Servalan's Clothes - Worst to Best

 

Servalan's costume design is almost as iconic as she is. Throughout the four-year run of Blake's 7, the devilish woman wore a variety of wicked outfits that made her, as Jacqueline Pearce put it, a masturbatory fantasy for millions. Today I rank them all, not counting disguises (a la the black hood in Gold) or borrowed clothing (a la the purple dress belonging to Dayna).

#23. "Plucked Servalan"

WORN IN: Animals (4x05)

She looks like she's wearing the carcass of an overgrown crow. It's impossible to take it seriously. Perhaps her plan was to convince everyone she couldn't possibly be Servalan, because Servalan wouldn't be caught dead in such a fashion suicide. 

#22. "Grandma Servalan"

WORN IN: Orbit (4x11)

Boring. This was around the time when it began to seem the designers were running out of ideas for fancy dresses, so we get this thing, which just looks like Servalan's wrapped some fabric around her and called it a day. Whatever's attached to her left shoulder doesn't look right. It's very random. Her intense eyeliner doesn't help. 

#21. "Servalan's Kitchen Nightmares"

WORN IN: Trial (2x06), Voice from the Past (2x10)

Aside from resembling a chef outfit, it's just kind of goofy. What's with the giant buttons? Why is there a square attached to her front? I like the collar though, that looks neat. Not good enough to save the rest of this bizarre outfit. 

#20. "Oh Yeah, Servalan Wore A Fur Coat That One Time"

WORN IN: Hostage (2x08), The Keeper (2x12)

A modification of #21, with marginal improvements. I really do love the fur coat, I think it's very ladylike. But the actual outfit is rather generic, even with the flower. And the one thing Servalan cannot allow herself to be is forgettable. 

#19. "Things Aren't Always Black and White, Servalan"

WORN IN: Rumours of Death (3x08)

There's two distinct eras of Servalan's costuming. Pre-clone babies (white) and post-clone babies (black). Surprisingly, this is the only outfit that combines the two colors in equal measure. Which, now that I think of it, might have been more fitting for Children of Auron. But thematic relevance aside, it's not very appealing. It looks like a dress that can't decide what it wants to be. 

#18. "Where's the rest of the dress, Servalan?"

WORN IN: Games (4x08)

It looks a bit wrinkled and cheap. Big no-no there. The design on the front is a bit eccentric, and not in a good way. I put it above the ones below it because the reverse cleavage thing she's got going on here is kinda hot. But that's it. This dress doesn't really flatter Servalan in any other way. 

#17. "Roman Servalan"

WORN IN: Weapon (2x03)

Like the rest of Weapon, it's overdramatic and cluttered, but also grandiose in a way. The fluffy white coat appears to be reused from the 1976 Doctor Who serial "The Ribos Operation". But hey, it fits the ensemble so I'm hardly going to complain. It's not a terrible outfit, but the ones above it are better. 

#16. "Cocktail Party Servalan"

WORN IN: Warlord (4x12)

The complete opposite of #17, this dress is extremely basic, but that's why it works. It's a classic that's never gone out of style. I can't rank it any higher, but there's no denying it looks beautiful on Pearce. 

#15. "Wedding Bells Servalan"

WORN IN: The Harvest of Kairos (3x05)

This is the most form-fitting dress Servalan ever wore, so obviously that influences my decisionmaking somewhat. I am hardly immune to her charms, after all. Either of them. But that aside, there's a flamboyance to the outfit that perfectly suits the campy fun that is Kairos. Getting to see Servalan's equally overdesigned nightgown was amusing.

#14. "1940s Servalan"

WORN IN: Star One (2x13) - Aftermath (3x01)

This looks like Servalan walked out of a period drama film. The pearl necklace and the relative conservatism of the costume don't really suit her personality. But it is a nice dress and one could argue the more restrained look represents her assuming control of the presidency - being all business, as it were. 

#13. "Vulture Servalan"

WORN IN: Traitor (4x03)

Although it's often conflated with the equally feathery dress in Animals, I would make a case that it's actually a much better designed outfit. There seemed to be no thought put into the Animals dress, it was just feathers glued onto fabric. Here, actual effort is put into making Servalan appear as birdlike as possible (note the thin legs and heavy sleeves). I think it's thematically appropriate. The first time we see her again is in a battle, which is where vultures generally gather for sustenance. She has fallen from grace and is now reduced to picking at corpses, trying to rebuild her power base. There's also a comparison to be made with the stereotypical magpie stealing shiny things to take to her nest. It's one of the more interesting designs for Servalan, and she wears it well. 

