The Costumes of Bridgerton -- A Plus Size Rant
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- Honestly, I enjoyed Bridgerton. But there were a few things that bothered me about it, and I'm not just talking about the costumes. I'm talking about the fat-shaming. So here's a mini-rant on both subjects.
Check out this article on Glamour, which articulates my thoughts exactly: www.glamour.com/story/penelop...
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I've come to the conclusion that corset lacing scenes are intended to make modern women feel better about themselves and their fashion/life choices. The scenes are scripted in a way that undermines the intelligence and skill of the women who came before us. It's an exhausted trope that I really wish we could put to bed forever.
Amen. Like, do we really need to see that again?
@@LadyRebeccaFashions it especially killed me in Bridgerton. Nevermind that that type of stays couldn't be used to tightlace to begin with (not uncommon, see Pirate of the Caribean) it the REGENCY her physical waist won't be visible because the skirt starts right under the bust!
YES THIS EXACTLY!!!!!! it's propaganda to make modern women feel better about the ways WE are oppressed!!!!!
Yes, women from trom the 1920 to today are the ONLY women in history to wear structural/shaping garments directly against the skin. Also the only to make them out of fabrics that are essentially plastic. We're also the least likely to have custom or customized clothes. Bra are SMALL and thus had contracted weight bearing. In all they are wildly uncomfortable. When we look back we just assume corsets/stays are bigger, so they must have left bigger indents than my bra and trapped heat worse too. This is because most modern women don't know that pressure in force/area and that natural materials breath so much better that sometimes larger is BETTER are it provides more shade, insulation and sun protection.
@@maggiemakgill also they are virtually impossible to make or repair by yourself at home.
In the books, her mother DELIBERATELY puts her in the most unflattering clothing to body shame her into losing weight, so it was a deliberate choice by the costumers. Over the course of the series, she comes into her own - she does lose weight, but she's round and curvy the whole time, and she gets her man anyway. :D It was completely a story choice, and I expect we'll soon see her in better clothing when the character starts choosing her own.
I 100% agree this is from the books. I'm hopeful for an episode next season when she gets better clothing.
I'm glad to hear that things should improve for her in future seasons!
S P O I L E R S
yep, was coming here to say this haha
i wish they'd have emphasised her mother shamingher weight more if that's the case, but maybe we'll see that soon
The inability to imagine men desiring bigger women has real world consequences. My friend was tall and plus sized, and her husband was even taller, very fit, and a fireman. She had to deal with all kinds of women hitting on him in front of her, and treating her terribly just because they were more than jealous. They felt insulted by her having a 6 foot plus, muscular fireman, especially if they didn't.
The problem with inequality is that the people benefiting just feel like it's the norm. When they encounter equality, they feel devalued and attacked. When you teach people that plus-sized women _should_ be ashamed, and that thinner women _should_ feel they're superior, when they encounter fatter women with things they aspire to or even just admire, they often act very resentfully.
Amen! Not only that, but the idea that you can't be as happy or feel as beautiful when you are heavier or even gain a bit of weight is so harmful; every body it's different, and most people gain weight as they age, which is not necessarily a bad thing!
I remember thinking, as a teenager, that I would NEVER let myself get past a certain weight, because SURELY I would "do something" about it before that happened, right? Hah. What I didn't realize was that the medication I was on had a side effect of appetite suppression, which seems super obvious looking back; I felt terrible so much of the time, and could often tell I was hungry but felt sick at the thought of eating, so I ate light foods that I thought I could handle and drank a lot of fluids to cool the burning sensation in my stomach while trying to figure out what would feel okay to eat. (Fortunately, meals prepared for everyone were easier to eat for some reason, and I wanted to eat, so I wasn't in real danger)
Once I stopped taking the meds as an adult.... of COURSE I gained weight! My body was (slightly) deprived for years! Getting married had an impact on my weight as well, I'm sure. By the time I was gaining in earnest, however, I was much happier with myself, my life, and my body, so it didn't have the negative impact on my self esteem that it would have otherwise. Which is nice, because I have plenty of other issues to take up my time and mental space, thank you. XD
But not everyone is so fortunate in timing, experience, and support. It takes so much effort, help from others, and change to your environment to overcome negative thoughts and beliefs about your own body. Our entertainment shouldn't make that process harder.
It's honestly so painful to have this exist in reality. I've truly grown up expecting that I will never be desired by anyone remotely attractive because of this. I'm healing from that mentality but it's difficult, especially when the outside world is still that same toxic space
I agree with everyone! I grew up being tiny for the most part, a zero in college, but again I'm only slightly over 5'. Three babies in early 20's because of fear the cancer would return and serious life threatening health conditions... medications... starving myself for years, it's all caught up with me! I was working out read this...
My husband looks like Mark Wahlberg. 😏 People come up and tell him this. Women treat me awful!! And people from high school laugh in glee that I gained weight! I wasn't a mean skinny bitch back then!! Anyway, it's sad... women should stand together, but it's like we're cannibals feeding over another women's perceived issues to feel better about themselves. It's just sad!!
No matter what weight or beauty of the wife, every woman without a significant other (and some with) will always belittle the fireman's wife because of jealousy. It's human (mostly woman) nature because the best "provider" (strong men who have good paying jobs) is the most wanted.
@@Sarafimm2 But this wasn't how the other wives were treated. She did hang out with them occasionally.
The picked bad cuts BECAUSE bad cuts make her look heavier. The character in the book loses a small amount of weight, and gets control of her own wardrobe. I imagine they were trying to make the actress look heavier than she is so that she will look slimmer, without have ng her loose any weight (because we all acknowledge she is perfect the way she is). Law of contrasts.
But they dont specify that in the series? If that's the case it's not the best explanation if they dont include it in the show. It's cool that they include it, but it effects how the show is perceived as well as the character it makes more sense to everyone else *why* to the audience she is in unflattering dress.
@@frostfang1 That's because the show isn't over. It's a series. Just like you don't know what's coming in the fourth book when you read the first book.
@@frostfang1 There are 8 books so they are looking to do a season for each book.
I'm reminded also that the Featheringtons had money problems. The modiste at one point refused to make more dresses for the girls until the mother paid her for previous gowns, before ultimately giving her a dress no one wanted. I'm wondering if perhaps part of the problem with Penelope's dresses is they may not have been made specifically for her. That could also explain the ill fit, especially with the neck and waistlines.
@@thefairychild oh no. They are chosen for her, and designed to her darling Mama's specifications. Which is why one Pen is old enough to be considered 'on the shelf' she has the freedom to develop her own style. Mrs Fetherington NEVER allowed poverty to influence her decisions. She simply has appalling taste
Yes!! part of the story!! If you read the books Penelope mom pick the worst cuts and shades. As with all book To move they made changes.
I haven't read the book, but I feel like color and texture is enough to get that point across, without making the dresses not fit her right, either.
And Penelope does make a comment about her new dress is yellow....kind of an "oh joy" moment
Penelope is my favourite character in the novels. She is full of layers and has an Amazing journey.
