Sonoya Mizuno – Maniac

There was stiff competition for the style winner of Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Maniac. Emma Stone’s 80s look in episode four and all of Sally Fields’ jumpers were on the shortlist. But the lesson here is that sometimes the real star keeps it simple. See Sonoya Mizuno as Dr Azumi Fujita with bowlcut, wire-frame glasses and lab coat. Her hair was based on that of Comme des Garçons’ designer, Rei Kawakubo, so it even has a proper fashion pedigree. One for the discerning fancy dress party – not to mention any upcoming visit to the hairdresser. LC

Patricia Clarkson – Sharp Objects

With never a hair out of place, Patricia Clarkson’s Adora was Sharp Objects’ grand dame of southern gothic style. There were picture hats, sequinned gowns and perfectly set hair, and that was just for daytime. But, appropriately for a show where darkness is always under the surface, Adora’s glamorous style excelled at night. See her long lace nightdresses in peachy pink, accessorised with a clinking whiskey glass. A perfect example of sofa dressing goals for the Christmas period. LC

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Patricia Clarkson as Adora in Sharp Objects. Photograph: Anne Marie Fox/AP

Alexander Skarsgård – Little Drummer Girl

Forget undercover espionage, and ignore Florence Pugh and friends for a moment. Little Drummer Girl’s Alexander Skarsgård is worth studying as a master of colour-blocking. The palette is what makes it interesting – more wintry farmers’ market than anything too bright. Think mustards, chilli-pepper green and claret, sometimes all in the same outfit, often with an open-necked shirt and a chain. A thousand-yard stare and haunted expression are optional accessories. LC

Jodie Comer – Killing Eve

Loads has been written about how Jodie Comer’s Killing Eve character, Villanelle, is as much a fashion killer as a, well, killer killer. Her wardrobe contains actual weapons, but also excellent clothing choices from Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Dries Van Noten. But the outfit that became notorious was the yards-of-tulle sugar-pink babydoll shape, worn – somewhat incongruously – for a therapy session. It put the designer, London-based Molly Goddard, on the map and spawned a thousand memes. LC

Jameela Jamil – The Good Place

Tahani, Jameela Jamil’s character in The Good Place, is the kind of woman who is garden-party-ready at all times. Floral frocks, often with a full skirt, almost always with pearls, are her stock in trade. When in the mix with the jeans-and-shirt style of the rest of the cast, the sheer effort here is heartening, especially when she’s in a scene with sometime soulmate Jason Mendoza and his excellent line in tracksuits. An odd couple if ever there was one. LC

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jameela Jamil as Tahani in The Good Place. Photograph: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Michael Peña – Narcos: Mexico

Normcore was in need of a new reference – and it has been found in Michael Peña’s character in Narcos: Mexico, DEA agent Kiki Camarena. Nothing here is remarkable, but that’s what makes Peña’s wardrobe one for fashion pros and also – happily – those who like their clothes unremarkable. In the same way as Andy Warhol, Camarena likes boring things. See zip-up Harrington-style jackets and khaki-and-chambray shirts. Contrasting with the more upscale look of his drug dealer targets, this is the stylishly under-the-radar wardrobe of a man on a mission. LC

Keeley Hawes – Bodyguard

Anyone looking for a work wardrobe refresh for 2019 should check out Keeley Hawes’s look as Julia Montague in Bodyguard. Simple sweaters, well-cut trouser suits, buttoned-up silky blouses, no-nonsense bob and a particularly well-chosen berry-coloured lipstick. Think of her as the new Stella Gibson and try to – spoiler alert – forget about the grisly end. LC

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Keeley Hawes as Julia Montague in Bodyguard. Photograph: Des Willie/BBC/PA

Julia Davis – Sally4Ever

Who knows if Julia Davis’s Sally4Ever character, Emma, knows that western is really on-trend for AW18 and, frankly, who cares? While other elements of the comedian’s latest series might make you hide your eyes, the clothes she wears are worth a look to find out how a “go hard or go home” attitude can work for a trend. A tassled jacket, cowboy boots, rodeo shirt and bolo tie all at once? Go on then. LC

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Julia Davis, left, as Emma in Sally4Ever. Photograph: Sky Atlantic

Alexandra Cane – Love Island

Personal style can be tricky to spot on the annual reality TV series – particularly when Missguided have a monopoly on contestant wardrobes – yet look past the bikinis and the bodycon, and it was 2018 Love Island latecomer Alexandra Cane who did island style right. From flares and crop top co-ords to a floor-length black House of CB date dress and the “is this too much?” lingerie – she nailed it. Plus her oversized “nakey nakey nakey” slogan T-shirt, accessorised with pants and a Pot Noodle, was a lewk. LH

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Alexandra Cane prepares for a Love Island date. Photograph: ITV/REX/Shutterstock

Holliday Grainger – Patrick Melrose

Despite Benedict Cumberbatch flouncing round 80s New York in an eye-patch and overcoat, it’s Holliday Grainger as social climber Bridget Watson Scott in episode two who sports this miniseries’ most enviable looks. Costume designer Keith Madden dressed her in a replica Biba mini-dress and knee-high boots, in contrast to her co-stars’s structured 60s styles and headscarves. Meanwhile a floor-length, batwing red dress proves the perfect attire for plotting an escape. “You look like a medieval witch!” snaps her much older lover. Very on trend. LH

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Holliday Grainer as Bridget Watson Scott in Patrick Melrose. Photograph: Justin Downing/Sky TV

Zawe Ashton – Wanderlust

If it was the clothes-off moments that were meant to grab the attention of Wanderlust viewers, they shouldn’t have dressed English teacher Claire Pascal (Zawe Ashton) so stylishly. Claire was testament to the power of a good necklace: a simple gold pendant brought a touch of glam to her V-neck navy dress, travelled school corridors over a cream roll neck and looked fab over a ruffle shirt and pinafore dress in the staff room. It was the finishing touch to a pleated mididress at pub karaoke and held its own against velvet trousers in a DIY store. One word: want. LH

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Zawe Ashton as Claire Pascal in Wanderlust. Photograph: BBC

Harris Dickinson – Trust

You could forgive the heir to the Getty Oil fortune for looking a little bedraggled while being held hostage – but this is 70s Italy, and it seeps from every corner of the young Jean Paul’s wardrobe. He shows up in a skin-tight long-sleeve T-shirt, covered in stars, before spending the majority of his ordeal in a sheer, sparkly shirt, worn open over a tie-dye T-shirt and paired with flared jeans. The whole look is top-and-tailed by bare feet and a mop of curls – perfetto. LH