Bridgerton has an amazing costume department, and this season was no different.
This post contains spoilers for the entire Bridgerton Season 3
Penelope
One of the season’s main transformations was Penelope’s “makeover.”
Showrunner Jess Brownell said, “For Penelope’s new look this year, we worked with John Glaser, who’s the head of our costume department, and Erika Ökvist, who leads hair and makeup. With John, we talked about color palettes. Pen has been in a citrus place for a long time, so we went to the opposite end of the color wheel, and she ended up in greens and blues, which coincidentally are also more similar to Bridgerton colors, which tells us where she’s headed. And then on the hair and makeup side, Penelope has always had these tight little pin curl poodle looks, and we wanted to loosen that look as time went on. When we talked with Erika {Hair and Makeup Designer} it was references like Jessica Rabbit, or Rita Hayworth. And you’ll see how over the season her hair starts up, and then it gets looser and more down. And it’s actually slightly anachronistic for a woman to wear her hair like that in Regency times, but Pen is an anachronistic character. She’s ahead of her time and exceptional in many ways. And for her to break the rules in that way actually felt like a statement of her power. ”
Colin
Penelope was not the only one to undergo a glow-up. While Colin’s was not as definitive, he still transformed from a young boy to a man with a swagger.
“The internet has dubbed Colin’s new look “sexy pirate,” and it’s not too far off from what we were intending. His clothing is definitely darker and more moody, more streamlined this season, and has more of this worldly edge. But underneath both the clothing persona and the confidence swagger is the fact that Colin is a sensitive goofball. It’s one of the reasons, I think, that he has such a strong connection to Penelope. He’s similar to her in certain ways. And so he’ll have to figure out how to bring that sensitive goofball side forward, and what it means for this new persona that he’s developed,” said Brownell.
Season 3
Jonathon Glaser was the costume designer for season 3.
He shared that Season 3 had a deliberately different aesthetic than the previous seasons, “This season, we decided to make the costumes look like a painting. We looked at old paintings, new paintings; there are no hard edges, no hard lines, and we’ve used a lot of ombre to make it look like a Matisse painting. The costumes have a blurred quality, so if you look at the fabrics, there are a lot of patterns, but you’re not really sure what the pattern is. It could be floral, it could be stripe, it could be solid, but everything’s ombre from dark to light, so it’s a softer palette. The colors that we’ve used are a little softer than Season One, and much softer than Season Two. A little blur, just like in a painting, with soft interludes of colors. ”
Cressida Cowper
One of the recurring characters with much more screen time and backstory this season was Cresside Cowper.
Glaser shared how the costuming reflected her story, “when we find out she has a little bit of power, her clothes become more flamboyant because she feels much more powerful; she feels ready to take charge. But her real character, the Cressida who we see at home, is dressed in her most simple clothes, where she is much more vulnerable.”
Kate Bridgerton
Viscountess Kate Bridgerton’s costumes also reflected her change in life and status.
Glaser says, “Last season, Kate was very Regency and she wore very strong colors. This season we’ve softened her colors, bringing them into what we call the “Bridgerton blues.” To help her blend into the family, we’ve softened her silhouette because she’s very sensual now, she’s free with Anthony, and they’re both very in love. We’ve brought in slight Indian influences, not following the time period necessarily but giving it a little fantasy element. Everything is softer for Kate.”
Ashley loves her new costumes. She said, ” I adore my costumes this season. We see Kate in more Bridgerton blues, obviously, because she is now a Bridgerton, and with a slight nod towards Violet’s costumes because we want to show she is coming into being a viscountess. We will also still get a nod to her Indian heritage; we see that through the jewelry and some of the draping materials that fall like a sari on the dresses.”
12 Behind-The-Scene Costuming Facts
- Penelope’s hair and makeup were carefully crafted to reflect her emotional journey this season. In past seasons, her makeup was designed to accentuate her face as childlike. This season, as she matures, her makeup is made to look more glamorous, elongated, and contoured — lifting her cheekbones and accentuating her eyes.
- Penelope’s hair design, softer curls cascading down to one side, was inspired by old-school Hollywood icons like Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe, with a touch of Jessica Rabbit. It contrasts with the tight pin curls Penelope has worn in the past.
- Many of the hair and headpieces were more deconstructed this season than in previous seasons. Penelope’s headpiece for the Full Moon Ball in Episode 302 is composed of 15 small pieces all worked into her hair, each made of layers of pleated organza, tulle, sequins, gold foil, crystals, brooches, sequins, and mirrored ribbon.
- Colin’s costuming incorporates blues this season, a nod to his Bridgerton roots, but it’s a deeper, stronger blue than the baby blues we’ve seen him wear in the past.
- At Adjoa Andoh’s request, Lady Danbury’s jewelry this season references Andoh’s heritage. Lady Danbury is wearing an adinkra, a symbol meaning “to go and come back” in Ghanaian culture, and is a specific reference to Andoh’s grandmother.
- Francesca Bridgerton’s costuming is very reflective of her older sister, Daphne. The team drew inspiration from simple, classic designs and fashion icons such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.
- To reflect her growing independence from her family and her new romantic arc this season, Violet Bridgerton’s costuming and overall look is a little looser and youthful, with more sparkle and some added violet colors as a nod to her name.
- This season, Alice’s costuming is full of tasteful gold accents and romantic swirls, showcasing her new money and status in the ton.
- This season, roughly 45,000 yards of fabric were used to make the costumes across all eight episodes.
- Queen Charlotte’s Swan Lake wig in Episode 304 — complete with swimming swans and bespoke cherry trees — actually has a working motor and had to be hooked up to a battery.
- This season, butterflies are an important visual motif, signifying Penelope’s journey and transformation. You can spot butterfly embossments on her journal, in the grand staircase in the Featherington home, and elsewhere throughout the costuming and sets — all culminating in that key visual moment at the end of the season.
- The wig Queen Charlotte wears to Colin and Penelope’s wedding breakfast is meant to resemble an African queen’s wig, with hints of black leather. She’s meant to look both elegant and fierce.