The new series of Killing Eve has just hit BBC iPlayer, although only one episode will be released every week (just like the good old days). Excitement about the clothes has been building for a while now, after the first season of the show managed to turn Molly Goddard’s tulle dress into an internet sensation. Then, the second series included outfits from Rosie Assoulin, Alexander McQueen and Chloé, so it’s no wonder that anticipation for what Villanelle might wear next – courtesy of costumer designer Sam Perry – is at an all-time high.
Before season three of Killing Eve graced our screens, one impactful shot of Jodie Comer on set surfaced – and what she was wearing is typical of Villanelle’s rule-bending approach to getting dressed. The jacket in question – a cropped, checked and fuzz-covered design in a punchy shade of green – is by Charlotte Knowles.
The duo behind the London-based brand, Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, were stunned when they saw the photo. ‘We had no idea,’ said Knowles, who suspects that Killing Eve’s costume designer must have bought the jacket from Dover Street Market. ‘We were freaking out,’ admits Arsenault, who appreciates how much Villanelle chimes with the Charlotte Knowles aesthetic. ‘She is basically our woman,’ he says, ‘because she’s so dangerous and controls every situation.’
The jacket doesn’t exactly hint at what’s going to happen to Villanelle – except that she’s definitely not going incognito – but it does signal a return to form for TV’s most stylish assassin. And in the first episode of season three, Villanelle is seen wearing one of her trusted favourite brands, Olivia von Halle. In season two, she wore one of the designer's tiger print kimonos, which promptly sold out, giving you an idea of how powerful the character's influence is.
Another episode of season three shows that Villanelle has added Bernadette to her wardrobe, the mother-daughter run label renowned for its beautiful silk dresses (and who, at the beginning of the year, launched its first range of handbags). And, of course, Villanelle would not be one to miss out on one of fashion's favourite labels of the last year: The Vampire's Wife. In one episode of the new series, she wears a blue floral style by the brand, which has been named after the character and is available to pre-order for £595.
Other names to look out for? Simone Rocha, Rick Owens, Halpern, La DoubleJ, Gucci, Palmer//Harding, Sacai and Paco Rabanne. Not too shabby.
While we still have a lot of series three ahead of us, no doubt providing ample sartorial inspiration, it will be interesting to see what becomes series three's equivalent of the Molly Goddard dress.
As Arsenault says of the Charlotte Knowles jacket: ‘We want [our woman] to look so dangerous that she almost becomes this animal that you don’t want to approach.' Mission accomplished.
READ MORE: How Our Favourite TV Shows Are Influencing Our Wardrobes