Lucy Punch’s great comic turn in Amandaland makes it a must-watch for fans of her hilariously self-centered alpha-mum behavior and desirable fashion selections. The spin-off from the BAFTA award-winning Motherland series follows the vivacious Amanda as she moves post-divorce from upmarket Chiswick to South Harlesden (or “SoHa,” as she insists) AKA “SoHa”. Luckily, Joanna Lumley’s cast as Amanada’s mother Felicity Sanderson, an ex-model who’s never seen without a glass of wine, or indeed without sharp words – or indeed, stylish outfits.
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Humor aside, the series abounds with middle-class style signifiers. Her home is impeccable, almost perfect; it includes all shades of Farrow & Ball off-whites in the new house; and the wardrobe’s starched blazers, creaseless denim, and towering stilettos are also in place.
“It was all about looking luxe on a budget,” said Helen Woolfenden, the Amandaland costume designer, for Amanda's revamped wardrobe. She chose popular high street labels Zara, Marks & Spencer, and Mango mainly for blazers, boyfriend shirts, and knitwear in neutral shades – “beiges, creams, and navy to guarantee a polished look”. Woolfenden scored some hits off Gen Z-beloved brands too, such as Stradivarius – that perfect pair of high-waisted wide-leg jeans the flawless Amanda sports.
Woolfenden did buy a few mini dresses from Self-Portrait for Amanda’s night out with the girls, striving for ‘that Chanel, polished look’ without the Chanel price tag. She also selected ultra-high heels from Steve Madden and a pair of wedged trainers from Dune. ‘‘Amanda always has her heels on,’’ she clarifies. ‘‘I tried to propose some lower heels, but Lucy Punch, playing Amanda, said: ‘Oh no, Amanda needs the high heels.”
Lucy and I spoke loads and had a continuous WhatsApp conversation sharing pictures and ideas. It was very collaborative.
When it comes to similarities with Punch’s individual style, she says, “I consider myself to be less feminine than Amanda.” Punch, who favors Acne Studios, Rachel Comey, and “good old Zara” in her day-to-day life, describes her style as more practical, scruffier, and crumpled. “With a three-year-old there’s not much room for creamy color palettes for me!
V-neck sweaters, and blouses along with loose, wide leg, and stylish coats V-neck sweaters and blouses. This was to clad the character of Joanna Lumley who plays Felicity. All sourced from Arket, Marks & Spencer, and Reiss, and complemented with chunky gold accessories. “It’s elegant in an effortless, relaxed way” – Woolfenden on Felicity’s styling which he noted is not as ‘to the ends of the earth’ as Amanda. Lumley in particular loved the hot-pink cap sleeve knit in episode 5, which the costume designer let her take home.
This all returns me to the point of the clothes’ fate. “A very organized fashion — dry cleaned, steamed, labeled, and bagged in bags on hangers in a storage unit,” Woolfenden said. ” Hopefully they will be used for another series.” As we cross our fingers for a new series and more fantastic outfits, I take the chance to ask the costume designer about the origins of each piece from Amanda and Felicity’s most memorable looks.
So it’s pretty obvious that this was her first trip to a school football game, because of the way she’s dressed in biscuit colored cashmere and suede Reiss dress and towering Kurt Geiger boots. “The heels kept sinking into the grass,” Woolfenden chuckles.
The trench coat in the series seems to be high-end, but it was actually a budget find from ASOS. Woolfenden bought a bunch of them for the Amanda mishap with grassing while one the grass (read: it contains mud). The Zara handwarmers were chosen for their aesthetic appeal and turned out to be quite functional, “Lucy was hugely appreciative of them as it was pretty chilly,” said Woolfenden.
It makes everything look so much more luxurious when it’s around Joanna Lumley, so viewers might be taken aback to learn that the jacket in this scene is Zara, not Chanel. Both the jacket and the necklace came from Woolfenden’s personal collection, which she keeps in the studio in case it may come in handy for more costuming. The blouse is by Hobbs and the high waisted wide-leg trousers are by Marks and Spencer. In contrast to a traditional loafer that might he been anticipated, Felicity slips an M&S slip-on trainer onto her foot. Woolfenden: “She’s a cool mum.”
Woolfenden bought some investment dresses for Amanda’s date-night outfits. ‘‘I thought she would have paid more for them,’’ she said after pointing to a denim-tweed dress from Self-Portrait with the orange pumps from Karen Millen.
Regarding the tangerine bag that goes with, the speculation was rife that it’s an archived Mulberry design. In fact, it’s of a different brand and is currently available at marked down prices. “The brand is Apatchy,” discloses Woolfenden. “They do some really nice bags.
He found a nice peacoat from Jaeger, which she paired with an H&M boyfriend style shirt and Stradivarius wide-leg jeans. “At one of the shoots, during the editing process, someone from production got in touch with me and said, ‘Where is that outfit from? I want to buy it!” Woolfenden remembers.
"All of her looks are pretty great, but this date outfit is definitely my favorite- and Lucy's as well," said Woolfenden of the knitted peplum dress from Self-Portrait. “The [ruffles on the sleeves] really help elevate her because Lucy is very vocal when she’s [performing].
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To put on the look, she slipped into some beige court shoes from Steve Madden by Woolfenden, the most comfortable pair she could find that featured a pretty high heel. For jewelry, she wore a pearl pendant necklace and as for the accessory, and a structured tote, gives it an expensive appearance although it is a good bargain from Zara. At this moment, Amanda receives the ultimate compliment from her usually critical mother Felicity ‘who says she looks tip-top.
She might not be the happier of souls, but she sure is the epitome of fashion. Woolfenden chose to fashion classic camping attire in an Amanda theme for this scene. Amanda’s puffer jacket is nowhere close to the usual puffers; this one’s been tailored at the waist and sports a pretty impractical cream shade. “It took me ages to find one that was sleek and not boxy,” Woolfenden says, donning the one she found at Uniqlo over a chosen top and Amanda’s fave wide-leg jeans sourced from Stradivarius. They’re, of course, rounded off with those heeled Timberland boots.
End of Season football awards? Just shows how much Amanda does love the glitz. It’s the powder-puff jacket she wears in this scene that’s so her, so completely out of place. Woolfenden sourced the OTT faux feather jacket from a homogenous River Island. “I saw it and thought ‘Oh my God, that’s so fun,’” she laughs. “So it would keep her warm, and it’s also a bit silly. It definitely had the quality of a costume though in an endearing way.”
Felicity is playing it cool in a glittery Hush jumper, a Zara quilted bag reminiscent of Chanel, her trusty old Marks and Spencer trousers, and sneakers, and jewels snatched from the Woolfendens' collection.