Besides, I urdestand the exageration since her mother is supposed to have no idea of good taste and style.
However, they should have made it clearer it was something important for ver character development
I haven’t read the books but I get she was being made to wear these dresses she didn’t like because her mother was trying to highlight her sisters more and so she probably spent less time allowing her to pick out anything for herself color or cut wise. And since the modiste was also not being paid for so long (plus the feathertons being new money couldn’t really see the difference) I feel she may have been doing only the barest work just to get done with them. 🤷🏻♀️
Across all the books Penelope wearing yellow and I’ll suiting gowns is a running theme! Yet another reason not to watch the show but read the books, better still listen to them on audio.
There are SO many bad things about this show: corset tropes, stilettos, modern makeup, whistling kettle, “waltz” st the end that’s more like a polka..!! Lady Danbury should be an old lady next generation up from Mrs Bridgerton not the same age!! The Queen?!!!! She doesn’t appear at all in the books! Wrong, wrong, wrong! I get they want something to appeal to a modern audience, but what about the fans of the books? What about the fans of historical drama? Why reduce the program to the lowest level? So lazy. Very disappointed.
Re: Regency stays (not really corsets) and chemises... they were meant to work together: the stays acted as a shelf that lifted and separated the breasts, and the chemise, worn underneath, would be pulled snug to contain the upper part of the breasts in a high round shape. Without the chemise, the breasts just get pushed into the armpits and have unflattering creases in them, which I actually saw in Bridgerton, in the character of the opera singer.
Lift and present. That's what the chemise and stays do. Lift and present on a platter. :D
@Charisma Girl I think they put here in less period accurate clothing to further other her. Like she looks out of place to make the current audience know that they cannot be together because in modern times marrying outside of your class is normalized when then it was not. So while we root for her and Anthony it makes sense why they cannot be together. But that’s just my two cents on it not based off anything the costumers have said.
I wish they'd emphasized this a bit more in the show, but this was intentional. In the book, Penelope is mortified by her mother's dress choices for the girls, but she is helpless against her mother's will. It is often commented on, and there are so many great fruit references about their dresses. Lady Featherington thinks the dresses look beautiful and that the bright citrus colors will attract men, but they're a joke to the rest of the ton. The ugly dresses now will make the changes later on more obvious when Penelope is able to select her own more flattering dresses.
Yellow is such a HAPPY colour!
@@kikidevine694 As well as the colour or cowardice and deceit (showing that she is keeping secrets) Not to mention, the irony of Penelope still being the ignored wallflower despite being in the most eye-catching colour. She is a cool toned girlie.
Also for the couple of people I've seen saying the fat shaming in the show was necessary due to "historical accuracy" - this is a Regency era show that includes corsets on bare skin, dresses covered head to toe in glitter, very modern hair and make up, electric lighting and not a bonnet in sight - historical accuracy is clearly not at the forefront of their minds. The fat shaming was absolutely NOT necessary.
The show is meant to be an alt history of Regency and really isn't meant to be a docu-series. So I don't think it should be held to that sort of standard.
@@winterrose7094 I can't tell whether your comment is directed at me or at people saying the fat shaming was necessary for historical accuracy?
But to clarify I am not saying the show *should* be historically accurate. I'm saying that only caring about historical accuracy when it involves shitting on fat people is transparently fatphobic.
@@theladynim2 No no. Sorry, I wasn't addressing the fat shaming at all. Just the costuming. The books deal with Penny's weigh in a terrible way too, she just "loses her baby fat" after book one and then she comes desirable later. 🙄 As if she couldn't be with someone unless she lost weight
@@theladynim2 That's just to stay true to the book where Penelope Featherington's mother chooses awful dresses on purpose to shame her into losing weight .
I mean, it's part of the story tho. Penelope does get bullied by her own family about it a lot, and her mother puts her in unflattering dresses (plus yellow) all the time. It's part of her struggle, to make her conclusion great.
I am happy to say that this issue is due to the producers following the plot lines of the books. As the books follow the lives of the bridgerton family and their friends, you see Penelope gaining confidence over the years. She matures and takes control of her life and wardrobe. I hope the series will be around long enough for viewers to see that wardrobe redemption!
I'm glad to hear that things will hopefully improve!
she gains confidence in the books because she also lost weight. so its not going to track the book
@@cstarv I’m happy if she doesn’t lose weight. That was one of my gripes with the book. I don’t think she should have had to lose weight to be confident or get the guy.
YES - also, Rebecca - the books explain clearly that all of those siblings dress poorly as their mom has terrible taste. :) So look forward to future series.
@@cstarv Yes because she looses weight, but mainly because when she's "put on the shelves" she gains authority and autonomy from her mother.
I was so sad that the series didn't have one of Portia Featherington's best lines!! I don't have the book in front of me at the moment, but it went something like "Wear yellow, dear. Yellow is a HAPPY color! And men want HAPPY women to be their wives!"
Think there was a brief mention of yellow being a happy color ... but ewww .. yellow makes me nauseous.. and the way her dresses were cut so high on her bust was one of the things I hated ........
Is a line said by Pen herself in the second book, so probably we will have it in the second season and I hope there´ll be more ref to the relationship between mother and daughter >///
I know!!! I love that quote too!! But it’s from the second book, so we still have time!!!
@@nadiasalas4832 Yes! I was going to say that line is in the 2nd book. Hopefully, if we get season 2, we'll hear Pen saying to Kate
Let’s all be clear: in the books, Portia Featherington loves her daughters and is not malicious or disdainful toward Penelope, though she often takes her for granted and certainly doesn’t recognize the truly beautiful aspects of Penelope. She is just desperate to get her daughters well married (ala Mrs Bennet of Pride and Prejudice), and thinks she knows best how to attract husbands for them. Case in point, dressing her daughters in bright, frilly dresses and making Penelope have her come-out while she is still a too young.
I always thought the unflattering dresses on Penelope were to highlight her mother's disdain for her. Her mum makes some downright mean comments about Penelope's weight, and it feels like it would be with the mother's character to kind of dress Penelope in whatever and focus dressing the other sisters in nicer dresses. But that's what I gained from it.
Agreed. There's a couple of scenes that highlight this. The one ball Penelope gets to go to without her mother she gets compliments on her dress, for instance and is happy with it. And in another scene when the Featherington daughters are getting new dresses delivered Penelope opens hers with "And mine is... ...yellow," Her mother's style isn't flattering to her at ALL and the character herself knows it :(
Exactly. I just started reading the book, and the Duke of hastings, when encountering Penelope, even notes that her dress was unflattering. It was a specific point in the book! I havent read much further yet, but i think it is because her mother is supposed to have horrid taste
I wish they would do a remake of The Duchess and cast the actress who played Penelope in it. The original Dushess of Devonshire was a cream puff of a woman and considered dashedly attractive.
I love this idea!
I love this idea! Aristocratic women weren’t super slim and toned like modern actresses.
