Candiace Dillard Bassett Reveals Her Fashion Secrets From ‘The Traitors’ and Real Housewives of Potomac

When it comes to reality TV, there are few personas as polarizing yet undeniably magnetic as Candiace Dillard Bassett. The former Bravo star first made waves on The Real Housewives of Potomac, where she checked her fellow castmates with her razor-sharp wit and cutting reads. (“Not today, neck; not today, ankles!”). She even coined the term for a make-up-saving, tear-duct-damping tissue-folding technique known as the CryAngle, which has since entered the cultural lexicon.

Looking back on her RHOP days, Candiace possessed a star quality sorely missed on our screens when she left the show after six sensational seasons. Because not only did the Mississippi-born, Atlanta-raised firecracker shoot lethal one-liners with deadly precision, she delivered some killer fashions to boot. Candiace’s confessional and reunion looks always leaned into the opulent, over-the-top glamour synonymous with the Real Housewives. From fully feathered gowns, denim-on-denim ensembles, to cinched satin suits, the former beauty pageant queen always knew how to carry herself with confidence to spare.

When she wasn’t filming, Candiace also had a burgeoning music career, going on a cross-country tour from 2022 to 2023 for her album Deep Space. While many Bravo-lebrities dip their toes into the pop world with varying degrees of success, Candiace’s foray into music was much more intentional than gimmicky, as evident in her R&B hits “Drive Back”, “Fine Whine”, and her latest single “If Only”. Her concert attire took cues from her sound, with a ’90s diva-meets-futuristic look.

After touring and setting down her Real Housewives of Potomac champagne flute, Candiace focused on parenthood, welcoming a baby boy with her husband, Chris Bassett, in 2024. However, it wouldn’t take her long to return to our screens, this time not as a Real Housewife but as a traitor. Joining the fourth season of the hit Peacock show The Traitors, Candiace was chosen by host Alan Cumming to flex her skills of deception as a “traitor,” alongside fellow former Real Housewife Lisa Rinna and Love Island heartthrob Rob Rausch—and she looked devilishly good doing it.

Candiace ditched her glitzy Housewives looks in favor of prim and proper twin sets and girlish headbands that conveyed an image of innocence and charm, a masterful choice for a game in which perception is everything. But it wasn’t all Clueless-coded clothes that caught our eyes; for the show’s dramatic “Black Banquet,” where the cast dressed to the nines in Hunger Games-worthy looks, Candiace chose a slinky black column dress paired with a Medusa headpiece made of dozens of gold snakes that went viral on Instagram.

Read on to learn more about how the reality star styles herself for TV, motherhood, and the stage with Candiace Dillard Bassett’s How I Get Dressed.

Why She Chose to Style Herself for ‘The Traitors’

I wanted to like, do it myself. Because when you’re a new mom, motherhood is beautiful, but postpartum is ghetto. I was dealing with a lot of postpartum nonsense, trying to be a mom and also be in my bad bitch era. But it was too much to bring in a team, ’cause a team wants to do things in a particular way, they wanna do fittings. They want you So I was like, lemme just do it myself.

How She Packed for ‘Traitors’

I honestly looked at Alan, and I said, “Okay, how can I make my clothes look like the female Candace version of Scottish fashion?” That was the inspiration. I wanted to be campy. I wanted to be outlandish in a fun, over-the-top, but still cute way. Most of my wardrobe for The Traitors came from the brand Nana Jacqueline.

Her On-Screen Accessories

I knew I wanted to do a lot of accessories, hats, and gloves.  I was intentional about the accessories and wanted every piece to tie into one another and feel a little European, but camp—and that’s what the headpieces and accessories helped achieve. I got a lot of people asking, “Is she trying to be like a Pan Am flight attendant?”

On Her “Black Banquet” Look

I wanted to give a nod to the treachery. We’re in this evil simulator. I ordered the gold snake headpiece from an Etsy store in the Ukraine called Seta Design, and I just knew I wanted it, so I had it shipped from Ukraine right to Scotland. It was perfect because, you know, we’re all a bunch of snakes on the show. And at the time I ordered it, I didn’t know Rob was a snake wrangler with all those snake tattoos, so it was actually perfect. It was also kind of a dog whistle to me being a traitor.

What She Loves About Alan Cumming’s Style

During the first mission, where we’re in the lake looking through coffins, I was like, “Why is my ass in a damn boat in a loch in the middle of Scotland? Get me outta here.” Then you had Alan Cumming show up wearing a coffin coat. Everything he wears is so unique and so cool—he never disappoints. I think outside of finding out who was murdered every morning, the next greatest thing about breakfast was seeing what outfit Alan would be wearing.

How She Dressed Differently on ‘The Real Housewives’

During my time on Potomac, my style was more everyday Candiace because we were meant to show that real side, outside of the confessionals and reunions. For this show, I was trying to match the vibe of the location, the host, and the experience. So on The Traitors, I was very intentionally trying to be a Black campy, Barbie-doll version of Alan Cumming.

What Changed About Her Style After Motherhood

I have incorporated many a sneaker because you literally cannot wear anything but a flat. So I’ve really invested in a Doc Martin, or a boot—like a combat-style boot with a chunky heel—so I can chase my baby down the Wegmans aisle. When you’re wearing a flat, you have to think about the look more because it’s like, Okay, how am I gonna elevate this? A heel does all the talking, but when you’re wearing a flat, it’s like, Okay, what else am I gonna put on this to make it a thing?