"Bridgerton" Costumes Are Off The Rails This Season 

I never expected Bridgerton to have fidelity to the regency era. But I wish Bridgerton had maintained fidelity to itself.

I think they lost that weird mix of regency and crazy modern they had that gave the show a unique visual

In the first seasons it was fantasy regency. Sure it wasn't that accurate, but it had clear nods to transport us to a romanticized version of a historical period to tell all the romance plots. This season is just giving ✨️Hunger Games Capitol✨️ gaudy fashion 😂😂

That went from Regency-inspired to full on Cinderella's outrageous stepsisters.

I don’t mind it - Bridgerton is its own thing. The only thing that bothered me was the inconsistency of men and women suddenly being allowed to go off together alone unchaperoned. In season one it was like a life ruining faux pas that forced the dude to marry Daphne, and now Pen and what’s his name are casually fingerbanging in a carriage.

For me, it was Benedict's love interest that took me out of it completely. She looked like she boarded a time machine in the 1950's to join the Bridgertons in Marilyn Monroe cosplay!

I know I'm just an old GenXer, but I cannot handle Francesca's over-the-top influencer makeup. It's the extreme highlighting that takes me out of the time period (or even out of the Bridgerton universe) whenever she's on camera.

"Someone clearly thought that Kate Sharma's beauty is creating too much of a distraction..." so true

I personally cannot wait to see how big Cressida’s sleeves get in part 2. THEY’RE FULL OF SECRETS! 😂

I liked your analysis of Penelope going from the gaudy featherington styles, to a very feminine dark transformation dress, before finally settling into a sort of mix between the two. I think it makes sense that Penelope's glow up dress didn't represent the real her, bc she was trying to be someone she wasn't.

I thought the costumes this season looked very cheap and ill fitting. I'm glad that the costumers had so much creative freedom but it no longer gave the impression of "regency with a twist", I did not feel like I was in another time. It looked like a theater production or a themepark. It was just too ungrounded. All of the random tulle flowers and sequins and digital print fabrics, and everything was completely machine-sewn, and it was all so gaudy in a modern way... I think you're right that creativity needs limits in order to truly shine.

Cressida's outfits were just absurd. It took me out of their fantasy world because her outfits are SO different. In a society that was mocking her for showing too much clevage, I find it hard to believe her sleeves werent mocked.

In the first two seasons, even if they weren’t completely accurate, they were pretty like a fairytale. This season the dresses were just a little too crazy. accuracy aside, I didn’t even really like them that much. But I’m still fantasizing about Daphne’s pretty pale blue dresses from s1

I don't even watch Bridgeton, but I don't think I've ever been here so fast when RU-vid doesn't even send notifications...

Ugh Kate looked so good in purples and blues idk why they had her in earth tones this season

Also interesting is, that Eloise is reading "Emma" one year before it came out. I didnt know, that she knew Jane Austen personally...

I definitely love some of the crazy Bridgerton costumes, but I could not handle Cressida's dresses this season. They were so outrageous, I couldn't help but laugh at some of the designs

I actually said out loud, “You’re joking” when I saw the outrageous sleeves on Cressida’s gold dress 💀😭 like, GIRL WHAT ARE THOOOOOSE??

I can't take the hair this season - put your freaking hair up!

In season 1 they were almost too close to the historical styles because it made the creative choices stand out in a bad way. In season 2 they stuck a perfect balance because there was a consistent language that allowed the accurate pieces and creative pieces to feel of the same world. Season 3 threw out that formula and lost the vision and as you said, it became incoherent.

I was really confused by the muff thing Eloise was wearing but then I saw Claudia Jessie did an interview on some late night show and said she was wearing a cast and they didn't want to show it.

Yeah whoever was in charge of the Bridgerton wardrobe department needs to be demoted. Like I get that the show is historical fantasy, but the costumes are starting to toe into the historical absurdity that is the Reign tv show’s costume department.

