Thanks for the sweater love! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas and it came from Sezane: www.sezane.com/us/collection/knitwear I also wanted to add an additional note about the costuming build for Bridgerton - the Costume Industry Coalition (the organization behind the Hamilton Spencer Jacket that Bernadette did the documentary for) did an IG post the other day about how there were costume shops all over the world who worked on the builds for Bridgerton - including the US, UK, Italy, Spain, and Bucharest. The level of organization that had to happen to make this series happens blows my mind and gives me just a *little* bit of anxiety. 😂
Absolutely mind blowing. I want a documentary camera crew (working on 75mm film stock so we can get every juicy detail) following all of the costume production shops doing their monumental job. How do you even plan that. The spreadsheets must have been terrifying. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
While I cannot organize lunch for two (extra nod to the generous sponsor of this program who I am hoping continues to support this worthy channel), I am really happy that multiple, international costume shops were used. This means survival of something which should survive, apologies to the late Mr. Darwin for mucking up his algorithm.
The tight lacing under an empire waistline was...hilarious. But yes, as someone who makes historically inaccurate fluff myself, it’s helpful to remember that not all media is intended to be a perfect facsimile. This is a nuanced explanation and it doesn’t hurt that you’re so darn charming!
I mean that was just stupid. It doesn’t need to be perfect but you need to only think a second why you would not need to thightlace. Also it makes the characters look dim and the corset look worse and it’s a lace trope. Something like bonnets can be left out but you should have costumes that make sense.
I believe that the Featherington girls wear tight stays as a commentary on their mother being a control freak. It's also why their mother's gowns have figure hugging silhouettes rather than the empire silhouettes of the other women (except the queen) and all the other characters we see in their under things are shown wearing short stays.
Jup it was hilarious 😂 Though I would not state that my regency corset is made very accurate to an original, it simply cannot be tight laced, or at least that does not do anything for my waist...(or bust) That wooden plank (damn I forgot the word for it) going from in between the boobs to and a bit past the waist doesn't help creating A slimmer waist. It does help in separating the breasts and make my front rather flat (in vertical line) I had to laugh at the lacing in the first episode (haven't watched the rest yet, but will)
I find it hilarious how the entire costuming community's reaction to Bridgerton seems to be: "I can roll with the candy colored polyester extravaganza, but for the love of all that is holy stop with the shiftless tight lacing!"
I think that part of the problem is referring to Bridgerton as a "period drama"! As you said, it's not a period drama, it's a bodice-ripper Regency-ish romance novel/soap opera on film ... Looking at it like that, the costumes make perfect sense, and I'm actually surprised that they aren't *more* inaccurate than they are!
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/ www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber ua-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/v-deo.html #Bridgerton
@@AWordorNinety But this is not what the show does. It's not showing realistic presence of POCs in that time in England, it's just places them randomly everywhere and gives the impression to ignorant or uninformed people that this is a historical reality by calling it a period drama. Plus, it's condescending and kind of ridiculing the POC actors.
@@Anna-rk2wi I mean, calling it a "first" is a BIG stretch. Lots of such adaptations came around in the 80s and 90s and even earlier. It's not a new genre, rather an old one. But certainly one that doesn't aim for accuracy, rather aims more towards fantasy and that's ok. But no way in hell is it the first lol :P
I have seen some discussions about Queen Charlotte being out of fashion when, as a queen with her eye on the social scene, she should have been on the cutting edge. A friend of mine and I have a theory about this and how it supports the story: George III is shown to be mentally ill in a way that seems to align to a kind of dementia, such as when he forgets that his daughter died and he accuses Charlotte of killing her. My friend and I theorize that Charlotte wearing clothes in the style of her youth is a subtle indicator of how she tries to get George to recognize her since, with his memory wandering, he is more likely to know who she is if she dresses as she did when they were first married. She wears the style all the time so that if he is lucid, she can go to him immediately without stopping to change. To me, this seems like an interesting way that the costume supports the story line, even though it is not historically accurate.
also, queen Charlotte was not at the cutting edge of fashion either, that is why court dress was so out of wack. The queen even made women wear hoops even when the fashion was very different at the time.
How interesting! That actually makes quite a bit of sense! The moments when he was lucid may have been fleeting so anything that would have taken up precious time in getting to him would have to be reduce. Just that gesture alone shows just how much she loved him.
