“Dearest Gentle Reader,” Bridgerton is back! And with styles worth time traveling for. The newest season premiered May 16th, and if the overwhelming anticipation of the upcoming drama in this latest installment didn’t already have us in a chokehold, the costumes would!
This season focuses on the ‘will they or won’t they’ friendship of the notoriously introverted Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and one of the benevolent Bridgerton boys, Colin (Luke Newton). Are they finally going to get together? Will the Queen find a new ‘diamond’ to be the talk of the Ton? This author asks what fabulous styles will this courting season bring?
Bridgerton: Penelope Gets a Makeover
The very first episode gives us a taste of what the season may have in store for Penelope. It abruptly departs from the bright floral patterns and blinding yellow, orange hues that marked the Featherington gals in seasons past. With the threat of living under the rule of her callous and dimwitted sisters looming over her, Penelope decides it’s time to take a husband and escape the threat of their cruelty.
Where else would she go for a new look other than the Ton’s esteemed modiste, Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale)? “Sour colors indeed!” Ms. Delacroix softly agrees that it’s time for Penelope to embrace a new look. In the show, Paris is cited as the inspiration, but in reality, there is a clear nod to the Hollywood glamour of the 1920s.
“It’s a fantasy. It’s not a history lesson,” declares John Glaser, new lead costume designer for the third chapter of the Bridgerton drama. Glaser serves the viewers with looks that blend contemporary fashion with the iconic styles of late Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe while still maintaining the classic chic of what you would expect to see in a ‘period’ piece.
A Classic Post Makeover Entrance
It’s the season’s first ball, and Penelope has arrived in more than one sense of the word. Amidst beautiful flowers and the intense stares of the Ton, she descends the stairs in a gorgeous, layered emerald-green dress. The dress perfectly pairs the nostalgia of her former look with a bolder and sexier color palette and silhouette.
It gives the illusion of being sheer with a beautiful coppery underlayer that enhances the natural coloring of her hair and skin tones. Paired with sparkly black, see-through gloves, the bodice of the dress is covered in small jewels and overall enhances her natural features.
“That look of 1920 kind of resembles a 1950s gown. It’s shorter, which also suits her. It also gave her a waist,” he says. “It made her from a young girl in bright, gaudy colors to a more sophisticated woman who is empowered. She still may be on the wall taking in information, but she’s doing it because now she’s got the power to do it.” – John Glaser
Power indeed! Even her love interest, Colin Bridgerton, cannot help but appreciate her transformation and suddenly becomes a bit parched. Not only did Penelope don the perfect gown, but viewers will also notice that her hair has been styled to match. Out with the small, tight pile of curls from earlier seasons. gentle, Now flowing waves drape over her shoulder, while subtle curls frame her face in the essence of Marilyn Monroe or Rita Hayworth.
The Makeover Within
“We wanted to develop her so that she became a sexy siren,” says Erika Okvist, Bridgerton’s hair and makeup designer. Ultimately, while being aesthetically pleasing is always helpful, Penelope’s true makeover needs to come from the inside. A fact that John Glaser was sure to point out. While her upgraded look stunned the attendees of the ball, the enchantment soon wore off.
As the season continues, viewers will notice something about Penelope’s gowns. “There’s not a lot of decoration. There are no bright colors because we wanted her personality, her character to be the focus, not the clothing,” states John Glaser. Doubling down on the importance of what is inside your mind and heart rather than what is on your body, in this season of Bridgerton, the most important transformation for Penelope will be how she views herself.
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