Designing Clothes Inspired by Bridgerton Costumes

3 looks. 2 shows. 1 universe.

For my first inaugural post, I wanted to do something fashion related, but also connect it to something popular right now. Back in January, a costume from the Netflix show Bridgerton inspired me to sketch a dres. Since the Queen Charlotte prequel just came out, I decided to sketch three looks inspired by costumes from both shows.

A dress worn in season 1 by the character Daphne Bridgerton inspired this first look. The person who helped bring the Regency Era style to life in season 1 was none other than the amazing costume designer Ellen Mirojnick. You may have seen some of her work from Showgirls(1995) and The Greatest Showman(2017). The left side features Daphne’s dress, and on the right side, my sketch inspired by her dress.

I chose this costume from season 1 because there were many aspects of it that captivated me. The first thing that caught my eye was the embellishments. After countless times zooming in and replaying the episode, the embellishments look like little tiny flowers. To be honest, that detail isn’t very interesting, but I imagined the embellishments as small little bugs crawling over the dress, so instead of tiny flowers, I did tiny bugs on my sketch hence the big bug on the left of the sketch.

Another thing I liked about Daphne’s dress was how the satin fabric and iridescent embellishments allowed the dress’s color to shift in the light. Compared to some of her other dresses, this one appears more playful and less dutiful, hence for my sketch, I did a fun 2 piece set. I could see this being paired with some strappy sandals, and a glossy lip for a fun night out, or the top being paired with jeans for a less dressy look.

The season 2 Bridgerton costumes, like the romance, got even better with the help of lead costume designer Sophie Canale. She was an assistant costume designer in season 1 and received a promotion for season 2 so congrats to her. *clapping sound* You may recognize her work from Kick-Ass(2010) and X-Men: First Class(2011). Surprisingly, the look that caught my eye was worn by none other than the infuriating Cressida Cowper. I know. What a shocker. To the left, you will see said look that she wore at Lady Danbury’s ball in episode 1 of season 2.

The thing that intrigued me most about the dress was the sleeves. I found the feathers a little extravagant, yet there was an elegance to them. So, for my sketch on the right, I did a yellow dress with thin, yellow feathers sprinkled throughout it. Though not included in my sketch, this dress would look great with a matching shawl. This would make the dress scream luxury. Since Bridgerton loves their sparkle, and I do too, I had to add some glitter to the dress. You may not be able to see it, but it’s the little specks on the sketch.

The last look that inspired me is not exactly from the show Bridgerton, but it is from the Bridgerton universe. This look is from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Unlike seasons 1 and 2 of Bridgerton, I was much more drawn to the pieces worn by the male characters in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The costume designers Lyn Elizabeth Paolo and Laura Frecon did a great job at adding more detail to the male costumes. You may have seen some of Paolo’s work in How to Get Away with Murder and Shameless. Frecon’s work can be found in Inventing Anna and True Blood.

The look I chose is worn by King George in the first episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. There were only 2 things that I was paying attention to in that episode. King George’s smile and his wedding attire. I found the embroidery on the hemlines of his jacket and top understated and sharp. It’s not too showy, but it also makes his outfit, on the left, less plain.

For my sketch, on the right, I did a black suede dress, with the embroidery from George’s look on the hemlines. This sketch is definitely the most simple, which makes sense because it’s inspired by a look worn by King George, who was at the core a simple man. He may have been the king of a great nation, but he also liked to farm and study the stars. I imagine this dress being worn to brunch or a nice day out. Add in some black sunnies and the look is chef’s kiss.

Those are the 3 looks I created inspired by the Bridgerton-verse. I’d like to thank all the talented costume designers, assistants, and supervisors that helped create such a crucial part of the shows: the costumes. Without them, the Bridgerton-verse wouldn’t be as remarkable. Make sure to check out the show on Netflix. Thank you for reading this week and I hope you come back for more next week. Subscribe so you never miss a new post, and stay sharp 😉