This is why I get iffy when people bash designers when they weren't necessarily striving for historical inaccuracy and could have been making a very intentional design choice for a specific reason such as this which fits well. It's worth researching why the designer made a choice to better understand it or just understand that it may have been intentional for reasons such as this. It's worth speculating and analyzing why they made the choice. I'm only an aspiring designer not a professional but I know even if I don't have time to give every specific reason for every design choice there is still a reason because I am playing close attention to detail in my work and am being very intentional and pretty much everything has a specific reason behind it but we'd be here for hours if I rattled them all off. That's in my own work at least.
Were you blessed with the gift of prophecy by Apollo or something? Cuz this is basically confirmed in Queen Charlotte, or at least gained traction as a theory lmao
Thank you for this! I was one of the embellishers for the costumes on Bridgerton and I have to say, despite being someone who loves fashion history and (on most occasions) accuracy, it was so refreshing to work on a show where everyone could truly express their creativity. There was a huge number of costumes to work on, but the team was made up of so many incredibly talented and experienced artists. It was a genuine pleasure to be a part of 💙
You and your team made costumes that were such a joy to see on screen!! And my, potentially unpopular, opinion is Lady Fetherington had some of the best costumes. The patterns! The fit! It totally suited her character and I loved it. Y'all did amazing work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
As someone who also generally loves historical accuracy depending on the type of film/tv show, I have been absolutely loving the costumes, wigs, and overall style of the series. Everything so distinctly belongs in the world of Bridgerton, which really separates this series from other regency set shows or films. I view it as a historical fantasy, and accurate or not, there was clearly a lot of incredible work done on all of the costumes.
As a Hollywood assistant, that request sounds like every other Tuesday. Legit, the asks we get make The Devil Wears Prada look like preschool. Honestly, the fact that the costume department got the ridiculous amount of garments done and out the door is a feat of legend.
@@availanila lol no. The Devil Wears Prada is about an assistant that is asked to do the impossible on a regular basis - totally ridiculous tasks with a boss that is strict, exacting, and mean. In reality, Hollywood producers are actually much worse than the movie even shows. Reality makes the movie seem like a nice environment, like preschool, because the kinds of ridiculous things that actual assistants have to do are actually much worse.
@@availanila She's saying the brutality of life in that industry portrayed in the movie The Devil Wears Prada makes it look like preschool compared to the reality in the costume making industry. Its waaaay harsher. Something to that extent.
@@davriecaro3036 I imagine it involved a *lot* of spraying with vodka (an old theater costume trick for disinfecting costume pieces that either can't be washed at all, or have to be more or less clean in less time than it would take to wash and dry them)!
The 2006 Marie Antoinette movie is sooo pervasive in art too! I'm a studio art major and and in one of my courses art of the 18th century class we watched that movie and analyzed its importance and how it made Versailles's abundance even more digestible for a modern viewer. It's truly spectacular.
I say this a lot- that while not all the pieces of Marie Antoinette were HA, the *vibe* certainly was! It’s still my favourite movie for costuming of all time. I was one of the ones who loved it as soon as it came out. I was primed for it, I already loved Sophia Coppola, and I’d follow her anywhere after the masterpiece that was The Virgin Suicides. Honestly, she doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit. I think she’s a better filmmaker than her father.
I think it did a good job in presenting the sheer opulence of those first years in Versailles for her in a way that everyone in modern society can relate to. The obsession with fashion, the parties, the food, it was a whirlwind that made me, at least, how overwhelming it must have been for her after the relative austerity MA was raised in, to find herself in that situation... Although, yeah, it is not Historically Accurate by a long shot.
@@katherinemorelle7115 In my opinion the costumes were mostly historically accurate, there were just a few licenses here and there which added that certain artsy factor. The shoegazing, dream-poppish aesthetics and the occasional post-punk/new wave/indie music imo matched well with the decadent Versailles in the last decades of the Ancien Régime. It's one those movies where the main core is correct, yet there are some artistic liberties added upon. In Bridgerton everything is a fantasy.
@@TakiKimono that sounds Like a Future adventure: In a world where Minimalism dominates, one woman uncovers a relic from the past to lead her people to bright glimmering future: Beadazzler 2000's -show jeans no mercy!
I have no problem with the costuming in primarily a fantasy series not being historically accurate. But the lack of suitable fit on the Penelope character (the only leading plus-sized character) is just unforgivable.
