LIZ JONES gives her style verdict on the return of Killing Eve psychopath Villanelle 

She can even make a prison headscarf look live Givenchy: LIZ JONES gives her style verdict on the return of Killing Eve psychopath Villanelle

Not since Sex And The City has what a woman wears been so integral to not just how a TV series looks or to the plot, but to a character’s very soul.

Take resident psychopath Villanelle, inhabited like a catwalk model by Jodie Comer. Not for her the anonymous balaclava donned by Jamie Dornan in The Fall. Nor even Uma Thurman’s practical cat suit in Kill Bill.

This woman is so brazen, she wants to stand out. The inspired costumes in series one, dreamed up by Bafta-winning designer Phoebe de Gaye, were chosen to illustrate that millennial women have no need to dress like men to show they are not to be messed with.

Not since Sex And The City has what a woman wears been so integral to not just how a TV series looks or to the plot, but to a character’s very soul

In contrast to Sandra Oh’s character Eve, and Fiona Shaw’s Carolyn, who want everyone to forget they own a womb and therefore dress in slurries (Carolyn isn’t even given a handbag, merely pockets), when Villanelle rocks up to an important assessment of her sanity, she has the balls to wear a pink baby doll dress by London designer Molly Goddard, with bovver boots! Mad!

In contrast to Sandra Oh’s character Eve, and Fiona Shaw’s Carolyn, who want everyone to forget they own a womb and therefore dress in slurries (Carolyn isn’t even given a handbag, merely pockets), when Villanelle rocks up to an important assessment of her sanity, she has the balls to wear a pink baby doll dress by London designer Molly Goddard, with bovver boots! Mad! 

Comer even rocked a prison-issue headscarf as if it were Givenchy.

In contrast to Sandra Oh’s character Eve, and Fiona Shaw’s Carolyn, who want everyone to forget they own a womb and therefore dress in slurries (Carolyn isn’t even given a handbag, merely pockets), when Villanelle rocks up to an important assessment of her sanity, she has the balls to wear a pink baby doll dress by London designer Molly Goddard, with bovver boots! Mad!

When that episode aired, Goddard’s fortunes were given such a boost you’d think she’d designed a Royal Wedding dress. Kerching!

Villanelle is clearly in love with nice things, believing they can blot out the ugliness of her day job, which is why she lives in Paris and why, after a kill in a Tuscan villa, she delayed her escape to jot down the label on a cashmere throw.

If you’ve just watched the series two premiere and been aghast that Villanelle is clad only in a child’s pyjamas and forced to squeeze her elegant feet into – wait for it – a pair of appliqued Crocs, causing her to shudder, never fear.

The show’s new writer has ensured there will be even more sartorial shenanigans to come.

Comer even rocked a prison-issue headscarf as if it were Givenchy

Comer even rocked a prison-issue headscarf as if it were Givenchy

New costume designer Charlotte Mitchell, who has an even bigger budget than her predecessor (‘We were in various countries and I’d go into high-end vintage shops to see if there was anything interesting and luxurious,’ she told Vogue), also seems to have bulk-bought from Net-a-Porter.

A Rosie Assoulin blouse in pink is worn with a taffeta skirt and vintage Christian Lacroix earrings: as well as humour, the show uses fashion as an important defuser of tension.

Crucially, care is taken that Villanelle never exposes too much flesh. Putting her in bodycon or a bikini would surely tip the character into cliche.

Instagram-worthy gems to look forward to include a vintage Thierry Mugler suit, chandelier earrings the size of hippos, and show-stopping black couture by Sarah Burton for McQueen, a gown so gorgeous I’m really worried it means she’s at the funeral of someone she loves… 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk