Love ’70s fashion? BBC-Netflix’s The Serpent has vintage sunglasses, crochet bikinis, and retro pantsuits

Costume designers Adam Howe and Rachel Walsh used vintage finds to recreate outfits based on iconic looks from designers such as the late Yves Saint Laurent

Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman star in the story of murderer Charles Sobhraj and his girlfriend who preyed on travellers on Asia’s ‘hippie trail’ in the mid-’70s

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Jenna Coleman (left) and Tahar Rahim star in The Serpent, a BBC-Netflix mini series replete with stunning ‘70s fashion. Photo: BBC/Mammoth Screen

Published: 1:15am, 10 Apr 2021Updated: 10:41am, 16 Apr 2021

A co-production between the BBC and streaming service Netflix, mini series The Serpent revolves around the real story of Charles Sobhraj, a con man who posed as a gem dealer and committed a series of crimes in 1975-76 while travelling across the “hippie trail” – a journey that took people in the mid-1950s to the late-1970s from Europe to South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Played by French actor Tahar Rahim, Sobhraj became the chief suspect in a series of gruesome murders of “longhairs”, the name by which Western backpackers were then known.

The true-crime story is mainly set in Bangkok, where Sobhraj is based with his French-Canadian girlfriend and accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc, played by British actress Jenna Coleman.

Coleman in a still from The Serpent. Photo: BBC/Mammoth Screen

The couple cut a striking figure, not only for their good looks but also for the fabulous costumes created by costume designers Adam Howe and Rachel Walsh. The duo used vintage finds, including scarves from Hermès, to recreate outfits based on iconic looks from designers such as the late Yves Saint Laurent and Kansai Yamamoto.

If you love ’70s fashion, you’re in for a treat: Jackie O sunglasses, patterned jumpsuits, crochet bikinis and retro pantsuits paired with printed blouses are all part of Leclerc’s enviable wardrobe.

Mathilde Warnier and Coleman in a still from The Serpent. Photo: BBC/Mammoth Screen

Add to that a smattering of stunning jewellery creations in precious stones such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds and you have all the ingredients of slick ’70s glamour with a touch of boho chic.