This! I've seen some people who have read the books talk about it being intentional and that her fashion should improve in future seasons, but if that's the case, I feel like they needed to make it more obvious? Maybe have her/other characters comment on how her dresses don't fit properly, having her pinch and pull to attempt to make them sit properly, etc. As they appear in the show, it just looks like bad costuming 🤦♀️ (and maybe it just is and the book readers are giving them too much credit 😂)
@@melissac8006 I feel the pain (I'm fat), but it truly is part of her story arc. In her book (which everybody should read, because it's the best one out of the series and no one will ever convince me otherwise) she talks about how her mother made all her dressing choices regarding fit and colours (she later stops this as she is convinced Penelope would never land a husband, but again, it makes more sense when you actually read the book). they try to show it when she takes out her dress in this one scene while her sisters are very excited and exclaim the colours and Penelope says "... and mine is yellow" and they also highlight the mother's questionable fashion taste when the designer delivers the dresses after the bills have been paid and she tells them that nobody else wanted the fabrics. but i get that it's difficult to catch without knowing the books. I just really really hope they plan to fully tell her story in the next seasons.
@@merletwowildsymphonies1836 I wish it would have been more obvious in the show that it was intentional! I didn’t catch that, I just saw that they dressed Penelope in bodices that cut straight across her nipples (ouch!) and it severely annoyed me because it looked like they just didn’t bother getting the correct fit on the one plus sized main character. Though tbh I didn’t finish the series, so maybe it was made clearer later.
Half the time, the part that was supposed to go under her bust was ON her bust. It cut her in half in a weird way and made her look larger than she was. Maybe that was the point, though? She was meant to be a character no one paid attention to. The wall flower.
The historical accuracy bothered me until I got 5 minutes in and realized it was more of a historical fantasy. The lack of chemise and tight lacing did bug me a little though. I LOVED the show though and I can’t wait for the next season.
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/ www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber ua-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/v-deo.html #Bridgerton
THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! thank you so so much Abby for addressing this! The timelines for this must have been crazy for the costumers and it is a TV series and not a film so more screen time and bigger cast! I thought it was amazing and I totally got swept up in the gorgeous fantasy.
the CIC (the people behind the Hamilton spencer) put out an IG post that apparently there were costume shops *all over the world* who built for bridgerton, which is *insane* 🤯
The mention on how costume department works on "we-need-this-piece-for-yesterday-actually-no-we-don't-know-the-size-yet" style gave me major war flashbacks XDDD i worked on a few movie sets and it's 10/10 true...
@@paigemyers4762 Even some professional community theaters. Director decided he wanted a whole new gown for Eponine to wear at the end of Les Mis (since she and Fantine welcome Valjean to the afterlife) hours before the opening show. And as I was a sticker on accuracy... That crew got to learn to deal with buttons during quick changes, and ties for other things. Did some stuff for theaters higher up than that, and...yeah. But damn, I loved it.
This was sort of my problem with discussing hystorical accuracy of something like Enola Holmes. Like sure, it’s a mish-mash of years, and sure they mentioned a specific year... but it’s a movie based off of a book that is an alternate universe of a fictional book. Like. It is literally adaptation of fiction of fiction. Why in the donkey love would it be historically accurate? Historically inspired? Sure. Has its problems? Yes. However I never once assumed it would be “accurate” and kind of didn’t get why everyone else was so down on it. EDIT: I am adding HolmesPunk is now a thing to me. Enola Holmes is HolmesPunk. I’m keeping that.
personally, i usually couldn't care less if costumes are "accurate" in fantasy settings, but the corset nonsense in both bridgerton and enola holmes is infuriating!!!
@@BarbiesRevenge579 true. At least in Enola she didn’t suffer horrible tight lacing, she CHOSE to put it on, and it came in quite handy later. Silver lining.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 I didn’t really see it as complaining. More of a “this is a bad thing if it’s forced on someone, but I’m using it because I want to”. So that’s just my perspective. And I can’t see it as being set in real history, because it’s basically a movie adaptation of an AU of a fictional book. That’s an alternate history no matter how you look at it. That always suspends my disbelief far enough that unless something is so awful that it throws me totally, I can ignore most things. But then, most people have different things that bother them that strongly. Like half the time I’m watching media supposedly set in that era I just think everything looks too clean.
What I hated with Enola Holmes movie's costumes is that, despite the fact it is an alternative universe of a fictional book, the original book series is really historically accurate and every slighest change in fashion is acknowledged. So, as I just loved these books as a child, the movie ruined the esthetic of the book I had in mind. But the costumes totally works as costumes in a fun, period inspired, adventure movie and some of them are really beautiful.