I can't forgive the Marcel waves and the full-face beats this season. I just can't.

i was fine with the Bridgerton costumes in S1 and S2. I thought they were nice and i knew i wasn't coming to this show expecting it to be my historical fashion teacher. However, what i do mind is the atmosphere. The costumes in S1 and S2 felt like they belonged in the fantasy period they were aiming for. With S3, especially with Cressida's dresses, i was constantly being distracted and taken out of the setting. Since they had a more consistent style with the clothing and dresses in the first two seasons, it felt way more atmospheric. I could watch and not be surprised with the addition of dresses that felt so modern, almost like they were dropped in from antoher era, if that makes sense.

what bothers me the most is that the creators' idea of doing clothes inspired by the regency period is making them look appealing to the modern audiences by matching the beauty standards - always my biggest pet peeve when it comes to historical dramas!

That lady Benedict was hooking up with, I'm pretty sure her hair and outfits were entirely mid-century 😬

If the stylisation was limited to using modern fabric for the regency dresses I think that would be an amazing stylistic choice, but if you’re going to stylise you need to pick some rules and stick to them, which it seems like show just…isn’t any more.

Uhhh- did they all move to the capital? Are we shifting into hunger games now?

They did serve us with side plots tho like a lot like there was no main story

Omg I totally agree that I thought Kate was pregnant in that first dress 😅

I can deal with the OTT and historically incorrect costuming, however the heavy, modern make-up was a big ehh for me. Too much contour people

i didn’t mind them modernizing things bc they made it clear they weren’t going for historical accuracy, it was just whimsical and fun. but once you depart too much from history and it starts to feel like they’re in prom dresses with 1930s hair and 2016 lashes, it stops being immersive. like you said, it takes away from the worldbuilding. they needed to stick to modernizing things in ways that made sense - like, i thought the ribbon woven into pen’s hair was cute and had historical precedence, ive seen a regency-era art showing women with ribbons or scarves woven into up-dos, even if it was done in a slightly different way. it goes further back than the regency too. but why and how did she suddenly invent those hollywood waves, and her sister with the weird 40s/50s half-up curls? what was going on with kate’s 2010s up-do and winged liner? they could stick with regency-inspired hairstyles that look good on the actors and look good to modern eyes, or in kate’s case indian styles from the era (like with her winged eyeliner - she could wear kohl and it would make sense but the eyeliner felt more like insta baddie eyeliner, especially when seen alongside with the lashes, highlight and hair… at least to my eyes.) this season wasn’t like watching a fantastical version of the regency era, it was more like Reign in pastels.

I just wish they didn't hate bonnets. Hell would be a great way for Penelope to hide in plan sight when taking her articles to the printers.

C’mon girl, we all know you were alive during the 1810s. You can admit you saw regency drip first hand. #localimmortalgaslightsfans

I felt like they found the balance between fantasy costuming and historical ressemblance in season 2 so this was a dissapointment

What's insane is that it's nominally in 1815 and Queen Charlotte passed in 1818, but Penelope was supposed to be dressing like 1820 with the waistline creeping down. Except she wasn't. Her waistline was right where it was supposed to be - under her breasts. Waistlines weren't a certain number of inches below the neckline, the way they make it seem in her earlier gowns. And while she looked lovely with the fingerwaves, I'd have preferred an updo.

I haven’t watched this season and have no background or interest in fashion whatsoever. Will I sit down for 10 minutes watching Karolina tear these dresses apart? Absolutely. 100%

I love Cressida's costumes actually - she looks, funnily enough, like an exotic bird trying to attract a mate. If she ends up with the Naturalist that would be so sweet. She longs for freedom secretly so I love that they actually do have a genuine connection there.

I know Cressida has some outrageous outfits but for this season I think it’s maybe a bit intentional to show just how desperate she is to be noticed and finally obtain husband. She’s trying to fit in but also stand out just hoping to gain any attention for a suitor. Especially with all the pressure from her family.

Were Bridgerton costumes ever on the rails to begin with? lol Honestly my main issue with Bridgerton costuming is the lack of differentiation between day wear and evening wear. It makes the big important dress reveal moments much less impactful. That said, I don't like a lot of the fabric choices either. Penepole's sparkly evening gloves in episode one looked so cheep.

These hairdos are giving me "Dallas" vibes.

Oh, Meme Mum is wearing a tiara. As she should! 😇👑

I think they knew they went insanely modern this season. In episode one there is some line about 'ruffles being in this season' which is their excuse to completely disregard historical accuracy lol. I really liked the mixture of historical and modern in the first two seasons. Bridgerton is basically a fantasy world, but this season makes it nearly impossible to imagine it's the regency era.