Which Duchess are you talking about? If you're referring to Georgiana Cavendish, she was no cream puff: and usually described as slender. Portraits of her show fine features, notable bone structure and a mass of fair hair. Limited access to sugar and refined carbohydrates meant that very few women in the upper class would be overweight and someone like Penelope would not be deemed as beauty because of her size. A certain plumpness would be deemed acceptable but extreme slenderness would not. Actually, come to think of it , few aristocratic women are fat even now. As for the lower classes, most would be malnourished especially if they lived in towns and cities; again this would have been attributable to poverty and limited access to nutritious food.
@@genevievemorgan7821 oh, you have no idea what you're talking about.
@@biguattipoptropica I do.. Very few people had sufficient and access to nutritious food. The British were fir the most part underweight as was discovered during the Boer war when the government tried to recruit soldiers and found that the majority were malnourished. Even in the US the land of obesity very few were overweight. That came with the introduction of corn syrup in the national diet.
As someone who hasn't read the books, I thought it was clever costuming done to make the actress look fatter without her having to gain weight for the role. I assumed this character was going to have a cinderella moment and lose some weight (to the actresses true size) and start wearing more flattering beautiful clothes.
I think you’re spot on. She’ll likely have a makeover, ala Princess Diaries later on and given Nicola Coughlin likely won’t lose weight (nor should she), dressing her dumpy now and dressing her properly later will make a huge difference.
@@brees3 Not quite a makeover, but once Penelope gains control of what she wears, she looks better. She is not exactly "thin" by the time her story comes up in book 4, but curvy. By the time she gets married she is considered "old" (At 28) by the era's standards. I did think the actress looked heavier than what she actually is, because Nicola is very curvy.
Yes. Absolutely how it works!
But why should she have to lose weight in order to wear nicer clothes?
@@EricaMeeee she shouldn't but it's more of a storytelling device for this character's arc in this instance and so the actress doesn't have to put on and lose lots of weight to show the difference in her story arc later.
The ill-fitting clothes and patterns/colours that clash with Penelope (and her sisters) are because she's still under her mother's control who is dressing her in things SHE likes, that in actuality don't suit Penelope at all (it's worse in the book).
Pen’s also facing the attitudes about attractiveness and weight expectations of the time, especially with her mother at home. The mother outright tells the older girls to be as thin as she was ‘back in the day’ when they are coming out in society. When getting them new dresses she won't let them choose their own or consider other colours other than bright garish, floral patterns. Lecturing them that people like happy girls in happy colours, girls that look like bright, pretty flowers. So it doesn't matter what suits the individual girls or if it fits and flatters them well they must wear what she thinks is best as she's in control and paying.
The ‘Cinderella moment’ for Pen is more about her transforming when she finally starts to get independence and more control of her life, better fitting clothing on screen (and losing some weight but not becoming slim in the book) is just a visual signal of her shedding her mother and finally being herself .
When Penelope gets given up on by her mother because she is ‘left on the shelf at 28’ her mother stops trying to push Pen as a marriage candidate so stops insisting on the neon ugly dresses so much. So Penelope can have finally more freedom in what she wants to wear and how she presents herself to the world.
She gains more control and for the first time can start using her own money to pay for her clothes with no mother interfering. So she starts finally wearing beautiful clothing she likes and because they fit her properly and have flattering colours for her skin time and hair people she more confident and looks good in what she's wearing, people finally notice her because they can see her first, rather than the ugly clothing that overshadowed her as a person and made her more curvy figure look awful.
Having read the books (way before the series was ever considered), I can tell you that Penelope's character was indeed dressed in unflattering styles throughout most of the first few books in the series, because her mother was of the opinion that she would gain more attention this way (Lady Whistledown actually refers to her as a ripe citrus fruit at one point). It is only in the later books (when she has had three seasons behind her) that she is allowed to choose her own styles and essentially dress herself, at which point she undergoes a makeover. She very much remains a plus size woman, but her style and colour choices, once in her own hands, become significantly more flattering. I believe that the show does a pretty good representation of what the books had in mind, but I do hope that the evolution of her style happens shortly.
I've never read the books but they made it clear through comments throughout the season that the mother is in control of what she wears and it is purposefully unflattering.
At least Lady Featherington’s costumes are a flattering silhouette for her plus sized figure, even though nearly everything about her appearance is closer to 1940s or 50s.
Having read the books, Penelope was dressed unflatteringly by her mother. In later books, she is transformed.
I haven't read the books, but I feel like the fact that her mother dresses her unflatteringly is really obvious in the colors and textures. But having the dresses not fit her correctly (whereas her sisters' dresses do fit them) doesn't come off as the mom's choice.
she also lost weight in the following books, so I wouldn't say this series is positive plus size literature
@@cstarv she loses just a small amount of weight and that boosts her confidence without her needing to go skinny at all, I find it very humane and realistic and also powerful
That is also moms choice in the books, her sister commanded her mother's attentions and Penelope did not. There is no conspiracy here, it literally plays out across 6 books and the producers are being fathful to Penelopes character as written. Shes an important character.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions yes, it's super obvious you haven't read the books which is why the critical analysis (particularly of Penelope) is incredibly lacking. I understand that things can be reviewed by themselves without any understanding of the source material, but without stating that in your video you come off as incredibly ignorant and super judgmental. Ironic that these are things that you embody while arguing against. I genuinely hope that you actually do read at least Penelope's story (which is arguably the best one in the series) before you go off on any more plus sized rants.
That being said, you're incredibly correct about the dresses and hair which just killed me. Some of the liberties they took were really frustrating and really annoyed me. Particularly with Daphne and the fashions of the era
Nicola is one of my all time favorite actors at the moment. Derry Girls anyone?
Yes, after watching Derry girls it’s the only reason I wanted to watch bridgerton.
I had only seen the first few episodes before I watched Bridgerton, but now I'm binging the rest of the series. :)
I love Derry Girls. I knew I’d seen Nicola before somewhere but couldn’t place her.
Yes, I love Derry girls!!
fr until now I still DO NOT believe sis is like 34
I noticed immediately that the dresses she wore didn’t seem to fit her right, but then I got distracted by how sweet and gorgeous she was jxhcbcbcbxb
Thank you! That bust seam was making me nuts!! I see it in fast fashion all the time and I can't understand why people don't know that the seam is to go under the bust. The colors were awful, but they could have been so much better had they been sewn correctly!
Exactly! So unflattering!
In fast fashion it’s often because the top/dress is cut for a B-cup and the wearer has a larger cup size. In my experience anyways. Related-a lot of my work dresses are meant to have the waistline at the natural waist (maybe a hair higher), but because of my boobs they’re empire waist dresses.
I have a G cup. waist lines never fit me but then I barely have a waist :-S
I have a UK M cup anything is either so low cut that it looks like i'm falling out or cut off halfway up my bust. I don't think I've ever worn a peice of clothing that fits me Size 28 top and size 20 waist with size 24 hip. I've no hope
@@HarmonyWales yeah, I really start needing to make my own clothes so that I can get the fit right.
By now they gotta know that costume nerds will totally pick all this stuff apart. Throw us a bone already, like stop with the corset pain thing, or make the hair right. Give us something!