Yaaaaaaass!!! THIS. Incredibly well said. I’ve never understood the need to hold historical fantasy to accuracy...or even FANTASY to historical accuracy (ahem...*Witcher’). The costuming in Bangerton (buah ha ha ha!) is really gorgeous in and of itself...but, WEAR A DAMN CHEMISE! That, and tight lacing regency stays?? Fantastic video! I hope you had a lovely New Year celebration. Much love!
The chemise and stays things were the only issues I had, and that was mostly because it scientifically and logically does not make sense- not even within the fantasy world they’d created. Everything else costume wise, I’m fine with. Though I’m also not fine with one particular aspect of the plot... I hated it in the book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I read the first few books out of order, I’d not have continued reading them. I was very unhappy with that plot line. I still am, and the fact that I have barely seen anyone talking about it, well, it’s frustrating, to say the least. I thought we as a society were better than that. That we recognised these things as problems. Guess not.
@@katherinemorelle7115 if you’re referring to the plotline that this article covers, it’s the reason I probably won’t be watching this series: www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/the-questions-of-male-consent-that-puncture-both-fantasy-worlds-of-bridgerton-and-wonder-woman-1984-.php
@@twobluestripes yep. As far as I can remember, it would only be on this season. And I had read some of the other books in the series first, which was why I co tinier reading the rest of them. I’m just really disappointed that there’s so little discussion of this. It’s a post MeToo world, but no one seems to care about this and it’s just very disappointing. I’m not saying people shouldn’t discuss other things to do with the series- the costumes, the race baiting, whatever. But the lack of discussion about this is very troubling, I think. And I know that is the ropes been reversed, this show wouldn’t even have been made. The double standards are very obvious.
Thanks for saying all the things I've been thinking watching the community freak out over these outfits! Are the costume in Bridgerton accurate? No, they weren't meant to be. Is it something to wring our historic dress hands over and be super judgey about? No. This series and it's costumes are a bit of imagination and fun, it's okay to just enjoy them for what they are. (Are we over the "corsets are the worst" troupe though, hell yes! )
@@Hair8Metal8Karen in the case of Penelope I would argue they did that deliberately. Her character has a kind of Butterfly transformation arc, so I think they were trying to make the costumes as unflattering as possible to then make the transformation in later seasons. Hard to do when Nicola Coughlan is so gorgeous!
I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one of the most famous corset-makers in the world, and then they act like they're uncomfortable and painful. Talk about a bad advertisement for his work. One minute they're like "OMG Mr. Pearl made our corsets" and the next "halp corsets ouchy" ...like... I'd be really salty.
@@AbbyCox I agree, this is just straight-out disrespectful towards his work. I am hundred percent sure that this decision had nothing to do with the costume department.
@@AbbyCox I’ve watched probably way too many interviews with the cast, and there’s not nearly as much corset-dissing as one would expect. Phoebe (Daphne) actually wanted to steal one of them, so she must have liked it. And when Claudia (Eloise) and Nicola (Penelope) were asked to “stan or ban” wardrobe articles, they chose to ban too-tight shoes and stockings that kept falling down with nary a mention of their stays.
I was surprised at tightlacing in a semi-Regency piece, of all things. I mean, they mostly stay true to the waistline-right-below-the-boobs thing. Why then were they trying to accentuate the waist? lol
So many of the tired corset tropes in this show when they don’t apply... I’ll never understand the “fantasy” element of being uncomfortable for historical fashion lmao
I tried to watch War and Peace (2007) but it too opened with a scene where they tight lace a 13 years old girl (at least in the book she was 13 at the beginning) and then dress her in a regency dress. Since the show was less cool than Bridgerton I noped after 10 minutes of the 1st episode.
I thought it was a commentary on how ridiculous and superficial the character of Lady Featherington is, and making a point of introducing her while she was tight-lacing her daughter even though the natural waist isn’t visible in the empire waist dresses
As long as a world is consistent and believable within it's own universe I'm perfectly fine with giving it a fantasy makeover. That said, as an aspiring novelist, should my own historical fantasy be given such a makeover when I have worked *so* hard to make it accurate to the time period in all details but that one fantasy thing, I'd be depressed for a decade or two. Luckily, that's unlikely ever to be an issue 🤣
The show was such a visual treat to behold! All of the colours, beautiful fabrics, lighting and overall cinematography was delightful. It was exactly as you described, a fantasy. So I had no issues with its costumes.
