The best ‘alpha-mum' outfits from Amandaland – and where to get the look on the high street

Telegraph

18-02-2025

Lucy Punch's magnificent comic turn in Amandaland makes compulsive viewing – both for her outrageously self-involved alpha-mum antics, as well as a slew of covetable fashion choices. A spin-off of the BAFTA award-winning Motherland, Amandaland follows bouncily-blowdried Amanda as she transplants from plush Chiswick to South Harlesden (or 'SoHa', as she dubs it), post-divorce. Happily, Joanna Lumley has resumed her role as Amanda's mother, Felicity Sanderson, a former model who is rarely without a glass of wine or biting comment (also excellent outfits).
As well as being laugh-out-loud hilarious, the series is packed with knowing middle-class style signifiers. Amanda's world is polished and perfect – her new home a rainbow of Farrow & Ball off-whites, her wardrobe filled with sharp blazers, uncreased denim, and teetering heels.
'Everything had to look expensive, but on a budget,' says Helen Woolfenden, the Amandaland costume designer, of Amanda's reinvention wardrobe. She looked to high street brands such as Zara, Marks & Spencer, and Mango, sticking to blazers, boyfriend shirts, and knitwear in neutral tones – 'beiges, creams, and navy, to ensure she always looks polished'. Woolfenden also unearthed treasures from Gen Z-favoured brands, namely a perfect pair of high waist, wide-leg jeans from Stradivarius that Amanda wears with aplomb.
Woolfenden did splurge on a few mini dresses from Self-Portrait for Amanda's date nights for 'that Chanel, put-together look', but without the true luxury price tag. Oh and heels – very high ones, from Steve Madden, and a pair of wedged trainers, from Dune. 'Amanda is never without her heels,' she says. 'I tried to introduce some smaller heels and [Lucy Punch, who plays Amanda] said, 'Oh no, Amanda needs the high heels.'
'Lucy and I had lots of conversations and constant WhatsApp exchanges, sharing images and ideas,' says Woolfenden. 'It was a very collaborative process.'
As for overlaps with Punch's personal style? 'I would say I'm less girly than Amanda,' says Punch, who favours Acne Studios, Rachel Comey, and 'good old Zara' in real life. 'My style is scruffier, more crumpled, and much more practical, because I have a three-year-old – no creamy colour palettes!'
To create the wardrobe for Joanna Lumley's Felicity, Woolfenden chose V-neck jumpers and blouses, loosely tailored, wide-leg trousers, and super chic coats (from Arket, Marks & Spencer, and Reiss, respectively), as well as chunky gold jewellery. '[Felicity's style] is not as put-together as Amanda's; it is elegant in an effortless, relaxed way,' says Woolfenden. Lumley especially loved a hot-pink, cap sleeve knit she wears in episode five. 'I let her take it home with her,' the costume designer says.
Where are the clothes now? I wonder, casually considering a heist. 'They are super organised – dry cleaned, steamed, labelled, and hanging in bags on rails in a storage unit,' says Woolfenden. 'Hopefully for another series.' While we wait in hope for another series – and more great outfits – I quiz the costume designer to find out where each piece from Amanda and Felicity's best looks comes from.
The creamy trench coat
One can assume this is Amanda's first time at a school football match, not least because she is wearing biscuit-coloured cashmere and suede – specifically, a Reiss dress and sky-high Kurt Geiger boots. 'The heels kept sinking into the grass,' laughs Woolfenden.
The trench coat in the series looks expensive but it was a purse-friendly ASOS find. Woolfenden bought it in multiples because of what befalls Amanda as she is striding across the grass (hint: it involves mud). The Zara handwarmers were chosen for their aesthetic appeal but ended up being rather useful. '[Lucy] was so thankful for them as it was quite cold,' says Woolfenden.
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Chanel style (on a high-street budget)
I think we can all agree that Joanna Lumley makes everything look ten times more expensive, so you may be surprised to know that the jacket in this scene is Zara, not Chanel. Woolfenden plucked both jacket and necklace from her own stock, a collection of pieces she keeps in her studio for additional costuming. The blouse is from Hobbs, and her wide-leg trousers are from Marks and Spencer. Interestingly, Felicity eschews an expected loafer for a slip-on trainer, also from M&S. 'She's a cool mum,' says Woolfenden.
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Date night chic
Woolfenden bought into some investment dresses for Amanda's date-night looks. '[I imagined] she would have spent more on them,' she says, pointing out this denim-tweed dress from Self-Portrait, which she styled with a pair of orange Karen Millen pumps.
As for the matching tangerine bag, many have speculated it's an archived Mulberry design. It is actually from another brand – and is currently on sale. 'The brand is called Apatchy,' Woolfenden reveals. 'They have some really beautiful bags.'
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Feminine tailoring
Woolfenden found a perfectly boxy peacoat from Jaeger and paired it with an H&M boyfriend-style shirt and wide-leg jeans from Stradivarius. 'When they were doing the editing, someone from production messaged me saying 'Where's that outfit from? I wanna go buy it!' says Woolfenden.
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The romantic knit mini dress
'I love all of her looks, but this date outfit is my favourite – and Lucy's,' says Woolfenden, of this knitted peplum dress she sourced from Self-Portrait. 'The [ruffles on the sleeves] work really well because Lucy is very physical when she's [acting].'
Woolfenden completed the look with beige courts from Steve Madden (which she determined to be the most comfortable, even with a vertiginous heel), a pearl pendant necklace, and a structured tote that looks expensive but is, in fact, a Zara steal. In this scene, Amanda's usually scathing mother, Felicity, tells her she looks 'tip-top' – the highest compliment.
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Happy glamping attire
Amanda isn't a happy camper but she is a chic one. For this scene, Woolfenden opted for Amanda-fied versions of traditional camping garb. No ordinary puffer jacket, Amanda's is nipped at the waist – and in wonderfully impractical cream. 'It took me a long time to find [one] that was elegant enough and not boxy,' says Woolfenden, who settled on this Uniqlo number, which she teamed with a top and Amanda's favourite wide-leg jeans, both from Stradivarius. The final touch? Those heeled Timberland boots.
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Never knowingly underdressed
End-of-season football awards? Amanda doesn't stint on the glitz. The powderpuff jacket she wears in this scene is perfectly in character (i.e. jarringly incongruous.) Woolfenden found the OTT faux-feather jacket in River Island. 'I saw it and thought, 'Oh my God, that's so fun,' she says. 'It would keep her warm and it's silly, as well, in a way. It definitely felt like a costume, but in a wonderful way.'
Felicity is comparatively more subdued, in a shimmery Hush jumper, a Chanel-alike quilted bag from Zara, her beloved Marks and Spencer trousers and trainers, and jewellery from Woolfenden's archive.
Recreate Felicity's metallic knit look