Season 3 got a new showrunner and it definitely shows. They should have done whatever it took to keep Chris Van Dusen.

the costumes were a visual trip this season cause just like the side plots, they were doing too much lol

I never been too harsh on their costumes because Bridgerton isn’t exactly history, but a mix of historical fiction with touches of fantasy. As long as the costumes felt historical at first glance, I was ok with letting inaccuracies slide. But this season is just way too much. Cressida looks like is from the 80’s with her crazy sleeves. Even in the first teaser, Kate’s dress looked so modern! The makeup especially just keeps distracting me: everyone is in full glam! Like, I don’t believe in iPhone face, usually I think it’s modern hair and makeup (in addition to fillers and veneers) that make a face look modern, and this season everyone look modern!

I'm obsessed with Bridgerton but the fashion this season is definitely very distracting and the vibes are off. I'm rewatching S1 while I wait for S3.2 and the visual difference is stark - the makeup is subtle, silhouettes are good, hair is up, rooms are bright, and the only really crazy fashion character was the Queen and it worked narratively. S2 went a little bit more experimental with fabrics but still fine. S3 I am watching ladies in dark ballrooms cosplaying Effie Trinkett, 80s shoulder pads, modern sweeping curls, smoky eyes and dark lips. It's mainly a few characters and not so much the Bridgertons themselves but it's really lacking the cohesion it once excelled in.

THANK YOU for making this video, when I was watching and I saw those two women wearing only corsets as tops I had to go back and pause the show out of disbelief. I was like, is anybody else seeing this? 😂

I didn't watch bridgerton but it seems like the costumes used to be fantasy regency with a very coherent and immersive universe. Now it's the costume department being like "well, now that we have a huge budget and freedom, how much of a modern fashion show can we sneak in without people complaining?"

I love Penelope's emerald dress, mostly just love the color. Cressida's outfits were ridiculous to the point of distraction, like in Ep4, wtf with that 'necklace' thing AND the giant sleeves. i could only imagine they're going to make some analogy with her being an exotic bird that Lord Debling needs to rescue.

The Bridgerton family is always in Tiffany blue and silver inspired colors and the Feathertons are citrus based on Penelope being forced to wear orange and yellow by her mom.

I saw the sleeves were getting bigger and waists dropping ever so slightly so I chalked it up to “oh, I guess we’re in the late 1820’s now and starting to see that transition into the romantic era.” I still can’t tell.

The only rationale I can come up with for the costuming is to make Pen's glow up more dramatic because it's AWFUL. 😂 LOL

THANK YOU for this. As the only one in my group of friends who is remotely into historical dress I felt like I was talking to myself when we were watching the show together, no one understood my opinions at all. The departure from any semblance of historical dress/hair/makeup was throwing me off soooo much the whole time, it felt like a costume party at all times.

my life has been missing karolina's histoical accuracy police videos 😭

I think S1 and 2 did a good job of establishing costuming rules for their fantasy universe. It’s not historically accurate but it’s apparent that there were period appropriate influences or historical reasons why characters were dressed the way they were (ie Charlottes maybe stuck in the clothes of her youth but still going to fantasy level extremes), it was absolutely fantastical but maintained a connection to the world and the guidelines they had created for it. This season just went entirely off the rails though, they’ve crossed a line where the fantasy no longer keeps you in the story but takes you out of it, it’s distracting. The hair is bonkers, and another comment finally clued me in to the fact that the makeup is way too heavy too, specifically on Francesca, I noticed it subconsciously but couldn’t put my finger on it until I read their comment. Bridgerton isn’t a show I’d typically watch but what drew me in was their fairly well crafted fantasy world where Regency people wore brightly patterned dresses and things were a bit over the top but now it feels like they don’t even fit their own world. They feel like a modern fancy costume ball, not historical fantasy.

I think they went too far tbh, it’s as you said, there’s barely any regency left, it’s a tad too wild😭

I don't even watch that show, but here I am.

Yeah once I saw that the waistlines are straight-up VICTORIAN on some of the dresses, I lost all faith in them. What is even happening anymore?