I hated the corsrt bruise and the nothing at all under irt! But on the other hand sexy times sences with daphne and duke shows more daphnes naked body than actually hiatorical inspired fashion 🤦🏻
Right? You would think they would have learned by now.
Yeah i think it’s more a Fantasy regency than historcal accuracy just the same as Outlander (Claires dresses in france (which she designed herself ) are inspired by Dior) Some costumes were ill fitted and they simply had too much costumes
My off the rack corset fits me better and is more comfortable than my best bra, and I am plus sized. Love Penelope and Eloise.
Right? Someone needs to tell Hollywood writers to cool it with the corset myths.
Having read the books, Penelope's (and her sisters) gowns are horrid as a reflection of their mother's bad taste. Pen's gowns are extra bad because her mother feels she's the "failure" child, an opinion shared by her sisters. Her gowns will get better and more flattering if/when it's Pen's specific story, when she starts choosing her own clothes.
I edited this to add that canonically to the books, Pen is supposed to have "baby fat" for the first season, as she was only 16/17 and out in society early. She looses her "baby fat" (but is still curvy) by the time she's 18/19 and wears much more flattering shaped dresses. The colors however will remain atrocious for a while...
in the book series Penelope gets a "glow up" in later novels... its entirely possible that the costume designer dressed her so poorly in this first series so the transformation is more significant next year
I encourage you all to read the series. I'm struggling not to spoil it for you but this plays out over many books and is important to the overarching plotline
Ugh I hated the weird half stays/corset thing that were worn on some of the women in boudoir scenes. They probably have some appropriate use, but it honestly looked like someone wanted them to function as a bra for the sake of “sexy times for modern audiences”. Also having no shifts underneath made me go 🤢🥴 other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed your video and loved the commentary. ☺️
Thank you! And while shorter corsets were worn by many slimmer women in the Regency period, you're right that they look totally weird without shifts.
I agree that there definitely should have been shifts under the corset!
But during the regency era stays (or half corsets) were the norm. There is no point in accentuating the waist if one would wear a loose fitting dress over it. Sometimes full corsets would be worn by older woman or to flatten a bigger stomach. (You can actually see that with Marina. She wears stays at first and then starts wearing a full corset to hide her pregnancy.)
So the stays were accurate, contrary to the tightlacing scene in the beginning!
Fiona L sure and I agree with you.
However - what I meant to say was that I didn’t like how the show used half corsets as a substitute for a modern day bra during a sex scene or after one. It didn’t feel believable, kinda like the tight lacing scene in the beginning.
I also understand the practicality of half corsets and stays and I’m not questioning the validity of the corsets themselves.
I just didn’t agree with the choices that were made by the costume department and/or the director.
To me it just felt off and inaccurate with these specific garments and how they were used. Realistically they’d be either naked or wearing a chemise/shift otherwise there’ll be chafing, irritation and redness on the skin.
i feel like the tight lacing scene was meant to show how tactless lady featherington was. like theres a reason we didnt see tight lacing in the bridgerton family.
Eperke perhaps - though I beg to differ.
Tight lacing is an age old trope in film and tv therefore serving no other purpose than to depict the supposed vanity of period women. it also happens in other series and films as a mean to show women in their undergarments to the audience and it is often done inaccurately.
Men have worn corsets too at times, but we rarely (never) see them being shown/mentioned the way women are.
Penelope dresses are like that on purpose, specially color. It's about character growth. That changes in the books too. Penelope it's the most important character in the books anyway.
I really wish that the costumers would have put Penelope in better dresses, because as a plus size teen, it sucks to not see women that look like me in dresses that I would love to wear in a flattering way
A lovely video as always ❤❤
Hugs! I know how you feel I was so convinced as a teen young adult I couldn’t fit in a regency style because I am plus size I stopped even hoping for a wedding dress that would’ve worked and just assumed I was doomed and was to modernly fat to ever believe anything historical could look good! We can wear whatever and guess what many times we rock it better then those stick!
Totally agree! I wish mainstream media would be better about that.
It looked to me like they did the same thing that fast fashion seems to do and simply increased the size overall size of the clothing without adjusting for the bust which is why you get the "classic" boob cutoff. This happens to me all the time when I try on any dresses or shirts with a high waist. Usually stretchy fabrics can compensate a bit so those may actually fit, but most are invariably too small in the bust because apparently it's impossible to get fashion designers to understand that when you gain weight, a bunch of it goes into the bust so you need more room for it!
The small bust problem is equally difficult with respect to patterns. I have yet to succeed at a full bust adjustment and don't understand why no one offers patterns with these adjustments already made. It's one of the hardest things to alter in my experience and no one seems to care.
fwiw, I think they did it on purpose because she undergoes an transformation when she comes into her own and starts to pick her dresses, so they probably went for the least flattering dress shapes they could in order to make that more dramatic in later seasons.
@@AnnieBellet I get that and I read someone else saying something similar but they could’ve easily done that with color and patterns without making it about her body being wrong though I sorta get the idea that maybe modern Americans may not get that it isn’t her body that is wrong but the clothes with just colors and bad pattern choices but eh can’t we make progress?
I find corset scenes annoying and cliché at this point in time, since there has been so many of them over the years in films. Especially when nothing is worn underneath them, which was not realistic at all. I agree there should had more diverse plus sizes of extras, if not available for the speaking roles. Though that doesn't seem to be Netflix or Shondaland priority. Penelope's horrible dresses are because her mother (who knows nothing about fashion or men) thinks dressing Penelope in "happy colors" will snag her a husband. Because men are attracted to happy girls in happy colors. So Pen spends a lot of time in an unflattering yellow, it isn't until she's considered on the shelf, that she finally is able to to dress in clothes that are way more flattering and match her coloring. So I do think it's half a choice because she's supposed to be an ugly duckling at the moment, until it's her time to come forth as a swan in later season. I saw in a video that with Queen Charlotte, the costume designer claimed that QC dressed that way for a good chunk of her life. Which I call bull, I think she just wanted to make those kinds of dresses, one cause she wanted to and two so that QC would stand out with those dresses and the wigs. Oh good I wasn't the only one who hated the hair in the show, even though I was annoyed with the lack of hats and bonnets, I knew that wasn't gonna happen, since they probably blew the budget on the clothes. So there wasn't any left over for hats or they didn't want to hire extra people to make a bunch of hats. I swear all costume department people for movies seem to have gotten together and decided that they are just gonna ignore that women in periods past covered their heads and wore their hair up. When so many of the other characters had such elaborate hair, Daphne, Eloise, and Penelope just look like lazy prom hairstyles.
Thank you for this. I'm a historical interpreter for the Regency (18teens) and I and my daughter are both extra-plus sized. I am very careful with making both short stays and gowns for us and our larger friends. I work to make these outfits flattering and well fitted.
Thank you again.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
"And mine is yellow"
7,500 costumes is not impressive when they all look so cheap and ill-fitting.
The show would have been better if the designer had given the main characters just a few properly fitted costumes and had them repeat.
I guessed from episode 1, this was intentional so when she comes into her own later in the series, the transformation would be more dramatic.
