when fashion becomes the protagonist

Pastel, neutral and soft tones, simple dresses made of fine fabrics, country landscapes and a modest aesthetic that always tends towards the natural. The proposal of a romance series located in Londonduring the Regency period in the early 1800s, raises expectations worthy of an adaptation of Jane Austenas Pride and Prejudiceperhaps one of the most representative films of that period.

BridgertonHowever, it is quite the opposite. It differs from others period series for its cultural diversity, its sensuality and eroticism and, especially, its extravagant and particular aesthetics. From the highly ornate mansions in which most of his scenes take place, to the dresses and suits ultra-detailed images worn by its protagonists, each moment is specifically planned to create the fantasy that characterizes it and that attracts more and more viewers.

Since its premiere in 2020, it has become one of the most viewed Netflix original series on the platform. streamingwith more than 2.5 billion hours played between its three seasons globally.

The seriebased on the novels by Julia Quinn, follows the story of the Bridgerton family, members of high society, during the “social seasons” in which their daughters are presented to the marriage market.

It takes place in an alternative version of 1800s London, in which the King George III granted noble titles to citizens of African descent due to the ethnic origin of his wife, the Queen Charlotte.

In Bridgerton The costumes aren’t just another striking aspect of the series, they’re a narrative device. Almost as if it were one more charactereach color of dress, each cut and each appliqué is designed as a tool which helps develop the plot.

It is for this reason that the designs of the series play with the fantasy of a period romance with a modern touch and historical accuracy. John Glaserwardrobe manager, and Dougie Hawkesassociate designer and costume supervisor for the male characters in the third season, talk in dialogue with Viva the particularities of designing to help tell a story.

The third season tells the romance between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), one of the children of the protagonist family, who has just returned from his travels through Europe, and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), youngest daughter of the Featherington family, neighbor of the Bridgertons and anonymous author of gossip under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown, whose identity is revealed to the viewer at the end of the first season.

“Both characters experience a metamorphosis. Penelope reveals herself as Lady Whistledown at the same time he discovers his sexuality. And Colin leaves as a young man in the second season and returns as an experienced man, after his journeys in the third,” says Hawkes.

For the costume department Bridgerton changing the style of both characters was a crucial point in the plot effectiveness. “Before they were a boy and a girl, we had to turn them into a man and a woman to be able to develop that sexual tension”, explica Glaser.

To achieve this, they made a drastic change in the aesthetics of the protagonists, a joint effort with the team of Make up and hairstyle. For Penelope, the turning point in the story is marked by a dark green dress she wears at the beginning of the season.

“It’s a color I’ve never worn before, black gloves, it’s the complete opposite of what it was when her mother wore it. we wanted something unexpected. The audience expected bright color, flowers and things like that, but it was a very striking dress,” Glaser says of the design.

During the scene, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen), the season’s antagonist, rips Penelope’s green dress. “That moment when she wants to prove herself and Cressida ruins it is important because from then on we kept the style sexier, but dressed her in a little softer tones,” explains Glaser about how these wardrobe decisions affect the development of the plot. “The change is abrupt because it is necessary, but using the softer tones allowed us variety so that the audience cannot predict the plot based on the colors. And also the subtlety allows her to continue blending into the crowd and unnoticed to fulfill her role as Lady Whistledown.”

One of the peculiarities that the series established in its first seasons was assigning color palettes to each of the protagonist families. This is why the designers were cautious with their color choices.

“In the books it says that Lady Featherington forces Penelope to wear yellow, so that was our starting point for make the Featherington house all citrus colors: yellow, orange, green. And the opposite of that would be blue, that’s where Bridgerton blue comes from,” explains Glaser. “You think of the Bridgertons and you think of jewelry Tiffany and silver. The Featheringtons are Versace and golden. From there came the two main houses, the rest of the colors emerged naturally.”

Hawkes explains how the role of colors extends beyond the characters to also permeate the spaces they inhabit and the people around them. “What we want the viewer to notice is what environment they are in. For example, the Bridgertons employee uniforms are always blue, pink or fig color. With the Featheringtons it’s green.”

Glaser compares the use of color in Bridgerton with Disney films, where their role is highly symbolic, however, he clarifies that they had greater creative freedom. A clear example of this freedom is the wedding dress by Penelope: a simple pearl pink dress with small floral details at the bottom that camouflage with the dress. The opposite of the extravagant and ornamental look of the series.

“She became more powerful and mature, so we didn’t want people to look at the dress, we wanted them to see her. Let her figure be seen, her body. Sometimes less is more,” says Glaser. “It was quite complicated because the location was a huge and very decorated place. If her dress had been very ornate she would not have stood out,” adds Hawkes.

Although each of these designs may have been meticulously planned, others emerged in the filming process.

During the course of the season, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jesse), one of Colin’s sisters and Penelope’s best friend, wears different versions of an XL sleeve that was incorporated into her wardrobe for a accident of the actress. “That’s coming back in the next few seasons! We implemented it because she had broken her wrist and we had to camouflage the cast, but it ended up being a nice little feature piece for the character,” laughs Glaser.

The designers cannot mention any plans for the future of the series or its artistic production. The executive producer and main screenwriter, Jess Brownellclarified that the waiting time until the launch of the fourth season It could take two years. However, the extravagant and eye-catching designs that characterize Bridgerton They will always be the common denominator that unites the plots of all its characters.

“The spectacular thing about Bridgerton is that it was never intended as a work of Jane Austen, it was always conceived as something spectacular and different. And I think we have managed to highlight that,” declares a satisfied Hawkes.