All that being said, it is one of the more outrageous designs, preventing it from climbing higher on the list. 

#12. "Iconic Servalan"

WORN IN: Terminal (3x13), Traitor (4x03)

Probably the best known Servalan costume. It has lots of interesting elements - the fabric isn't just pure black, but made up of various shades of grey. The spiky ornament on her shoulder is cool, and I would imagine she's used it to stab someone in the neck more than once. It's not a dress I'm in love with, but it's a design that's stuck so I've got to give it credit. 

#11. "The Girl Next Door, Servalan"

WORN IN: Sand (4x09)

A designer on the original Star Trek once said that the trick behind a great-looking dress is making it so that the viewer could easily imagine it falling off by accident. That's certainly true for this one. It also reminds me of Dayna's early outfits in Series C (perhaps Tarrant found this appealing on some subconscious level), the shoulder-baring ones which emphasized her youth and ability. It does the same for Servalan here, helping her take on the role of a helpless maiden for Tarrant to save. 

#10. "Classic Servalan"

WORN IN: Project Avalon (1x09), Deliverance (1x12)

I always imagine Servalan with this outfit. It's so minimalistic, but also not an ordinary dress. There's class and regality here. No one could accuse it of being sexualised, but it's fitted well enough for Servalan to be able to manipulate her underlings and superiors. And who doesn't love the moment she slinks out of that warmer? All the important elements of her personality are brought to the forefront - the angelic cover, the corrupt truth and the power she wields. 

#9. "Supreme Commander Servalan"

WORN IN: Volcano (3x03)

Servalan wasn't known to wear many rational costumes, by design. She was too powerful to look as if she bothered with any concerns. But there were occasional exceptions, and they're more notable for it. This is one example of Servalan emphasizing her military leadership whilst retaining her facade of purity and perfection with the white color. Probably a fair choice given that the Federation was crumbling and needed a strong head. However, I do feel this would've been more fitting in Series A and B, when she was specifically a general-type figure rather than the president of everything. Perhaps it's a reference towards dictators who like to dress up in uniform? 

#8. "Casual Servalan"

WORN IN: Death-Watch (3x12)

Both of these looks strike me as very relaxed. Servalan on holiday. The first is a lovely little nothing she's almost wearing, and the second is the dress version of a tank top. It brings Servalan out of the realms of fancy and into the real world, which somehow makes her even more attractive. Avon certainly seemed to think so... 

#7. "Commandant Grayzalan"

WORN IN: Moloch (3x11)

Similarly to #9, there's a military vibe there with the shoulderpads, but also much more of natural Servalan showing off - the cleavage, pretty silver stripes, necklace etc. It's just a badass look for her, I don't know what else to say. 

#6. "BDServalan"

WORN IN: Children of Auron (3x07)

Servalan with a dog collar. I can get behind that. Play the sting!

#5. "Wintervalan"

WORN IN: Orac (1x13)

The most normal clothes Servalan ever wore. I know part of her aesthetic was ignoring anything that didn't fit hers, but seeing her clamber around the dunes of Virn wearing a gown and high heels was just an inherently silly image. So it's nice to go back to Series A where she was more pragmatic and willing to dress for the weather. She's still obviously out of her depth on the field, but at least now it's kind of cute and not groanworthy. She came prepared with her own little action getup!

#4. "OGvalan"

WORN IN: Seek-Locate-Destroy (1x06)

It all started here, and it was all right on the money, setting the trend for all the later costumes. There's the silver embroidery, which brings a touch of regality. It's obviously tailored to perfection and we get to see her seduce Rai in it. There's the magnificent collar, a mainstay of her Series A outfits. It's a costume fit for a queen, and difficult to improve upon. 

#3. "Cocktail Party Servalan, Take Two"

WORN IN: Assassin (4x07)

I dunno, it's just a really great design for a dress. I think Pearce is stunning in it. There's no real relevance to Servalan as a character, but it's fantastic. 

#2. "Mad Hattervan"

WORN IN: Pressure Point (2x05)

I can't tell what's more risque: the nipple-clamping lizard or the fact that you can see Servalan's knickers? But this is easily the most stylish that Servalan's wardrobe ever got. Parodying Elizabeth II is a bold choice. It's cool to see Servalan wear something that looks like she'd walk around in public with it (meaning on the streets, as opposed to just her regular party dresses for terrorists and one-eyed snakes like Travis). 

#1. "Serva-ohhhhh myyyyyy"

WORN IN: Gambit (2x11)

Yeah, it's this one.