Plus size actress in main supporting role: Catherine Tate, playing Donna Noble in Dr Who.
They dressed her well, and Donna Noble was a fantastic character.
Dr Who has also had a disabled companion, Ryan Sinclair (played by Tosin Cole). Disability in a major character in TV or film is rare too.
Yaas! Glad I wasn't the only one to notice that Daphne looked like she was cosplaying as Wendy for half the show.
Oh, man I just recently saw Godmothered over Christmas and I LOVED her costumes. So happy, pink and flattering.
It was such a good movie!
Fun face. Nicola is 34! She looks so young, she plays a school girl in Derry girls (which is brilliant! I'd recommend it if you can find it)
Seriously?? She looks 14 as Penelope!
I looove the format of this video u were so engaging ! Awesome scripting, editing, and video !!!
Thank you so much!
Please read the book. I actually think they mostly nailed her wardrobe. She's supposed to look terrible. Bad color choices, awful hair, gaudy dresses, poor fit. Sometimes I think she didn't look bad enough. Her mom is controlling her wardrobe. She's not dressing her so badly out of spite, negligence, or anything like that, she just has awful taste. She really thinks those are the BEST clothes for her. None of them look great. They are known for being new money and having horrible taste. They are not classy people. The few times she's allowed to choose her own clothing her mother thinks it's dowdy and dreadfully boring. That it will never make her stand out and never catch her a husband. When her mom gives up on her ever finding a husband and doesn't care anymore how she looks because she assumes Penelope will end up an old maid, that's when she is finally showed to choose her own wardrobe completely. That's when she shines. She's is supposed to look a mess at this point in the story though. Sometimes you have to make someone beautiful look like crap on purpose because that is part of the plot. And that is the case here.
I'm so glad I wasn't the only person that noticed the budget Wendy Darling cosplay... :)
Penelope was by far the prettiest of the main cast. That "Not everyone can be a pretty Bridgerton" line had me laugh out loud, considering she looks better than anyone in that family XD
I agree! I love her.
I chuckled, too, because Pen is stunning
@@annieshaffer6939 Because they did so in the show? I merely disagreed with the sentiment voiced in that scene that skinny is always prettier.
They made a whole "thing" out of it so I said I disagreed. That's just personal preference though.
I see where you're coming from, but
if anything, it's showbiz pitting women against each other. The writers, too, like in this case.
@@annieshaffer6939
A persons inherent value is not determined by their perceived attractiveness.
What is considered visually pleasing is different for everyone, so there is never a "prettiest in the room". Ever.
@@annieshaffer6939 I certainly learned that some people take this "holier than thou" thing extremely far in order to pick unnecessary arguments on the internet.
The shots from this latest season show that we are getting much better outfits with her character progression!
So, in the book, Penelope is supposed to be larger in her first season and then she looses weight for her next season. I honestly put the costuming down to the director wanting her to look bigger now so the actress doesn’t have to actually lose any weight later.
If you look at fashion plates from the time being “modernly plus size” would have been way more desired because of the way more flattering way the cloths would look than on a stick figure. The nightgown stood so much in the show, more beautiful than any other costumes in my opinion. They should have done it all like that!
Ikr
Like so many novels praise “dimples in the elbows” and that would have been prom someone being heavier. There is no other way to get that.
RE Tight Lacing - keep in mind that the designer and showrunner for this series had the Featheringtons as Regency Kardashians. If there is ANYONE who is going to tight lace a corset under an empire waist gown, it'd be a Kardashian... :D
Yeah, but it just doesn't work with a regency era one. Its literally just a layer or two of fabric, maybe with some cording sewn in for a little support. And the eyelets were just hand sewn. You actually can't physically tightlace with those materials - they just rip under the strain if you tried to do so. Also the fashion at the time was to go for the more straight up and down figure and some women would actually pad out their waist to achieve the look if their waist was too small in relation to their hips. So the actual comparison to the Kardashians would be for them to be padding the waist larger (like getting butt implants but less permanent) not making it smaller. The regency era was all about moving away from the small waist large hips of the wide panniers and conical stays (though even those didn't work to tightlace and it was the large panniers which did the work of making the waist look small). So those at the forefront of fashion wouldn't be doing something unfashionable like highlighting their stays are making their waists small.
@@AlexaFaie You absolutely can tightlace in sewn eyelets. You just shorten the lifespan of the stays considerably. But if you have money to frequently buy new ones that is not actually a problem. The whole "there was no tightlacing before metal eyelets" thing is a myth that extant garments, contemporary depictions and actual experimentation with garments in question easily disprove.
That being said, in Regency dress it makes little sense to tightlace but then one look at Polly Walker's dresses in Bridgerton kind of makes you wonder if someone like this would force the issue unnecessarily. I mean it's equally Illogical to waste a season bodyshaming a daughter by putting her in unflattering clothing instead of making her look her best and hope someone will take her off her hands as she is. But that's exactly what she is doing.
@@magdn1 You can't with the style of stayd they had. Not just the eyelets issue. The fabric had nothing much to support it and the shape wasn't cut to make the waist smaller. Its simply a case of if you don't have the waist cut smaller and don't have vertical support (such as boning of different materials) then the fabric will collapse down and not actually do any kind of job you're hoping to do. The shape of the garment would have had to have been totally different to actually achieve waist reduction, something that just can not be seen in the stays of the regency era. And without the support of stiffening materials, the seams become weak points for the kind of pressure you'd be trying to exert. So the fabric either collapses or the seams rip. Or both. I'm not saying they wouldn't have probably wanted a tiny waist in a vanity kind of way, more that the exact technology to do so wasn't invented quite yet.
@@AlexaFaie Neither the seams, nor the fabric nor the eyelets would rip. A firmly woven linen and a tiny hand sewn backstitch do not rip that easily. The eyelets would be the weakest point but even those wouldn't be instantly ruined (in fact a few long stays have ivory eyelets (like LACMA's M.91.286) why bother with those if you don't put pressure on them?). As for vertical boning, aside from the huge vertical bone that is the busk, plenty of extant long stays have baleen boning in the back (MFA 49.904, V&A: T.57-1948, LACMA M.63.54.7) and nearly all of them are given structure with cording. Some of baleen-boned ones date into the late Regency and even beyond but they are also exactly the style of stays worn in this particcular scene.
As for the technology.... Elizabeth I's effigy stays have a waist meausrement of 21” but would fit a woman of a height of 5'2 or 5'3, the Neuburg bodies from 1598 has a 20" waist, a bodice from 1660 in the Museum of London has a 19" waist. These are not measurements that are naturally achievable without putting serious pressure on eyelets, seams and fabric. And just saying, I've seen actual real life people tightlace in 18th century stays with handsewn eyelets. I am pretty you've seen the pictures of these people tightlacing and think it's an optical illusion caused by boobage and hoops/bumpads. It's not. It's also not the most comfortable thing to do but that's obviously a different story.
This myth that tightlacing are just those repressed Victorians being victims of the patriachy and metal eyelets is nearly awful as those tightlacing scenes in movies. Replacing one untrue narrative with another is not helpful.
