Siobhan McSweeney’s look has made her a style icon already
Siobhan McSweeney is a sex symbol on The Traitors Ireland, her stylist on the hit show says.
Fashion guru Anne O’Shea is the woman behind Siobhan’s look, which has made the Derry Girls star a style icon already.
Anne says the Cork actress has taken her place alongside fellow international Traitors hosts, Claudia Winkleman and Alan Cumming, as a fashionista. And she revealed the secrets behind Siobhan’s individual style as master of ceremonies on the RTE version, filmed at Slane Castle, Co Meath.
She told how the big inspiration for her look is the movie Death Becomes Her, and how her wardrobe of 26 outfits is by some of Ireland’s top designers.
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Yet Siobhan’s most admired outfit so far – the pink silk gown she wore to the round table – was her own dress she bought in department store H&M.
Renowned stylist Anne told The Irish Mirror: “People have said she is a mixture of Claudia and Alan – she’s high theatre, but also wearable.
“She’s like a modern version of a 1930s woman, the silhouettes, the shapes, how her look embraces femininity. One of our main inspirations was the film Death Becomes Her, that intensity.
“She’s becoming the kind of person that we compare people to. She’s very attractive and people are saying they fancy her.
“She bit her lip in one episode and it was like: ‘Oh Siobhan, don’t do that again!’ When she came out in the pink dress, it was: ‘Oh my god. She’s sexy’.”
She added: “Her look is empowering – but not overpowering – and she’s confident. She’s the main character here. She’s like an ethereal being, nearly a ghost in the house. She just appears and disappears.
“To work with, she’s such a professional. I would do anything for Siobhan. She’s epic in every way. The blush pink dress was so complimented. It was her own already, from HandM, and we added shoulder pads.”
Anne went to Siobhan’s house first, to see what she had in her closet they could work with.
“I was in her house and pulled the dress out and said: ‘This is a beautiful colour on you’. We also added a belt – by Sarah O’Neill’s Eadach – that said faithful in Irish.”
Another quirky look that looked great on Siobhan was the thick-knit jumper paired with a Victorian ruff.
“She bought that on Amazon and had it in her house. For me, it’s about building blocks. You need to collaborate. I went to her house and pulled her wardrobe apart.
“We could remake this or work on that. You have to work with your budget and time too. We were getting outfits right up until the end.”
Anne’s favourite look so far is the deep red taffeta skirt from designer Orla Langan, paired with a navy polo neck – “It’s made from beautiful silk taffeta from India. That’s my favourite look. The blazer was her own and then we paired it with the Tara brooch and a navy polo neck.”
Accessories are a key part of her look, with brooches, gloves and neck-scarves all featuring. Most of her show stopping pieces were on loan from Delphi Antiques in Dublin’s Powerscourt Centre.
“Siobhan went there one day and said: ‘Anne, I’ve found Miss Havisham’s jewellery.’
“I asked would they loan some pieces to us and as soon as they heard it was Siobhan McSweeney, they said ‘Yes’.
“They lent us 10 pieces and I insured it all. We also bought a pair of gloves from Paula Rowan, beautiful black gloves with in-your-face tulle,” said Anne.
Rowan, O’Neill, Langan and Oran Aurelio and Monto and Perry are just some of the Irish designers who dressed Siobhan. She will wear 26 outfits in the course of the series. “We agreed to 13 outfits and then it became 26.
“When she comes out in the morning to greet everyone for breakfast, it makes sense she’s more casual. But she can’t wear the same thing to the round table.”
Siobhan brought her own ideas, such as adding a Kinsale cloak inspiration to her Magee cape.
“We thought we’d add a length and a hood. I got material from Donegal and Oran worked through the weekend to add hood and length and we got it down to Slane Castle.
“Her wardrobe is a mix of menswear and women’s wear, nothing was off the table, other than designers who don’t work with curve or plus size.”
Efforts to get one piece of footwear in time for filming required diplomatic intervention.
“She wears boots because I don’t think heels would suit her, a chunky boot is her vibe. The boots she wore with the taffeta skirt, I found them on an American website that didn’t deliver to Europe.
“I was going to Abu Dhabi for work so I got them shipped to Abu Dhabi. They arrived the day I left.
“I asked Alison Milton, the Irish ambassador, if I could redirect them to her. She sent them back to Ireland with a colleague and I picked them up in the Department of Foreign Affairs.”
The Traitors Ireland continues every Sunday at 9.30pm, Monday and Tuesday at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Catch up on all the betrayal, banter and behind-the-scenes bombshells with The Traitors Ireland: Uncloaked directly after The Traitors Ireland.
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