Cover Image from Vogue | All images from Netflix Bridgerton (2022)

Dearest reader,

It should come of no surprise that the Ton’s treasured pastiche of Regency England routines and romances has embraced modern-day influences. While all eyes turn to the classical renditions of Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ and Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times’ or to seemingly star-crossed lovers who transcend intraracial pairing, there is, in truth, more than meets the eye. A grand deal of the phenomena within this period piece are quite conspicuously not-so-period, and whereas some indications may be crystal clear, others require a touch more perusing to put a finger on — particularly in the realm of fashion. It is on that account that this author shall reveal the very circumstances of pop culture’s influence on fashion in Chris Van Dusen and Shonda Rhimes’ Emmy-nominated Bridgerton Season 2. 

Colors

It is said that the early decades of the 1800’s did not see outfits in colors as vivid as those in the show. In the Regency era Bridgerton is set in, dye pigments, derived from natural substances, produced muted hues of yellow, pink, blue, purple, and more, including the Regency-representative Pomona Green. Majority of the day dresses were flowing plain white gowns, a sentiment clearly not shared by the Featheringtons and Bridgerton costume designers Ellen Mirojnick and Sophie Canale, who have apparently not one nor two color palettes for the entire Ton, but a distinct one for each family. It is here this author wishes to introduce the first of many pop culture influences that have tainted the aesthetically-pleasing, scandal-saturated crowd-favorite drama in the most pleasant manner possible: Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (evidently), this coming-of-age film revolving around the teenage Queen of France, champagne in one hand, cake in the other, all while shopping for the next pair of shoes to add to her lavish collection, was the inspiration for Bridgerton’s pastel theme. 

As the prominent family of the social season, the Bridgertons’ color palette consists of similar delicate pastel shades. The pale blues, silvers, purples, roses, and creams reflect their place in the London high society. 

On the other hand, vibrant, bold, and daring define the Featheringtons’ color palette — a stark contrast from the Bridgertons’. In a town filled with ambitious mamas and fortune-hunting gentlemen, the overly citrus tones and overly embellished garments of the Featherington women demand attention. Some believe Lady Featherington chooses the wrong colors, but this author would venture a different conjecture, that she excellently plays around with pops of color, much like in modern day fashion. And so you have the fashionable Featheringtons, another powerhouse of a family. 

Lower Necklines

One may say modesty is a virtue, yet the ladies in Bridgerton are hardly as virtuous of women as those of the actual Regency era. “The bosom is very, very on display in this show,” fashion historian Raissa Bretaña acknowledges. “It was actually required that you cover your chest during the day.” However, the costume designers had other intentions, paying generous attention to scooped necklines and how they fit the bust. “This show is sexy, fun and far more accessible than your average restrained period drama and it's important for the openness of the necklines to reflect that. When you go into a close-up, there's so much skin. It exudes beauty,” Mirojnick shared in a Vogue interview. 

Hair

Hairstyles are another way the show deviates from historical accuracy, though this author cannot dismiss the lack of bonnets quite so soon. The Bridgerton team may have simply given a nod to bonnets of the time with straw accessories accented with flowers or feathers, but I shall wager that this has given way to splendid pop icon-inspired hairdos. 

As a rule, a lady’s hair in the Regency period would always be centre-parted, in a top bun accessorized by a few tiddly face-framing curls, exposing a clean bare back of the neck that would elongate the nape of the neck as considered slightly sexy then. I must, however, send felicitations to the hairstylists for incorporating the following hairdos remarkable in pop culture: 

Audrey Hepburn’s ’50s hairstyle in War and Peace, which Bridgerton hair and makeup artist Marc Pilcher was reminded of upon seeing Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne Bridgerton)’s “amazing eyebrows”

Beyoncé’s big Afro she sported as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember, which brought a modern twist to Queen Charlotte’s Gainsborough wig

Nellie Oleson’s “all girly ringlets and sugary-sweet on the outside” look in Little House on the Prairie that inspired Cressida Cowper’s hairstyle

Masculine/Feminine

A praiseworthy move by the Bridgerton team is incorporating masculinity into feminine outfits, breaking the gender and beauty standards of society then. Eloise is one spirited, knowledgeable, norm-challenging feminist and her wardrobe, containing heavyweight silks and patterns typical in men’s clothing, reflect just that. Juxtaposing Daphne’s feminine looks, Eloise wears checks and Regency stripes popular for a gentleman’s waistcoat; her self-stripe-patterned inserts are more masculine than feminine. On her quest to the modiste to confront Madame Delacroix about her connection with Lady Whistledown, she dons a dress with a plaid top-piece resembling a waistcoat. Such outfits that "ride the line of masculine and feminine", as Mirojnick puts it, are certainly more established in pop culture, what with tailored suits and oversized garments being adopted by modern women. "There was one jacket in particular that she wore at the modiste, which was taken from a man's takeaway.”

The opposite is feminine motifs in masculine outfits. Flower-embroidered vests are part of brothers Colin and Benedict Bridgerton’s looks during the family’s game of pall-mall. 

Maximalism

Traditionally, the Regency era is a period of country fashion or a fashion of simplicity, which is what many people were going for. However, looks upon looks in Bridgerton Season 2 reflect maximalism instead, just like statement prints or layering garments observed in popular culture. From the most intricate clothing details to extravagantly bejeweled looks, even this jaded author must applaud the maximalist ensembles and the way they bring out different characters’ personalities alongside otherwise simple outfits in the strict-social-etiquettes Regency times. 

Hollywood superstars Elizabeth Taylor and Deborah Kerr were muses for Lady Featherington’s 1950s-meet-Regency outfits. The many ’50s prints she wears were also inspired by the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, from the New Look to present-day Dior dresses. Mirojnick says, “often you’re not sure if she’s more like Joan Collins or Elizabeth Taylor”. The Featherington sisters are also sometimes dressed in eye-catching prints by their mother. 

Queen Charlotte is another character who embraces maximalism in her looks, quite the opposite of the real Queen Charlotte who was known for never changing her silhouette from when she became the queen in the 18th century. "The remit for the queen was that she didn't have any continuity," Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) explains in a Netflix clip. "So every single shot that you see her in, she's in something different. So that drove a kind of character choice as well about the gaudiness of the society.”

This author’s personal favorite? Behold: her monochrome wig-to-toe ice blue look.

Of all that I have imparted to you, gentle reader, there is but one bit of wisdom yet to be known: how Bridgerton will impact fashion in forthcoming period pieces. While this author, along with the other esteemed members of the Ton, will certainly miss its most remarked upon characters back in London, perhaps we might find solace in the promise of them returning to us bearing more surprises in Bridgerton Season 3.