The Regency equivalent would be pushing up the breasts, not tight lace
I’m so glad that you filmed this because those were my thoughts as I watched the series.
Hearing you refer to Lady Featherington's fashion as 1990's sexy mother of the bride is making my morning 😄
"Unflattering" and "makes you look bigger" are not the same thing, because there is nothing wrong with looking bigger.
This video is AMAZING and says everything I feel. Thank you!
Thank you! :)
It is a part of the story series. Penelope is the last one to get romanced in the family. By then she is old enough to start picking her own gowns and colors and HER style is now showing and more appropriate.
Yep, I was REALLY frustrated with her costumes since she is a super cute girl but the gowns were awful on her.
I love Penelope’s yellow gowns! More elegant than her mother’s and sisters.’
And actually in the books, more of the insults are flung towards mrs. Featherington for picking very poorly for childrens clothes. It's rare for people to be rude to Penelope directly for dressing poorly. A small detail that i sort of appreciated.
I'm so glad somebody else thinks they made Daphne look exactly like Wendy 😂😂😭😭 I was beginning to think I was crazy
Oh my gosh, seriously. Like pretty much every scene.
Around the 8min mark, I think hair and makeup purposely made Daphne's hair styles more simple than the other debs because they wanted to showcase her natural beauty that the queen was so fond of in the first court scene.
They are doing it on purpose to allow for her growth though the series. When they make the dresses fit better next season it will make her look like she’s lost weight without the actress actually having to lose weight. In the books she loses a bit of weight between 1st and 2nd. Then her colour palette slowly improves until book 4 she’s allowed to choose her own clothing and pick her own colours because her mother thinks she’s “on the shelf”
I know!!! I was loving the yellow though! The singed daffodil!!! Even though they made her more of a red head than I picture her. She is described really pale but at the same time whit less bright red hair, but Nicola caughlan is so cute!!! I can’t complain!!!
@@nadiasalas4832 I wonder if they’ll change her hairstyle in latter seasons, she’s so pretty but I don’t think the tiny curls suit her.
@@crystalprocrastinates2500 I can get by with the curly hair, I just prefer prudence or Phillipas hair rather than hers. Besides was I the only one who loved the Polly walkers (Portia) brocade dresses!!!
@@nadiasalas4832 I loved her dresses but they took me out of the time period because they didn’t really say regency
Can I say I'm intrigued by your velvet waistcoat thing... is it a sleeveless pelisse (a bit like the one Marika over at Enchanted Rose) made?
Modern patterns put the under-bust seam too high for me... but surely Penelope's dresses could be properly cut but still unflattering? The colours were enough!
It's a sleeveless spencer! I think I used the back and sides of a Regency pattern (can't remember which, sorry) and drafted the front myself. It's a super easy way to elevate a little white dress Regency look for evening.
And I totally agree - the colors and textures were totally enough without doing the ill-fitting bustline.
I thought it might also be the modiste making the family clothing even more horrendous as she seemed to really dislike them. But then again, the too short bodice was on Daphne was well.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions It looks awesome on you.
I have something to say. Corsets don’t hurt if they fit you properly. Stays you can’t tight lace there’s just no way. Stays was to help support all the weight of the skirts
I've only watched a few episodes of Bridgerton, but honestly it's just refreshing to see Penelope on screen and in a positive role. I developed disordered eating because growing up in the early 2000s made me think I had to be super skinny to get good lead roles as an actress, rather than always play the villain or comedic relief mother figure.
Now shows like Godmothered are getting us to a place where little girls don't have to feel like that anymore, and I'm excited to see more positive representation in later series of Bridgerton when Penelope has more control over her life.
All of the books that I have read even historical ones they talk about how court dress was many many years out of fashion they all just had one court outfit then dressed in fashion at other times I really don’t think this stopped until the late 1820’s but you are one hundred percent on point with all of your comments especially those high busted ill fitting dresses Penelope has to wear. Love your channel
Court dress was a totally different fashion, but it was still "modern." If you haven't seen what English court dress looked like, I highly recommend taking a look - it's quite a laugh! Basically, hoops were still required, but they wore the panniers with the high Regency waistline. It's really very silly!
They'd always alter dresses to fit the latest fashions though. If you look at period illustrations of court dresses, they did have the hoops but they also had the high Regency waistline for a very weird combination. It wasn't just straight up 1760s dresses worn unchanged.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions omg I just searched for "regency court dress" on Google images 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@brittanyhul7989 right?! 🤣
I would like to point out in the books, she grows into her chub, so to speak. They may be exaggerating, now, in order to effect a greater transformation, later. While this is still highly problematic (lose weight and suddenly the man will notice you), it would at least serve a narrative function. Penelope is supposed to be confined by her mother's incredibly poor taste, and it makes sense that that would extend to the cut of her gowns. The books focus on color, but I imagine cut will also be a significant part of Penelope taking charge of her image, as an individual.
yes, the books specifically state Penelope's mothers poor taste and yellow is the color she is forced to wear. it is not fat shaming, it is the books description, she does loose 2 stone- whatever that is though and marries very happily
Yes and no. In the books she is only "overweight" for one season. Her mother controls what she wears for the next eight years. It wasn't until he sees her again after that eight years that her hero notices her differently. Not when she lost weight but when she was able to express herself and her fashion.
Wait -- she doesn't get the guy until she loses 2 stone? That's even worse.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions she gets the guy eight years and many interactions later - essentially once they get to know each other more (and you know, allow the plots of 6 other books to happen).
@@cdron23 2 stone = 32lbs or 14.5 kgs
One bit of editing that I think is worth pointing out when the tightlacing scene is happening is that the mother is ordering it done while over the scene the narrator calls her tasteless and tactless. It doesn't necessarily change much, but it is worth noting when talking about the staging and intentions of the corset scene.
The character was forced by her mother to wear unflattering dresses in unflattering colors. Her outfits in the series actually looked better than I imagined when reading the books. Her costuming in the series was a deliberate decision.
I’m so glad to see someone calling out the horrible way they treated the only plus size character!! It’s so disappointing.
Btw, the dresses in the background are gorgeous!! Nice flex on how you can make regency clothes for plus sized people that look incredible.
Thank you! :)
I agree. I never thought I could wear that era but I need to give it a go.
@@quicksilvertears921 Regency works on ANY body of ANY size. A wonderful thing about it is that, if someone knows fabrics and various body sizes very well, then whatever your goal is an be achieved with regency. I started dressmaking over 20 years ago, when I was still about 300 pounds, and so have had a chance for personal experience with regency as mu own size went down, and now have clients of all sizes around the world. Regency is a great place to step in as long as you don't get someone who doesn't know what they're doing. It's one of my favorite eras to do. :). If you sew, I'd be glad to give you some direction, and if you don't, would still be glad to give you direction. People of all sizes feeling good is kind of an important thing to me. ariacouture.com/bridgerton-body-shaming-and-a-missed-opportunity-walk-into-a-bar
@@ariaalexandria3324 You are the sweetest. I am going to be attempting to make some gowns and I will definately let you know when I start because I will be needing direction and would love some. It won't be for a few months.