Yes to every point in the video, the costumes were so disparate that it distracted me from the dialogue! Also did anyone else notice how in multiple spring/summer outdoor scenes, Eloise was wearing a thin fabric muff over her hands? The whole point of a muff is to keep your hands warm in cold weather, why would you wear one in the summer? A lot of the styling made no sense. You can see her wearing one @5:28

I get that they're going for a campy aesthetic but I hate those cheap ugly flowers glued to the gowns...like for the budget they could've at least gone with machine embroidery and it would've looked much better 😭

I feel they are leaning toward "1980's romance novel covers" aesthetic 😊

I’m here for Penelope at this point. Maybe the Queen. The other clothes just aren’t giving cloudy romantic dreams of the era, where I want the characters to live and lift me up to dance on air with them. When a show inspires me to play dress-up, cosplay or consider creating my own pocket wardrobe I know they’re doing it right. Bridgerton is far from the first in this trend since the 2000’s to purposely alter the fashion to make it appealing to a younger audience. They don’t seem to understand that the fashion of another era, when done right is exactly what we’re watching for. It’s the fantasy of time travel to a romanticized era (that probably wasn’t actually like that) in every youth and girls heart! ❤️‍🔥

I have so many thoughts and feelings on how they dress Cressida. None of the main or supporting characters in the show (aside from Mrs. Mondrich, to your point) are accurately dressed, nor do they have accurate hair or makeup. Which is totally fine! We're all aware of the design choices for the not historically accurate show. I just think it would've made so much more sense to go the Mrs. Elton in Emma (2020) route. The Regency Era already has so many odd fashions in hair and dress, why not feed into those instead of making up odd new ones.

"Ungodly amounts of trim." I'm still giggling over that statement. ❤🤣😂

Casual tiara for everyday wear. Strong approval ❤

I was gonna be the one to argue the fantasy part of the costuming but I definitely agree they lost the regency a lot this season. Kate stood out to me a lot especially her ball look even though I adore the dress and also her look to court I didn’t understand the silhouette which was odd as her wardrobe all last season was so well thought out, yes she’s not the star anymore but as a character you need consistency no matter who’s the lead or not. Costuming especially in this show helps with story telling a lot. I hope season 3 part two is better for this. Also don’t get me started on Colin

If anyone is curious, according to the What Katie Did newsletter, the costumers purchased merry widows from them for this season's corsetry looks.

Cressida Cowper's whole character (especially her aesthetic, name, and attitude) all give me the vibe of a Hunger Games character from the Capital gentry who somehow got flung through a wormhole into the Bridgerton universe

I said it on tiktok how a behind the scenes clip of Penelope's underwear featuring a modern day Victorian inspired corset was unnecessary (given bridgerton's history of tightlacing and actresses statements on it being uncomfortable, probably because the costume department didn't provide appropriate trying) and I was treated as if I was Bridgerton biggest hater, which by the way, as the seasons so by I like the escapism more and more and it doesn't mean I'm blinded to criticism

I was waiting for someone to talk about this. Like Bridgerton has never been fully rooted in historical fashion, and that was fine, but I was not expecting some of the shit they pulled this season lmao. Like there was far too much hunger games capitol fashion going on.

less than a minute and I am SEATED.

2:51 yes, thank you for saying that. Whenever I complained about the exageration of the dresses or the mix of silhouettes or the extreme heavy make up, people come up with the "it's not supposed to be historically acurrated" cop out, but like, yeah, I know that from the beggining, but they still had certain (how to put it?) Boundries? I think it's the word? That didn't take away the suspension of disbelief, most characters had the same recognizable silhouette and more enphasis on the big hair styles other than make up. Talking protagonists only, look at Daphne's face in s1 and Penelope's face in s3, I'm not saying they both aren't beautiful, that's not the issue, it's how it makes no sense for the worldbuilding the extreme difference. If people get so sensitive when I conplain because "it's not supposed to be history", think like this: you know hunger games? The capitol has it's own fashion, right? And they stick to it. Look at Effie from the first movie and the Effie from the 4th it doesn't change much fron the level of make up to the style of the clothes and the colors and the hairs, because it's supposed to give you a sense of continuity in that world, so you can be imerse in it. When you lose those kind of boundries, everything just goes all over the place. I mean, weren't people from that universe mocking the Featheringtons in s1 because their clothes were too over the top? And now those people are wearing even more over the top clothes. How does that make sense?

