‘The Traitors’ isn’t just a wild reality show — it’s also sparked a fashion craze. The castle, the dramatic lighting, and those wardrobe moments? People can’t stop talking about clothes. That’s all thanks to Sam Spector, the celebrity stylist who crafts the show’s rich, theatrical look. In a chat with E! News, Spector broke down how he builds those unforgettable outfits and even shared how you can pull a bit of castle style into your own closet.
How Sam Spector creates ‘The Traitors’ look
Spector doesn’t just throw some tartan on the cast and call it a day. Sure, tweed and tartan are big — you can’t do Scotland without them — but he goes way beyond that. “We use a lot of tweeds,” he said. “There are Chanel-like tweeds in a bunch of the episodes. I used faux moss to channel the terrain, the hills. There was one inspired by Moai, Easter Island Moai, so I used stone as inspiration, and the outfit was supposed to look like stone. I’m always inspired by fabrics and textures, and for television, playing with textures helps a lot theatrically.”He wants the clothes to match the show’s over-the-top drama and the moody, misty setting. Faux moss? Why not? Stone-inspired outfits? Absolutely. Spector finds inspiration everywhere, and it shows — his choices help build a world that’s as dramatic as the game itself.
Behind the scenes: Mood boards and sparkle
Every episode starts with a mood board. Spector and his team pull together textures, colors, and themes — three to five pages of pure inspiration. From there, they figure out what to buy, what to make, and how to turn those ideas into real outfits. “Each episode has its own vibe, mood board, and inspiration,” he said. Sometimes, looks are classic Scottish, sometimes they pull from whatever wild mission the contestants are on that week.“The mood boards are generally per episode. We start with three to five pages of a mood board, and that’s just inspiration. Then we do one that’s what we can get or what we need to make to look like that mood board. There are different iterations of a mood board, and then another page that’s what we’re ordering or making. It’s all over the place, but it works for us,” he shared.Spector went on, “We have meetings with producers where I’m told about the missions, and then I’m inspired by each mission and develop looks from that. There are staples. Tartans are always involved. Now we’re adding a lot of jewels for theatrical elements so you can really see them on camera. We bejewel by hand a lot of what we do.”
How to bring a little castle style home
If you want some of that Traitor’s magic in your own closet, Spector has tips. Wool-blend skirts, classic tweed jackets, and anything tartan give you that castle vibe, but feel modern, not costumey. Want to go for it? Try a beret with some tartan — Spector swears by it. “A beret is perfect right now for Traitors-coded items, but tartan mixed in,” the stylist explained. “I think it has to be tartan mixed with a Traitor, because a beret could be Emily in Paris too. If you want to differentiate the two, you have to add tartan.”
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