That’s how she gets treated in the book and also a reality for many plus size women. Unfortunately we still live in a fatphobic society and are no we’re near close to be accepting.
They did the busts too short on nearly everyone! It was making me crazy, but at least the fabrics were pretty to look at.
I've read all 8 books. I believe Penelope's ill fitting dresses are part of the story plot. I also believe the Netflix storytelling it historical fantasy. Mrs. Featherington was also known for her gaudy clothing choices for her and her daughter. It's a running mention in Whistledown.
Firstly! I’m a new subscriber and I’m thrilled to be here seeing a person with a body that looks like mine dressing vintage and doing historical costuming videos, thank you for making awesome stuff! Second, I can’t remember where, but I read that Queen Charlotte did tend to favor dresses more similar to the styles of the late eighteenth century as her years advanced, so maybe that’s why they dressed her in that manor?
Thanks for subscribing! Queen Charlotte required hoops at court, but they were underbust style with the panniers right underneath. Here's a great article on it: janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/awkward-the-regency-court-gown-regency-fashion/
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I’ve been reading about dress history for many, many years and I hadn’t seen those before! Pregnant cake topper indeed. Hilarious and ugly yes, but I can feel the itch starting....must not make one!
@@AntelJM I have definitely been tempted to make one, but they're so unflattering that I don't think I can bring myself to do it!
Some of this may also be due to her needing to conceal the fact that the actress is in her mid-thirties and portraying a teen
@Charisma Girl She's 18 or 19. Eloise is 17.
So totally agree with what's wrong with Penelopies dress's. The empire waist should be below the breasts, hers cut across them. Also my wife noted the lead male character is not wearing any neck decoration, eg cravats. An open neck style, especially for evening ware is totally inaccurate. However, we are still going to watch it.
I definitely say still watch it, because it is quite enjoyable. It's just not exactly that historical. :)
I don't know very much about historical male dress at all, but I immediately felt like the Duke's outfit looked wrong without a cravat or other neck-wrap-thing.
Well the cut of dresses is actually pretty accurate for the mid teens. The waistline rose so high that by 1815-1816 the bust for most women who had any sort of breast development had them cut in half like that. Then the ladies realized that was ridiculous and by 1817-1818 waistline started dropping again. Most period dramas use the silouette from 1800-1810 so seeing the later one looks "wrong" for Regency to us.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I really enjoyed it !! A bit lusty in parts .. but I really love period dramas .. I’m no expert about ladies dresses in different times of history .. but I JUST KNEW some of those styles didn’t match !! And I don’t think ladies went out in daytime without their arms covered in that time .. I thought they were to have arms covered to be ladylike .. well except for balls ...
I’m hoping the terrible costumes are to A: make her look younger, and B: pave the way for a beautiful all along transformation when we see her in flattering clothes.
I love beautiful all along transformations, because I really do think a huge problem we have is that anyone who doesn’t fit the mold tends to “give up” on themselves - wearing baggy, ill fitting clothes because it’s easier to find and doesn’t seem worth the effort. When I learned how to start dressing better is made a huge impact on my self esteem and confidence. Even when I wear a tshirt and jeans, I know which tshirt and which jeans and I feel good.
Plus size women are shamed so much, I love seeing how better clothes and makeup and hair make such a huge difference- how we can embrace ourselves.
i dont think they are fat shaming her! i had taken as that they were setting up a sad story line. i think they was she is dressed shows her mothers disregard for her, not the producers. From my understanding the bridgerton seasons will go over the romances of each child. So when its benedict's season, i would not be surprised to see penelope blossom into an entirely different character.
Apparently we're getting Penelope and Colin next season, instead of Benedict!
This was obviously a story-telling choice. It says more about her mother’s character (who chooses her clothing) than the creators or how they feel about plus size people.
I thought Penelope looked super pretty 🤭
I assumed the queen being in the older fashion was so it would fit in with the Kings memories of her and be more in line with the time period he thinks it is.
Queen Charlotte deliberately continued to wear older fashions so as not to disconcert King George, who suffered from some sort of dementia throughout the latter part of his reign.
So glad I came across this video! You voiced my concerns exactly! Thank you youtube for recommending such a good channel!
“Yellow is a happy color and a happy girl will snatch a husband” paraphrasing from the second book “the viscount who loved me”. It is commented over and over all through out the series how Penelope is dressed in colors that doesn’t complement her, and cuts that are not good for her figure. And it isn’t until her mom stops trying to marry her off and she is on the shelf. And she grows as a character that she becomes more comfortable in her own skin that she dresses according to her personality. That is character development. And yes it is noted she is curvier than all the other girls ( completely unfashionable at the time apparently) which makes her a more interesting character. If you are going to rant about it at least read the books first.
The color I totally get is a design choice/from the books. But the fact that only some of her dresses fit her totally wrong is the issue I have. If all her dresses fit her wrong, that would be different. As it is, though that's not a character choice - it's a costumer problem.
@@annieshaffer6939 What comments are tearing down other actresses in the series? I have responded multiple times to people that yes, I know that some of Daphne's dresses fit her wrong too, but because she is so slim, she looks like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Overall, Nicola has more dresses that fit her incorrectly than anyone else, and on her, that fit problem is very unflattering. You can subscribe or not subscribe to anyone you like, but clearly, you're the person who needs to work on herself. So take your rude comments elsewhere.
i loved bridgerton as a nice romp into high society fantasy regency (have not read the books). i am disappointed that plus-sized women are not considered as leads or romantic leads in a lot of films/tv shows. also, let's make penelope's court dress :-)
Agreed on both counts! And I so want her court dress, but that would be so much work! I am going to sneak in a Featherington-inspired dress coming up soon, though!
Penelope becomes a romantic lead later in the series.
I taught my kids from the time they were little to make fun of any corsets worn without a chemise or shift. Actually we talked about and made fun of every single historical inaccuracies we could find.
I thought the reason for the unflattering cuts was so they could "glow up" penny without making the actress lose weight
The irony is that being 'pleasingly plump' was considered attractive and skinny wasn't considered sexy at the time, plus Penelope is actually a quite pretty. In fact, a round face was considered the beauty ideal, not high cheekbones. In the real regency period Penelope would probably have been considered prettier than Daphne.
They did that to Daphne as well. However its not as noticeable.
Yeah, I did notice it in one of her ballgowns, but imo, when you do that on a rail thin woman in a dress like that, she just wound up looking like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Still not Regency, but not unflattering.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions kirelle cosplay did a video on this and its worse than i originally thought and makes me madder now.
The producers only put Penelope in to appease viewers and pretend at diversity, but she's clearly still the 'odd one out' because of her size - which shouldn't be the case if this is fantasy.
I disagree. Penelope will have her day, pick her own gowns, and have the man of her choice figuratively at her feet.
