Celia Imrie has a confession to make: she “absolutely loathes” shopping for clothes. “Am I allowed to say that?” she asks, the flicker of a familiar mischievous grin appearing on her face.
You certainly wouldn’t guess at this retail aversion based on her wardrobe. Over the course of an acting career that has spanned half a century, Imrie has worn some fabulous outfits both on and off screen. They’ve earned her a reputation, in recent years in particular, as an elegant, sometimes experimental and always joyful dresser.
Take the 74-year-old’s appearance at the 2026 Serpentine Summer Party in a glamorous feather-sleeved Taller Marmo dress. Also in attendance was Sienna Miller (with whom Imrie stars in the new legal drama, War) in a Conner Ives coat despite a raging heatwave. “I was wearing feathers and she was wearing fur, and we screamed with laughter,” says Imrie. “It was a joy.”
Before that, there was the bespoke Gieves & Hawkes red velvet suit for the 2025 Fashion Awards, complete with a matching cloak that had been made based upon the late Elizabeth II’s coronation look in 1953.
“Do you call it a cloak or a robe?” Imrie asks. “Anyway, it was an exact replica, and it was very, very special. I’m not sure that it will go down very well in Sainsbury’s, and I’m trying to work out whenever else I’m going to wear it. But it’s very, very precious to me.”
Here is Imrie’s style – perhaps her whole character – in a nutshell. Classic, but imbued with the playful spirit that has made her such an entertaining presence on stage and screen for decades.
She began her career performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, before establishing herself with television roles in series such as Bergerac and Dinnerladies, then graduating to films including Bridget Jones, Mamma Mia and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club.
As for the sartorial character she has shaped, Imrie gives credit to Arabella Boyce, the stylist to whom she was introduced a decade ago. She says she’s been “roller coasting” on Boyce’s genius ever since. “We like something modern, but also playful and not too serious,” she says. “I rather like it when there’s a little quirk in it and it’s not too plain or severe.”
She may detest searching for them in shops, but it’s clear that Imrie delights in great garments. She has a penchant for sharp tailoring, name checking Daisy Knatchbull (who opened Savile Row’s first and only shopfront exclusively for women), Catherine Walker, Armani and Max Mara among her favourites.
But she also loves the “marvellous, mad” designs of Harris Reed, whose avant-garde style has become a London Fashion Week favourite.
Twice while we talk, she dashes off to find an item she’s describing. First there’s a rainbow-jewelled necklace she bought at an Ideal Homes exhibition a few years ago, then an embellished ruby and russet-hued jacket by Nadya Shah, a designer, which she wore for one special night aboard the Orient Express.
Things were different in her younger years, when fashion resembled more of a shield than a vehicle for expression. “I used to wear trousers covered by a long skirt, covered by a smock, or some long Laura Ashley dress, and I looked like a sort of walking carpet,” she says. “I was in cover-up the whole time, generally in black because I thought that would make me look slimmer.”
Before she met Boyce, a turning point came when Imrie went to get her colours done, a retro practice that has enjoyed a resurgence on social media platforms in recent years. “I saw this gentleman who dealt with colours and he said, ‘You’ve got to stop wearing all this black because it’s absolutely absorbing your personality.’ So I ditched that fairly quickly,” she says.
That was “yonks” (about 30 years) ago. But it’s a shift that has stuck because one of the defining qualities of Imrie’s wardrobe, now, is vibrant colour. Another longstanding signature is her hair: a copper-toned pixie crop.
“In my youth, if you can believe it, I had very long, wild hair – people used to call me Rapunzel,” she says. In her mid-20s, her friend, Fidelis Morgan, an actor, persuaded her to go to famed London salon Vidal Sassoon to have it all chopped off. She describes it as a “life changer” and even dares me, long overdue a haircut, to do the same.
“It takes a real leap of faith,” she says. “But I’m so pleased that I was brave enough to do it because I think I was sort of hiding behind it and, funnily enough, different [acting] parts came along afterwards.”
One of these was the role of a fighter pilot in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, written and directed by George Lucas. Imrie singles this out as her favourite ever costume – it included a helmet, ear defenders and goggles as well as a tonal ensemble that wouldn’t look out of place on a contemporary catwalk.
“I was the only woman fighter pilot,” she says. “I got told off by George Lucas for wearing lipstick, which I thought was rather unfair since I was the only woman. But there we are.”
The costume was designed by Trisha Biggar, who had also made the costumes Imrie wore at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow earlier in her career. “No wonder it was good because she had that theatrical touch,” she says. “I remember those gorgeous shades of orange and chocolate.”
Imrie seems to bring a touch of that theatricality into her personal wardrobe whenever she can. A memorable recent opportunity to do so came when she appeared in the first series of the Celebrity Traitors, alongside Alan Carr and Stephen Fry.
She may have missed out on a place in the final after being “murdered in plain sight” by Carr, but thanks to a comedically timed bout of nervous flatulence, and a few killer outfits, she cemented her position both as national treasure and fashion aficionado.
“I rang up Arabella immediately [when I knew I was going to take part] and said, ‘Quick, come over’ because we were given a huge list of what was going to be required,” she says. Their fashion picks included a magnificent tartan coat by Catherine Walker, which Imrie wore in the first episode. “It went in the papers to say that it was £15,000 worth of coat, which it was, but if you notice, I took it off to dig the graves,” she says.
Most of her wardrobe had to be practical for taking part in the series’s frequent tasks. Plus, there’s only one true style star of the show. “I don’t think any of us could compete with Claudia’s glorious outfits,” she says. “It would be wrong to try to compete with her anyway because she’s got her own perfect style.”
Does Imrie have any advice for this year’s celebrity cohort? “They’re not going to be as good as us lot, that’s for sure. But I’m definitely going to watch,” she says. “We were intrepid and we didn’t quite know what was going to happen but we did play the game – we really did.
“I think it’s a very clever game and quite cruel, but it is a game, for goodness’ sake. I think people are getting a bit hot under the collar about it all. I did have very good fun and, if you can, I think that’s probably the way to go in.”
This seems to be Imrie’s approach to style too. Just as long as she doesn’t have to go shopping.
Get the look...
Crepe jacket, £345, The Fold; Cotton velvet top, £550, La Double J at MyTheresa; Necklace, £110, MaxMara; Satin clutch bag, £195, Lulu Guinness; Suede shoes, £199, Sole Bliss
Celia Imrie’s five personal style rules
1. Avoid see-through garments
I like being daring, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to wear something very short or very see-through. I know it wouldn’t suit me, and it would look like mutton dressed as lamb.
2. Embrace cashmere
I know it sounds a bit expensive, but I love cashmere. A cashmere jumper always makes you feel good. I don’t like being too hot and the great thing about cashmere is that it’s both warm and cool.
3. Trainers are a practical, stylish choice
I love silk shirts and fitted jackets, but I’m always in a rush, so I also love something quick, such as wearing trainers.
4. Don’t shy away from colour
There’s quite a lot of sparkle in my wardrobe – and lots of colour. My favourite is turquoise but there’s also silver, gold, red, green and white.
5. Channel timeless style
Old Hollywood style is in my mind very often. Lucille Ball and Katharine Hepburn are inspirations. I love the 1950s look.
Celia Imrie’s upcoming travel memoir, The Elegant Hustler, is out now (£25, Little Brown Book Group)