Bridgerton, the Diamond of the season.

And we're back! Having loved every second of creating Devastatingly Obvious for my dissertation, with developing and justifying its purpose, continuously illuminating the importance of this platforms existence, and also the occasional binge watch for “research’ purposes, I could not leave it there. I can’t leave this idea alone!

So after university coming to an end, and lockdown never ending, my great ‘research’ methods are at an all time high; I think I've completed Netflix. So now it’s time to put it to good use and start with the series of the moment, the gowns that ignited this blog once again, the colours that could win any duke, the “biggest” show Netflix has yet produced; ‘Bridgerton’.

How could I not start here? It is the perfect combination of period drama, exquisite costume department and steamy storyline. The series is set to renew for eight more seasons after the first, with only eight episodes, reached over 63 million views and immediately gained soaring reviews for both costume and plot.

The plot (no spoilers) being a Regency-era romance that follows the protagonist family, The Bridgerton’s, and the story of their latest debutante, eldest daughter Daphne Bridgerton. Determined to find a suitor from the years social season, what actually follows is an unravelling tale bursting with wealth, love and betrayal. All while attempting to hide all from Lady Whistledown; the tons unidentified gossip monger who takes no prisoners in her quest to out societies squabbles, scandals and secrets. Its a Regency Gossip Girl!

To accompany this racy series of events, is the shows detailed wardrobe; Bridgerton does not disappoint on the 7500 embellished, feathered and laced pieces that were created. With a pallet involving modest pastels of a dainty pale blue and envious silvers, cleverly juxtaposed with Voges description of “acid- bright florals…and wigs that could rivals Marie Antoinette’s”. However, all of which is not associated with 19th century England and instead echos that of the 1950s and 60s: the scandals are suited to the setting, yet the fashions are over a century too early. Particularly with the silhouettes of the dresses in mind, most of which reflect one of the primary inspirations of Bridgerton’s stylist, Ellen Mirojnick; Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’. The series is not aiming for accuracy but it is aspirational and accessible; the fun and flirty characters and plot lines needs playful costuming to match, hence the scooped necklines and desirable tailoring.

The Bridgerton obsession has not only increased the preference to promenade, because frankly from now I will only be meeting friends to promenade I shall no longer ‘walk’ anywhere, but it has now progressed to influencing sales. Despite the shows time setting, with a different class structure and sense of society, somehow audiences still manage to find it aspirational and desirable.

Perhaps we won’t welcome the floor brushing, empire- waisted gowns and opera length silk

gloves back as of yet, but a notable increase in searches and sales of corsets, embroidered dresses and pearl and feathered headbands has been reported.

This shift has been seen on all corners of the social media world but crucially across TikTok. The ‘Victoria Secret’ corset, and the dupes that follow, has been highlighted as one of the ever changing trends on the app, with users buying up structured, floral and lace corsets and influencers styling this latest fad. Many, if not most, videos directly referencing the show as their inspiration. It seems everyone is after a Duke now.

But why is it we, maybe subconsciously, see this as desirable? It is literally centuries old styling and yet it feels fresh and fun. It is simply a form of escapism but it has been drastically accelerated by the current situation us Brits find ourselves in. After spending close to a year styling sweats and leggings, we are desperate for the year of the party that hopefully follows this bleak period; we have enhanced the desire to dress up and dance by admiring the collection showcased on Bridgerton. A phenomenal creation such as this only reiterates how beneficial it can be to exploit television and streaming platforms and their positioning as a key player in trend setting and style. Like every industry, it has been a tough year for Fashion with couture houses scrambling to adapt and with little to no catwalks occurring, designers simply cannot ignore the importance of looking to what we binge as a source of inspiration.

I must admit when the show first came on the scene I was extremely sceptical, I do not tend to dabble into period romance: I don’t have any intention of watching ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and I despised reading ‘Wuthering Heights’. But this caught me, I fell hard into the Bridgerton fanbase and don’t wish to leave. Vogue deemed the series as ‘Fantastical’ yet not ‘Relatable’, however this is far from the truth upon further inspection. A form of escapism? Yes! But not too distant from our reality. Think about it, the debutantes, the single youths of the moment, ready to ‘come out’ for the social season in their finest garments in the hope to land a marriage by the end of the year. I may have taken it too far with the marriage link, but that is that not what society will be doing once we are all jabbed and safe? Is that not the reality that we are all so desperately awaiting?

Those who have spent all the drinks money they have saved this lockdown on a corset or feathered headband, surely can’t be wearing them on a weekly walk? No, they are bought as a symbol of hope, a longingness to own and wear something other than lounge wear, the hope that there will be a reason to wear an embroidered dress in the near future.

Bridgerton and its costuming has broken the stereotypes of its genre and birthed something desirable and fresh, but more importantly it represents the better days ahead.

Whether I eventually get to promenade for suitors this social season or just stick to the bottomless brunches, when the brighter days arrive we shall be ready and waiting for them dripping in diamonds, flawlessly feathered and accepting the constraints of the corsets. All thanks to this years light of hope, ‘Bridgerton’.