So nice to see a channel for plus size costumers/reenactors/etc
Well.... SOMEONE has NEVER read the books, have they?? **rolls eyes**
Penelope is one of, if not my favourite character! She's gorgeous! The costuming is a deliberate part of the characterisation for Penelope. This will probably make more sense in the next season of the show.
While I know that the unflattering costumes are a plot choice, I wish they would mention it more than once (I think Penelope complains about it once, but I might even think about s2) AND have plus-sized extras in normal fits.
I've recently had an argument with my cousin and his wife where he said that maybe there's not enough plus-sized fashion options because there isn't enough customer base. And I was appaled as the lowest number I've seen is 30% being XXL+. And this seemingly invisibility of plus-sized people only gets highlighted by the media where it DOES seem like 1 in a 100 people is not runway model shaped.
But I do have hope as in s2 they added more POC extras with speaking roles (like, 3, an east-asian girl, a south-asian girl and a black girl, but it's still a step) that speak with Anthony then Eloise and Penelope. MAYBE just MAYBE they will continue to improve on the diversity both in ethnicities and shapes.
Literally cannot wait for s3, as you said, Nicola is not very plus-sized just, em, common mid-size, but that's still WAY MORE than we've been used to getting in romance. And she's GORGEOUS, I hold my fists and pray that they will show her just as alluring and desirable as Phoebe and Simone.
Thank you for talking about this subject. I love love LOVE The Regency era and just started watching Bridgerton last night. However, I was heartbroken seeing how Penelope is being treated, fat-shamed, and dressed. She is such a gorgeous woman and I hope she can finally come to her true self fashion wise at some point. Other than that, I'm really loving Bridgerton and so many of the amazing costumes.
Yep, exactly! I really hope we see her treated better in future seasons.
Opening the series with the tight corset scene told us immediately where this show was going. The could have called it 'spot all the inaccuracies and have fun doing so'. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when I realized that Portia Featherington 'pre-invented' 1950s cocktail frocks and as the series progressed I almost hoped for a barbecue scene organised by Lady Featherington at the Serpentine Lake, the location chosen to do all the perambulation by the 'ton'. The 'mistakes' came thick and fast, one could hardly keep up or track every single one, sometimes I almost thought it deliberately created to give pain to the people obsessed with historical accuracy. French court dress at the English court with a marvelously acted black Queen Charlotte. My thought at that moment was 'My, hasn't Dame Helen Mirren changed!' Her ever changing hairstyles throughout the series had me spellbound. Unlike the hair of our heroine Daphne, did she deliberately cut her fringe too short before the series to challenge the series's hairdressers? Though I had to laugh at her boots she so carelessly abandoned after her early morning ride. So quickly taken off in a matter of a second, the convenience of having a not yet invented zip at the back of each greatly helped Daphne not to be discovered by her servant. There was so much more, and more and more, I could hardly keep up, and I haven't even mentioned any of the inaccuracies in the men's fashions, the general lack of headdress of any kind. And of course, the constant need for new dresses was clearly that the gowns were just worn too often, morning, noon, afternoon, and evenings, when in reality one had different outfits for each time of day, though it is much more fun to parade in one's best finery at the lake and at the opera.
Her clothes in the book start to change in books especially when Colin starts falling in love with her. She starts showing more confidence in herself
This was so nice and interesting to watch! And I really like your voice and you as a person. :)
I was also wondering about their day wear, they can't have worn these ball gowns all day. So there must have been an equivalent to t-shirts and track pants to wear at home. Probably just comfortable musselin dresses.
Regarding Penelope's clothes, I felt bad for her too. I mean, on the one hand, her mother had a terribly bad taste, but on the other hand, they went to a professional dressmaker, who would surely know the right height for the waist. So maybe it was really meant to make her look bigger, before the character loses weight. Her mother's dresses were weird, but also, this was meant to be a newly rich, wannabe-posh show-off without any taste. And especially with Lady Bridgerton next to her, it's such a difference. :D
Thanks! And yep, for daywear, they would have worn long sleeve muslin dresses with fichus or chemisettes filling in the neckline. I do think they were trying to make Penelope look less attractive by giving her weirdly cut dresses. Hopefully she'll have a nice glow up this coming season, and get to wear dresses that fit her properly!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Ah, interesting, thank you! :) Yes, I hope so too for Penelope, that would be nice too see. In the court dress and the pink one she wore when her father took her to the ball, she looked lovely! Hopefully she and Colin get together. :D
I was really surprised with Godmothered! That movie was way more fun than what I expected and I wanted all of her clothing. Homestly, I really want that plaid coat for everyday wear...and if I saw it on the rack I wouldn't have thought that would like flattering on my size.
My daughters were and are plus size. One in particular was a leading part in her high school musical. They measured her and ordered the costumes. When they arrived the costumes were for a size 8 body not my daughter's size 18 body. This happened so many times over the years. Often times the directors would give my girls Male parts because the costumes just wouldn't fit a girl their size. It's really sickening how plus size kids are treated. It doesn't sound like it will get better any time soon.
That sounds super familiar. I still remember when I was in Into the Woods in high school, and we had to go find someone to create a bodice for me, because the costumes they had provided didn't fit at all.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions thank you for understanding. It's nice to know we aren't the only ones that went through that.
the second the first corset scenes came on i screamed on my twitter just wondering HOW and WHY
Yes! I completely agree with you on ALL accounts! Just seeing the previews made me wince and say, "Oh, HECK NO!" I don't know if I'm able to look past the costumes to enjoy the show. However, I really want to see Godmothered! Where can I find it? Thank you for the wonderful videos you put out! 💖
Godmothered is on Disney+. Definitely check it out - it's so good!
I read that the real Queen Charlotte never updated her silhouette while she was queen. From the Vogue article titled "7,500 Pieces and 5 Months of Prep: What It Took to Create Bridgerton's Costumes", "I love Queen Charlotte [played by Golda Rosheuvel]. The real Queen Charlotte was known for never changing her silhouette from when she became queen in the 18th century. So, it was quite elaborate between her gowns, the trims and her hair, which changes all the time. She looks like cotton candy in every conceivable flavor. For me, she embodies what Bridgerton is all about."
Nope, that's wrong. Queen Charlotte changed her style along with everyone else, which you can see in her portraits. What she did do was require that hoops were worn at court, which resulted in dresses with the high Regency waistline, with panniers right underneath. Google Regency Court Dress for some great images.
Thank you for pointing out the under bust seam!! It’s been driving me crazy
It's part of the plot. Pen's mom is clueless about Pen altogether. She dresses Pen in a way that makes her unattractive. When we get to Pen's book, she has reached an age where her mother doesn't think she will ever marry and let's Pen choose her own clothing. The change will be dramatic.
Don’t worry about it. When she gets away from her mother and chooses her own clothes and hair styles she blossoms by own hand.
In the books she tells her friends that her mother likes to make her look like a pumpkin, or a squash. In British society at this point of history she has no choice but to follow the dictates of her parents, but it does change.
Excellent points. I wonder if they're making putting her in unflattering clothing so that when her book 'Romancing Mr Bridgerton' gets made (book 5 in the series) they can have a duckling to swan clothing transformation.