Such a refreshing take, tbh. I don't get the schadenfreude so much of the internet gets from criticizing the accuracy of costumes that are clearly from a fantasy land. Love that you are so knowledgeable, but not preachy or judgemental. It makes your videos way more fun to watch.
Honestly the tight-lacing scene in the first 5 mins set the stage of “damn I guess this isn’t going to be accurate...how annoyed am I going to be?” Overall I liked it except for the lack of shifts, and the fit of the dresses on poor Penelope. Why doesn’t anything fit??? Loved the velvet on Simon though. That tickled me
SAmE! There is no reason, real or fantasy, that a custom made dress would fit as poorly as Penelopes dresses did. And Lady featheringtons dresses were confusing. I got a weird feeling they were making a half-hearted commentary on how plus-sized people get the short end of the stick in fashion. Still, it was never brought up explicitly (even POC issues had some discussion in the script, even if it wasn't enough) and again custom dresses.
I’ve heard people say that Penelope’s dresses are intentionally unflattering because her mother is trying to sabotage her, but I haven’t read the books so can’t confirm this.
Right?! Like, I get the lack of accuracy, they're not going for that and that's fine, but you still have to make sense within the world you're building, and there's just no reason for tightlacing when the gowns you're wearing aren't fitted at the waist.
look, i dont actually work in costume shops but ive been in plenty of meetings with them, and BOY that impression of a normal day at the office had me in stitches! ...(not those stitches. i was laughing. abby funny i laugh heh heh)
I was eating dinner watching this video and right as she said that I nearly choked on my food. Hastily swallowed and told my husband why I choked, he replied: so... You choked because you wanted something else in your mouth.... Had to pause the video for a good five minutes while I stopped laughing.
I appreciate that the sheer amount of work involved was discussed. A lot of these sorts of videos are just 'omg, this is awful. how dare they take any liberties or shortcuts. I don't care that they have to dress an ensemble cast of 15 plus a few dozen extras, I am disgusted and appalled' which always feels a little unfair to all the people who put in a ridiculous amount of work to bring these movies and shows to life. I enjoy learning about how things were done/worn/etc. too, or else I wouldn't be here, but behind each movie and mediocre costume (according to Historically Accurate (tm) standards) are a team of people who just straight up don't deserve the ire heaped upon them in the comments by folks who, by-and-large, are historical hobbyists who *might* sew a few things in their spare time. This felt fair AND honest which was refreshing.
Really really really good point. For me, if the quality of construction is noticeably bad and pulls you out of the immersion, then it's really a matter of the budget/organization/timeline being inadequate. "Why did they make it like that, that looks like crap" as a sentiment is assuming that the people who work on costumes don't care, which seems like the opposite of the attitude one would have to have to work in costuming.
I've always been of the opinion that costume accuracy is great but only throws open the doors to serious criticism when the costume designer opens their mouth and says "These costumes are based in history." Then, all bets are off.
Vox had an article about it. www.vox.com/22194033/bridgerton-netflix-rape-scene-novel It's not being talked about enough though, publicly. (I've been in a lot of private conversations about it.) Also, how that whole story line was handled in the following episodes was super problematic. I had to walk away from the show for about a week or so before I finished the last 2 episodes.
@@AbbyCox I agree! It has not been talked about enough publically. Thank you for the resource. I just found a video about the topic from @fictionaldarling here on UA-cam that tacles the topic as well. Maybe that could interest someone :)
Oh, wow, OK. I have a friend who is talking about the show and I was thinking about watching it, but damn, that's the kind of thing that would make me think twice and needs a warning IMHO. Thanks for the heads up.
@@christineherrmann205 the show does include that trigger warning (sexual violence) in every episode, from the very beginning, rather than having a warning in one episode. This was helpful to me, because then I could make the conscious decision at the beginning of the series, instead of becoming invested in the characters first, then being caught off guard halfway through the show. The show heavily foreshadows it in the episode prior to the scene as well, so you know its coming from a mile away. I was still slightly upset, of course, but Netflix did a MUCH better job at warning the viewer than most other shows I have seen. Could the content itself have been written differently? Yes, but the way the content was HANDLED by the network is to be applaided.
Well I am glad I haven't watched it and I never will. If I had known about this part of the plot, I wouldn't have watched this commentary on it either, regardless of being a fan of Abby's channel and her video essays. Too late for that one.
