Fashion-forward killer: Villanelle, costuming and queer style in Killing Eve

Abstract

Costuming within the BBC television drama series Killing Eve (2018–) functions as a spectacular dressing-up box to support the representation of Villanelle (Jodie Comer) as the glamorous globe-trotting assassin. This article will argue that Villanelle’s fashion-forward wardrobe offers a multifarious representation of contemporary queer styling. Her costuming is characterized by gender fluidity and a play with the dominant codes and signifiers of lesbian style and identity. Villanelle’s looks move beyond the stereotyped constraints of the butch-femme binary to construct a polymorphous representation of femininity with broad cross-over appeal. In offering a striking silhouette that draws attention away from the material body onto costuming, Villanelle’s representation highlights the fluidity of gendered and sexual identities. Her costuming may appear to reduce Villanelle to a series of surface appearances, yet these iterations result in a significant queer representation on mainstream contemporary television.

Dressed to Kill

“…In line with Creed's theory, these shows present violent women who fight against and challenge patriarchal systems. Similarly, contemporary literature on Killing Eve, such as the work of Sarah Gilligan and Jacky Collins (2021) and Alyson Miller, Cassandra Atherton and Paul Hetherington (2021), argue the show presents women who challenge the gendered norms of the dominant culture. However, both studies also indicate that Killing Eve can simultaneously be seen to maintain certain gender norms, as explored below.…”