It’s hardly surprising that Vicky McClure looks better than most of us in men’s clothes. One glance at the 30-year-old’s filmography – from tough-girl Lol in Shane Meadows’ This Is England, through to Detective Kate Fleming in the macho world of hit BBC drama Line Of Duty – tells you all you need to know; it’s clear she’s not a fan of the girly. Strong, straight-talking characters draw her in and have, deservedly, earned her a reputation as an actress willing to push all boundaries. But while Vicky – slender, elfin and impressively down-to-earth in person – couldn’t be more different to, say, troubled Lol, she admits her personal style isn’t worlds apart.
“I do embrace wearing shirts, jeans and suits, especially as a woman,” she tells ShortList, fresh from the shoot. “I think it just looks so sexy. If I’m going out, I like to wear things that have real structure.” And she’s even guilty of nicking clothes from her boyfriend (Jonny Owen, fellow actor and her co-star in new low-budget British comedy Svengali), too. “Jonny’s got a T-shirt with Kes on the front, and the minute I saw it I thought, ‘I’m having that.’ It’s one of my favourite films.”
McClure also admits that, although she has a chuck-any-old-T-shirt-on approach to everyday fashion, she takes the opposite approach to men’s style. “I like my man to look smart. I’m more than happy for him to slob in his tracksuit all weekend, because I’ll be doing the same, but it’s always a nice thing to see a bloke in a suit.”
So, away from clothes, what’s the one thing a modern man should never do? “As a general rule, I hate liars. Honesty is a big part of generally getting on with your life. And men think we want the earth, when actually the little things mean a lot. If a guy came home with a magazine because it’s got my favourite person on the front and they thought I might like it – that would probably send me to tears.”
Thoughtful gifts, sharp tailoring and the odd T-shirt depicting a bit of avian-themed gritty cinema; consider yourselves schooled.
Svengali is at cinemas nationwide from 21 March and out on DVD on 7 April
Click below to start the gallery
(Images: Richard Stow)
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Navy tuxedo black trim jacket £75 by RED HERRING at Debenhams, debenhams.com; white tailored ‘Russell’ shirt £65 by HOWICK at House Of Fraser, houseoffraser.co.uk; black skinny ‘Moto Joni’ jeans £36 by TOPSHOP, topshop.com; white pocket square £5 by ASOS, asos.com; black patent ‘Red Violet’ stilettos £95 by NINE WEST at Kurt Geiger, ninewest.co.uk
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Black suit jacket and tailored trousers £375 by REISS at John Lewis, johnlewis.com; white fitted classic twill shirt £130 by THE KOOPLES, thekooples.co.uk; black skinny leather ‘Teds’ tie £119 by SANDRO, 020-7499 2770
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Grey and black check double-breasted suit jacket £165 and matching trousers £84 by PATRICK GRANT, HAMMOND & CO LTD at Debenhams, debenhams.com; black chiffon sleeve insert shirt £40 by TOPSHOP, topshop.com; black patent ‘Red Violet’ stilettos £95 by NINE WEST (as before)
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Black cropped-fit wool jacket £90 and black tailored trousers £40 both by TOPMAN, topman.com; white ‘tailored skinny fit’ shirt £80 by BEN SHERMAN, bensherman.com; black braces £10 by RIVER ISLAND, riverisland.com; black plain wool beret £12 by ACCESSORIZE, accessorize.com
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How to wear your hair
L’Oréal Paris Studio Line Hair Stylist Brady Lea explains how to achieve this season’s on-trend, architectural, hi-shine side parting: “To recreate this look, start with towel-dried hair and apply L’Oréal Paris Elnett 3 Day Straight Heat Protect Styling Spray (£5.99). Part your hair with a comb into a side parting and dry your hair into the style and in the direction you want the hair to sit, smoothing it out with the palm of your hand as you go. When your hair is dry and styled, work L’Oréal Paris Studio Line Architect Shine Wax (£3.69) through the hair with your fingers. To finish, comb the hair through to make sure the parting is clean. A trick to remove comb marks is to gently rub your hand over the top of the hair for a super-shiny look." Stockists: 0800-030 4032