I fully expected to hate the costumes in Bridgerton, but once I got past the silly corset tropes I really enjoyed how different it was. One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of English Regency court gowns though, because by choosing not to go historically accurate there they really missed a golden opportunity to make some absolutely batshit crazy costumes.
YES! Thank you Abby! I have many friends that hate the show cause the costume inaccuracies. But I keep saying that it is not meant to be. The costumes are insane yes, but they play off the theme of the show and the personalities of the characters. Love the show, love the costumes and obvi love you for getting it!
That’s been my take as well - the costumes are able to tell us so much about the characters! I think my favourites are anything worn by Lady Danbury, Penelope’s dress when her father is her escort, and Eloise’s pale pink cravat & short jacket ensemble 😀
I really enjoyed them, especially since I'd read enough articles ahead of time to be reminded to turn off my dress historian brain, and just take them for themselves. Except for the lack of shifts. And Eloise's hair threw me out of the whole world every time.
Same, I didn't go into the series expecting anything other than some over the top "regency" romance novel stuff, and that's what I got 😂. I didn't mind the hair...mostly because it was so wild anyways that it was like "ah yes ok, cool just further character development" 😂😂
There are plenty of theatres that do not sew 200+ costumes for plays. Many companies (regional theatres included) create their costumes from a variety of effforts. They pull from stock, they rent from other theatres, and even purchase used/vintage/custom made - all in addition to custom sewing in house. Also... just because something gives you anxiety, doesn't mean it's not normal. And, just because it's normal for you to work on a shoestring budget, doesn't mean one can't be anxious at the idea of taking on such a massive project. If you have outfitted 200 people in a play in custom garments, you shouldn't sell yourself short! That's a huge amount of work!
@@onlyasamuse There is evidence that Queen Charlotte had African blood, so that part is fine. As for the rest - I personally only wish it had had more diverse and colorblind casting. I'm a total stickler for historical accuracy, but this is an alternate history anyway. Also, Regency England (and where was Prinny?) was more racially diverse than I'm sure Charisma Girl realizes. I will not forgive the lack of chemises, though. That's a practical thing.
I actually minded more the race-baiting and other racist aspects of the show (Noelle did an amazing vídeo talking about it, and of course you already know about it 😂). About the costumes, there are some things that truly annoyed me, but I guess that when you're making so many (can I say too many without sounding like a bitch? Probably not) costumes, some things are lost and it's ok... It's just a netflix show at the end of the day...
Ha, right?! I didn't realize it was based off a romance series but it became very apparent very quickly. I'm not against romance as a genre, but as someone who identities as asexual/somewhat aromantic I was like "YIKES can't believe this is what most people think is romantic." I can appreciate a nice slow burn but this wasn't it (and the "rape is ok if you want babies" logic was just EW)
@@amyjones9784 most people don't think that's "romantic", it's explicit sex scenes, I don't find it romantic at all. I haven't watched the series myself, but I know that there are a lot of those scenes in it, personally I don't see how it's adding anything to the story and the plot with so many of those explicit scenes.
I am SOOOOOO GLAD you did this video because yesterday I said similar things in Portuguese and got backlash now that you said it I can link it as source as well
Sure, the justificacion is that Bridgerton is not a “period drama” is a “fantasy period drama” so they can do whatever they want with the fashion design and the representation of people of color. But I think that the purpose of this stories is to give the audiences and idea of how was the life in the past and really feel it with an accurate recreation of a certain era. So, if this details don’t matter let’s show also people using smartphones and modern devices in Bridgerton...it’s a “fantasy period drama” anyway 🙄
For this show I don’t care about the historical accuracy. I loved plenty of movies, and wanted the costumes, that were set in history where they embellished or added a modern twist (moulin rouge, the favourite, vanity fair) but my issues lie with the misinformation of the tight lacing of STAYS (not corsets) and no shifts, the horrible fit of over half the gowns (poor Penelope), the fact that it looks like they used the same simplicity costume pattern for all the young ladies gowns and that most of the fabric looks like it was the crap leftovers from the early 2000’s in the Fabricland bargain bins. I didn’t “covet” any of these looks, save for the 1960’s inspired cream gown with the wide black velvet sash that then lost its “oomph” for me when all the background performers were wearing similar dresses. (That scene was one of the only ones where I was impressed with any of the clothes). It comes down to taste, and when there is 7500 bulids and I like a total of 4, one of which was worn as a nightgown on Penelope (and was probably a rental because it’s a ha gown) it’s disappointing. I know taste is personal, and people keep going on about “finally there is colour!” (Did no one watch Emma?) but this just wasn’t it for me. I liked the dark blue velvet gown the mom wore, the rusty maroon velvet dress the opera singer wore, and the two I already mentioned. Otherwise I was bored and annoyed. I’m not a gossip girl fan. I don’t condone rape, and the sexual scenes were very weird (he rams her for like 20 seconds and is done. I don’t find that sexy). I found the main 2 characters boring and I didn’t care about them. And for reference, I’m a historical costumer who specializes in regency and early 18th century, a costumer for film and television, and a costumer and costume designer for theatre. So the work load is not lost on me, but when your final product has half the dresses hanging off the middle of the actresses tits, the fabric looks cheap, and I can’t tell the brothers apart because they’re all dressed the same, it’s a no for me.
