SPOILERS Rivals Season 2 🥳

[Blossombunnyy]

On Disney in May 15th 2026

Who's excited?

I can't wait the trailer looks so good.

I love Maud’s wardrobe. The green velvet coat 😍.

The green sweater and skirt when she allows Tony in to the Priory! Gorgeous.

They've done a huge amount of work using the hair/make up/costumes as short hand for the characters. If you stood Monica, Valerie, Sarah & Taggie together you could make assumptions about all of those women very quickly and be (in part) correct about all.

Taggie's clothes are deliberately simple shapes, soft, touchable, natural fabrics, plain and unadorned. Little jewellery, no sign of Elnett! Clean line dresses which - unlike Sarah's or Cameron's - aren't intended to be sexy or draw attention but actually highlight her straightforward beauty. It's deliberately timeless as she's represents every woman.

Lizzie's dresses are very accurate for the period, busy patterns & frills, but I think as her love affair with Fred has moved on her clothes fit better and use more flattering shades. She's blossoming right under James' nose and he doesn't notice.

Guilty of over thinking this!

I read an article by one of the costume people and he was saying that they’ve even gone to the level of detail of which watches the (male) characters wear. It might be already linked up thread.

Here it is anyway https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/rivals-season-2-costumes

I loved it, changes and all.
I was a big Jilly Cooper fan back in the day and started to re-read when the first series came out. It's been an absolute joy to watch.
I don't really care about it being released slowly as I don't binge watch anything preferring to do extend the enjoyment. I might well watch again before the November episodes drop.
My favourite book is Polo so it's great to hear about the Argentine filming.

If they do go on to later books they are going to have to find some great actors to follow this lot. Only RCB is a common thread and even then just fleeting appearances in later books.

I was 29 in 1987. At work I wore pin striped suits with a shirt and tie. My hair was an Annie Lennox crop. Outside work it was straight jeans, not skinny, velvet jackets, knitted dresses with metal belts, flowery dresses but not quite Laura Ashley.

As vile Beatie has dished the dirt on RCB already, she can't dish it again just before the IBA meeting to try and derail the Venturer bid. However, by introducing Perdita into Rivals she now had another story to drop just before the IBA meeting, at least that's my theory.

I’ve just finished reading my ancient hardback copy of Polo ( again , need reading glasses now though ) , which has the big storm of 1987 towards the end
Started The man who made husbands jealous ( ❤️)

This was my fave dress of 1987 , mine was dark green with a pale stripe , I loved that dress , night have had a similar perm , but think that was a bit last year

If I was going to read one of the Rutshire novels, which one would you recommend most of all? Which one is the best, and why?

Riders without a shadow of a doubt. The RCB and Jake rivalry is brilliant. And I love horses and show jumping 😍

I still have a Laura Ashley like that, but the front of the bodice comes down to a point. Its a size 12, which I am now in most shops, but I bet that LA size 12 doesn't come close to fastening up!

PS: I'm too scared to actually try it.

Marcus Gilbert died in January this year.

It was made in 1997, not very good if my memory serves me well.

Rivals is the best. Strictly you should start with Riders though for background and context.

That sounds like the one I had. Was probably also a size 12 but way smaller than today's 12!

Funnily I can remember buying it. There was a sale on and the changing room - communal as they were the - packed with women and floral fabrics 😀

Riders as it introduces all of the characters.

Not very good-rather like the Riders that got made a few years earlier. It could be remade though! I’d love to see a Lysander! I always struggled to picture Kitty though!

Omg searching for ‘TMWMHJ’ on YouTube - young Hugh Bonneville! But why does Lysander look like a young Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (puke)? That’s not my idea of how he should look at all!!!!!! (Sorry to the actor who I expect is lovely)..,

I’ve never seen TMWMHJ but a young Hugh Bonneville is exactly how I’d pictured Ferdie in my head.

Rivals.

If you then decided to read a second - Polo.

They are the best two.

Don’t go near Jump or anything subsequent

Agree. Rivals has the better cast of characters and is more fun.

I didn’t really enjoy anything after Polo.

Actively disliked TMWMHJ - I’m always quite surprised at how fondly it’s written about on MN.

i can’t think of a single nice thing to say about the previous tv adaptations.

I tried re-reading some JC books on the Kindle .
Tried "Harriet" , one of the early ones but got bored .
Started "Wicked" but couldn't get into it , I haven't ever finished the book.
TMWMHJ got part way , I might come back to it .

I loved the 'name' ones they are shorter , you can totally predict the ending , they're fun easy reading .( DH found and bought the whole set in a 2nd hand bookshop when we were students ,,,,,,,, Ahhhh )

Didn't finish Wicked but did go back to finish Appasionata and Pandora .

Not even bothered with Mount , Jump or Tackle .

My DD is loving Rivals but I don't think she'd like the books TBH .
I haven't watched Rivals

He can they leave it SO long before continuing?! It’s infuriating 🙈

Wicked is far and away the worst and I’ve never finished it. I did manage Mount but haven’t tackled Jump or Tackle yet. I’ve just reread the ‘name’ ones. Imogen is my favourite followed by Octavia.

I loved Imogen and Prudence plus Hester’s wedding in Lisa & Co.

If you will only ever read one then Rivals but really they are better read in order starting with Riders.
As others have said the quality dropped off as the series went on. Jilly Cooper's editor should have drawn a line at some point but.. greed.

I stopped at Wicked-that was amusingly bad but the last three held no appeal at all.