Bridgerton is all that’s on anybody’s mind right now, myself included. It’s basically a period-era twist on Gossip Girl with the plot of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Fake romance leads to real feelings and everlasting love. The show may be cliché, but the acting and aesthetic of this show make it simply spectacular. In fact, Bridgerton is projected to be one of Netflix’s top five original series — and a major reason for that is the amazing costume design in the show.
Ellen Mirojnick, the New York native behind cinematic hits such as Fatal Attraction, The Greatest Showman, and Basic Instinct, was in charge of the costume design, creating a color palette for the show that fans fell in love with.
The Bridgerton family — the prominent family of the season — has a “powdery” palette, as Mirojnick described it in a recent interview with The Cut. The Bridgerton palette includes pale blues, stunning silvers, and soft greens that feel like “whispers of color.” Their family is romantic and refined, and their wardrobe very much reflects this way of life.
Something else to notice in Daphne Bridgerton’s wardrobe is that the color of her dresses becomes darker as she grows older. Her initial innocence in the show is portrayed through baby blue dresses, while her eventual awakening to adulthood is illustrated with duskier hues. As Mirojnick put it to The Cut, “She begins as a porcelain doll and becomes a woman.”
In stark contrast, the Featherington family — new money — has a very “citrus” color palette, which may be because Lady Featherington wants her daughters to be seen. Their dresses are bold, bright, and brazen in vivid oranges, yellows, and greens. According to Mirojnick, “They just don’t know any better.”
Another extremely interesting aspect of the costume design in this show centers around the Queen. In real life, Reine Charlotte was known for never changing her dress silhouette. However, in the show, the Queen’s hairstyle and dresses change all the time, representing the garishness of society and the drama that Bridgerton is all about.
Aside from the thoughtful and meaningful color palette decisions in the show, the dresses and accessories alone are stunning. Each character drips in jewels and feathers, creating the ultimate aura of London wealth.
Mirojnick used the Empire (1813) silhouette as the foundation of the dress designs, layering fabrics and embellishments to give the dresses a new sense of movement and flow. The curved, scooped necklines allow the characters to show a lot of skin, maintaining the sexy, beautiful, and fun nature of the period drama.
In a span of five months, Mirojnick and her team of 238 designers created about 5,000 costumes that went before the camera, according to Vogue. For Daphne’s character alone, there were 104 costumes. Every item in the wardrobe was specifically made for production, taking inspiration from the Regency period in London through paintings and art. However, Mirojnick shifted to a 1950s/60s color palette to make the aesthetic of the show more modern and colorful.
All in all, Netflix really started off 2021 right with Bridgerton. It gave us drama, romance, conflict, and heartache — everything we need to get our minds off the crazy events in the world.
So while I wait for my Duke in shining robes to sweep me off my feet, I’ll be rewatching all eight episodes of Bridgerton.
XOXO, Lady Whistledown.