I'm so scared one day he's going to try and actually sit in my lap like his sister does. Everytime she gets in my lap he gets *jealous* and I can see his little brain trying to figure out if he can do it too, and I'm silently going "nonononononononono" 😂
@@AbbyCox hahaha he 1000% is! Hopefully it's while you're filming for our sake! Cause he seems moderately polite and will prolly feel really bad when you get squished! :)
I may be a guy but darn I need that sweater.... also loved the section about outlander, but brought on my droughtlander ptsd. On a side note have you ever watched Horatio Hornblower and if so what do you think of the accuracy of their clothing?
I would suggest that even prior to "Marie Antoinette", we had Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) as a shining example of taking a historically based story and setting it in a fantasy land.
*flash back to the time when I was a contract costumer for a theater company and they told me "No they do not have a schedule for their costumes they just have to be done as quickly as possible. PS. We don't have measurements on anyone, two people are playing each main character but we only have a budget for one costume to share for each pair, and everything has to have a zipper"* The crying on the floor among boxes of materials and notions is REAL
I had two Hansels, one size 16 and the other size 9. They both had to wear the same costume and be able to sing. Oh and the fairy couldn't wear makeup because of the bad acne but had an amazing voice.
Really enjoyed and appreciated this video! I think the fact that Bridgerton is Historical fantasy is what really makes the show and really gave the costume designers the ability to use costumes as a way to highlight each characters personality!
Adding to the chorus - the only costuming thing that bothered me was the lack of shifts/chemises and the tight lacing scene. With waistlines that high I don't care what world it's in, no one with any logic would feel that tight lacing was necessary under normal conditions and if the point really was showing how unreasonable Mrs Featherington was being then it should have been isolated to her demands. Alternatively if Marina was shown being tight laced specifically to hide her condition and give us another reminder of the stakes and that was the only instance I could maybe give it a pass. But... neither of those things are true. They were presented as the most extreme cases but certainly not the only ones. Also assuming the fantasy world of Bridgerton bears any resemblance to our own (which it clearly does) and doesn't change how human bodies work (which it clearly doesn't) then there's no reason for not having shifts/chemises other than I guess showing a few more inches of bare skin and pseudo-historical ladies suffering for vanity.
I didn't think of myself as a snob ofcostumes. Instead a casual watcher of movies set in earlier periods. That being said some of the modern costumes would be worn and they were so ugly and gaudy that I would just say "Uckkkk" out loud and at first had to hold back from turning off the show. I don't feel they added to the movie at all , I don't need perfectly accurate, I just need a shadow of that and instead some were so bad it was distracting to watch the show at times.
Disliking the costumes is totally valid! There were a lot of "looks" in the show, both good and bad. At one point, my mom walked in, took one look at TV and went "Those look like our prom dresses [from the early 70s]" and then we started playing "Is it Bridgerton or is it Gunnie Sax" 😂
I just want one video, just one, of someone in the historical costumer community reading the book series. Or at least the first book. Because as someone who loves romance novels I would really love to see someone with a history background/interest reading the book and watching the series.
@@AbbyCox Really! Oh good. I hope you enjoy it. I always liked Anthony's story better but that's next season for the show. Anyways thanks for letting me know. And I would love a deep dive into the differences and history in the show vs. Book. Like, if I remember correctly the only time Daphne says something negative about corset wasn't about tight lacing (done with that inaccurate trope). Hope you're having a good day.
honestly I was even okay with the sleeping in corsets in Bridgeton because every time I saw a character who clearly had stays on under her nightgown I had Terry Pratchett's voice pop into my head cracking jokes about underwired-nightgowns.
