TV’S about to get chic
The Collection whisks us away to the fabulous fashion world of Gay Paree
Downton who? Set a reminder on your phone for 2 September because your costume drama void is about to be filled with berets, smoky bars, hot French men and sexy music. Yes, The Collection (written by Pretty Little Liars’ executive producer Oliver Goldstick) is the most exciting new original series to hit Amazon Prime yet and we’ve had a sneak peek at the gripping eight-parter. So, what can we tell you? It has eye candy. It has hedonism, mystery and betrayal. Here’s what you need to know.
The setting
Post-war Paris is emerging from the dark days of the Nazi Occupation, and the French PM is determined to restore the city’s fashion capital status. Enter Paul Sabine (Coupling’s Richard Coyle), the ruthlessly ambitious entrepreneur behind an up-and-coming Parisian fashion house who – together with his brother Claude (Tom Riley, Da Vinci’s Demons), loyal wife Helen (Mamie Gummer,
The Good Wife) and fearsome matriarch Yvette (the brilliant Frances de la Tour) – plans to dominate the fashion world.
Secrets and lies
From the moment the first episode opens with a body being buried in a shallow grave, you know there must be some seriously sinister undertones to this frothy fashion scene. As the threads of the story begin to unravel, it’s clear each character is concealing a dark secret, and head honcho Paul’s is the darkest of them all. While he publicly basks in the glory of his atelier, behind closed doors it’s his incredibly talented sparring partner sibling Claude who’s the true artistic genius of the operation. But with hedonist Claude’s flings with wanton men and life of debauchery threatening to ruin the family business, how far will Paul go to protect it – and what other disturbing secrets is he hiding?
Eye candy
Be prepared to feel major fashion envy at the exquisite haute couture in each episode – and the human hangers are pretty easy on the eye, too. In the first episode alone, handsome Tom Riley (see right) strips off and bares his bum (to be fair, he getting into a bath), plus Max Deacon
(Into The Storm) ups the cute factor as Billy Novack, the plucky photographer seduced by the city and striking seamstress Nina… KAY RIBEIRO The Collection starts Friday 2 September on Amazon Prime