, though, even a random assortment of items like a blue shirt, a single turnover coat, and a branded scarf turns into a set as good as a Sevil Row regular. His partner John Watson played by Martin Freeman teases you with a collection of raincoats and teaches you how to pair a plaid shirt with a cardigan without looking like a schoolteacher. And the rejuvenated Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs) is a whole encyclopedia of images in un-boring office style. So at your leisure, “Sherlock” should be revisited if you haven’t paid attention to the work of the costume designers before.

 

8
“The Little Drummer Girl,” or The Little Drummer Girl.

British mini-series based on the novel of the same name by writer John La Care, who worked as a CIA agent before taking up pen and paper. In his book, he describes in gory detail the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and all the horrors of the Cold War. Brave Korean director Park Chan-wook took on the impossible task of screen adaptation and gave BBS and AMC channels a project that took their ratings to unimaginable heights and received 18 accolades from the most respected film critics. Already from the first episode the viewers had goosebumps running down their bodies. The plot begins with the bombing of an apartment building by terrorists in the FRG in 1979. Then the angle shifts and the focus turns to British actress Charlie, played by the talented Florence Pugh. She’s vacationing with friends in Greece, enthusiastically showing off her resort closet and enjoying life until she meets a man named Joseph. A handsome young man fascinates the girl, and she agrees to go with him to Athens, where it turns out that the new acquaintance is actually a Mossad agent named Gadi Becker. His image was embodied by a Swedish-born actor, handsome. Alexander Skarsgard. An expected love affair devolves into a dangerous game of survival, where a touch of positivity is only seen in the costumes. Flared jeans, Moroccan djellobes and gladiator sandals kept the fun and brightness of the “hip” 70’s and softened the oppressive atmosphere a bit. We recommend to read it for the sake of adrenaline and unparalleled vintage dresses of the main character.

 

9 “Years” or Years and Years

British drama television series-anti-utopia, created by Russell T Davies, tells about the gray everyday life of an ordinary English family named Lyons. Each of its members is focused on their own problems and dreams, but they are prevented from “closing themselves in a shell” by the instability of the political and economic situation in the country. The action begins in 2019 and spans the next 15 years, during which the affairs of the UK will be run by the epathetic showwoman Vivienne Rooke, played by Emma Thompson. The gloss of her provocatively bright costumes is countered by the naive and homely images of the Lyons. Despite the scary news on TV, they remain enviably optimistic. In just six episodes, you’ll learn how screaming color helps in manipulating public opinion and maybe stop making fun of Donald Trump for his favorite red tie.

 

10 “The Collection” or The Collection

Some of the most impressive costumes were found in the little-known but spectacular series The Collection. In this melodrama from directors Dirble Walsh and Dan Zeff, we are transported to the late first half of the 20th century and become guests of a Parisian fashion house trying to recover from a humiliating Nazi occupation. The protagonists want to encourage the downtrodden French with the beauty and charm of haute couture masterpieces. Many plot lines of the series, telling about the life of the fictional fashion house “Sabine” repeat the main highlights of the creative biography of couturier Christian Dior: the wartime work with the designer, tarnished his reputation by serving Nazi wives, and the release of the triumphant collection New Look. The British actors exist organically in retro looks and move with such grace that they look like a picture of the time come to life. You’ll see puffy pleated skirts, pearlized taffeta ball gowns, leopard print mantos, silk gloves and hats with dramatic veils. In general, this Anglo-French series is a real gift for aesthetes and connoisseurs of the subtleties of high fashion. .