Billie Piper is in boss bitch mode. On the promo trail for Scoop – the “jaw-dropping, wig-touting, prosthetics-laden dramatisation of how Newsnight secured that Prince Andrew interview”, as per Vogue’s Giles Hattersley – she is channelling all the bold ambition of BBC booker Sam McAlister on the red carpet. She even got a Hollywood stylist to “produce” her wardrobe.
Working with Rebecca Corbin-Murray – the woman behind Lily James’s va va voom Versace transformation and Florence Pugh’s punkish fashion era – Piper is clearly having a ball cosplaying as a modern media powerhouse with a point to prove. One day in, and there’s been archive denim Alaïa skirt suits sourced by Mon Vintage (founder Marie Blanchet is the woman the Olsens call to truffle out rare gems) and directional takes on pinstripe suiting courtesy of Dolce.
More on the latter: it takes guts to wear an oversized deconstructed blazer with essentially a cropped polka-dot blouse and high-waisted hotpants. Piper – a beloved ’90s popstar who was naturally au fait with the torso flash when she was singing about playing that song so loud – delivered a chef’s kiss amount of sass in statement sunglasses, point-toe pumps and the perfect shade of (probably Wolford) tights that tell you Corbin-Murray had pored over every detail. Standing alongside co-stars Gillian Anderson, Romola Garai and Keeley Hawes – what a cast! – it was Piper’s night.
Billie’s best accessory did not involve the Dolce-fication of her image, nor an ironic wink at the method-dressing trend. It was the trademark warm smile and infectious laugh that radiates out from the pictures of her getting the giggles with Gillian. The kind of delicious national treasure who would be an excellent pub date (see also: Olivia Colman), Billie Piper is enjoying a new era, and you can read all about it here.