I loved how Kate's dresses emphasised her Indian origins (zero fear of colour 😉) in season 2. Sad to see it watered down.

Incoherent is a great word for Season 3 costumes and hair! Bizarre works, too.

less than a minute and I am SEATED

The point of Pen's dark green dress is supposed to be that it's not reflective of the time's British standards, but rather the French (idk if it's accurate in that way lol) since Colin wore a suit that was made in France so it shows that she infact wanted to try to get Colin's attention at least one more time before she gave up.

This season’s costumes were truly bizarre. Thank you for your video!

It almost feels like _less_ of a fantasy the more modern it gets.

I have to agree that when a period drama or historical fiction show is really inaccurate and incoherent with the costuming, it totally breaks my immersion in the story. Like I’m sure it’s fine for some people, but for me at least it does break my immersion in the story even if I’m focusing on other aspects like the plot.

It´s kind of good if a fantasy is internaly consistant.

I totally agree about the extras looking better. I love Penelope and was so excited about this season but actually watching it had me wishing we focused on some of the extras because they just looked SO good! It was jarring how good they looked next to the crazy silhouettes of the main characters

It's giving halloween. I hate it. I just be transported to the Regency era, not the American shop Spirit!

I just choose to believe that Bridgerton is supposed to be a dream world and not any kind of period drama at all. It's a fantasy land, the same as Game of Thrones.

Thank you for making this video! I've seen so many vids where they praise the costumes and all the comments are worshipping the costume designers. I was beginning to think I was the only person who didn't like the clothes, but now I am rest assured that more people think like me. Since the dresses in season 2 fit slightly better than season 1, I had high hopes for season 3. But once the teaser with Kate in that awful brown and teal dress came out, I knew it would be a mess. It makes me so sad that the designers hate the Regency Era and aren't interested in representing it in a decent way. They aren't even sewing the dresses well! The waistline is still across the underboob instead of under it, and poor Pen's actually get smooshed. Her bust is so tight that in some scenes you'd think she has four boobs instead of two. Sure, that might have been to make her sexier, but I'm sure a woman can look sexy with clothes that fit.

This season was the first one where the costuming genuinely pulled out of the show sometimes. I had to pause for a second when I first saw Madame Delacroix’s sheer black dress…

It was the heavy makeup for me 😭

The dress that Cressida is wearing at about 5:32 in the video is a total send up of the Molly Ringwald prom dress from “Pretty in Pink.” If “Pretty and Pink” dress had a baby with a regency era gown, you would get this insane monstrosity.

I totally agree, the suspention of disbelief is really put to test in this first half of the third season. The other two seasons were a real divertissement based on Regency Fashion but they were still somehow historical in the feel and the sensation.

Cressida looks like a citizen of the capital from the Hunger Games

Miss Cowper is giving Hunger Games this season, it’s like I am watching a time traveller from the Capitol everytime I see her

Bridgerton employs the Halloween Superstore Regency “esthetic.”

atp i don’t care about the historical accuracy as much as the ugliness. because some of those costumes are so goddamn ugly. queen charlotte’s wigs tho…i do adore them.

The costumes are often a mess, but I really like the crazy fabrics and colours. My favourite costumes are lady Bridgerton, her wrap dresses are so lovely.

Cressida’s neck corset?? Did the costume department have a bet on how outrageous they could get? Also stockings apparently aren’t worn in the regency period🙄

Costumes are on crazy this season! Like Hungry games Capitol level! And close up huge shots of actresses ACRYLIC NAILS for crying out loud! Acrylic and colored! Cmn! The make up is so out of place - so heavy and dark. It was all in very bad taste. There were just few that I liked. You can see that the show runner changed - the pace the decor and clothing and make up is so crazy.

I couldn't, I just couldn't with those costumes this season 💀

Kate's ball gown in green/earthy tones has very similar silhouette as dresses my mother was wearing during 1980s. 🤭

I literally stopped listening to Textory and jumped over to RU-vid when the notification for this video hit! And as soon as I’m done watching, I’m going back over to my podcasts to continue listening to you! ❤

I know it was completely inaccurate, but I loved Penelope's Rita Hayworth look