I found the show boring, but this is a great video! I have no problem with the costume designers making their own spin on Regency fashion; however, I can't forgive the inaccurate corset and tight lacing trope -_-
The costumes actually felt like they would work amazingly well with a different show. The neon glitz would’ve popped in something that tried to push the comedy and exaggerated society silliness more. It just felt disconnected to have these wacky looks in what boiled down to romantic melodrama. So more of my problems are with the writers room than the costume dept. But also..... give them shifts. The bloody chafing had me cringing!
I love, love LOVE this show and that you commented on the costumes' historical accuracy. In fact, despite being a new fan of yours, one of the first things I wondered as I binge-watched this the first (of many, many times) is what you thought of the costumes because it is instantly apparent that they aren't historically accurate. Which, considering that it's produced by Shonda Rhimes, has a "Hamiltoned" diverse cast (yes, I made up that word) and modern music disguised as period music, left me expecting that they were unlikely to be accurate. My best friend texted me while watching the first episode and was like, am I supposed to be confused by this? (I told her to just go with it). They did, for the most part, get the mood and the etiquette of the time right. So there's that. I also love that you call it Bangerton. I describe it as "lady porn" (I may have made that up too). I am writing a Victorian romance novel series, and getting historical details right can drive you out of your mind. I've worked in the art department in theater for the last 25 years (so yes, I'm old) and the one thing I've learned is that you can't fake anything. There is always SOMEONE who will notice. So it makes me feel better that someone who is so picky (and I mean that in the nicest way) about those details recognizes that there is a fantasy aspect to the writing that means we can't always be completely accurate. So when my books get made into a Netflix series (and, by God, THEY WILL) I hope that I not only have the production quality of Bridgerton, but that you will review the costumes.
Although historically accuracy will always be my jam, I love historically inspired things (but I'm still not going to watch Bridgerton because I simply Do Not Vibe with it)
My only Bridgerton complaint (okay, it’s not only but it’s the one I’ll type here) is STILETTOS!! Really, you had to use pair in stilettos in a scene? No. That’s just one little step too far....seriously?! It’s fantasy and all but an acrobat is not going to wear stiletto unless their a stripper. And there was no pole in that scene.
There has been so much talk around historical accuracy, it's refreshing to see this angle be considered. I can completely get behind the fantasy elements, but there were some non history related choices that I found a bit odd. Like because Daphne's light blue colour scheme was stuck to soooo rigidly for most of the episodes, and her dresses were so often basically the same cut, I genuinely thought she kept wearing the same dress until I saw some side by side screen shots. Likewise with a few of the other characters. It made me feel sorry for all the effort the costume makers went to, because why bother going to the effort of making so many dresses if so many of them are so similar. Maybe cut out a couple and use the extra time to draft a different jacket pattern for Simon! (sorry for the essay - but I've needed to vent that for a while)
I only watched it, or as much of it as I could stomach, in anticipation of what the Costume Historians would have to say. The horses were abominable. They managed to get by with very few carriages. Wasn't anticipating, or interested in, porn.
Here’s why I think the tightlacing scene works: . . .the tightlacing scene adds a LOT to the series. It's the perfect way to set up the world in a super short scene. It gives SO much information about what Lady Featherington is like (a bit clueless about the fashion of the day), what the show will be like (it's gonna mess with your historical Regency drama sensibilities), what the world is like. The entire show is a commentary on how modern people view the oppression of women in the Regency era, (among other things), and thus I think it's a brilliant visual metaphor for Bridgerton itself. The tightlacing trope in cinema is a shorthand for "women's oppression", and the audience is used to that. I don't necessarily think it's an accurate or good trope, buuuut it's what the average cinemagoer understands these days. I think Bridgerton does a good job of utilising it and subverting it (by taking stays that couldn't even be tight-laced and making it tightlaced they stretch the trope to the point of ridiculous to make the points I mentioned above). (I’ve written this in other places around UA-cam, but I’ve posted it again.)
I think the number they gave was their internal wardrobe and costume department. A lot of the costumes were sewn by costume houses, mostly in the UK, like Angles, but there was one in the US who mostly made baground characters frocks. I saw some pieces being made two years ago, so they actually had more lead time that you think, as least a year before filming.
As a professional costume maker OMG I literally started sweating when you talked about the timeline for these costumes. And the story about the over night courier for the fitting? I'm stressed just thinking about it 😂
This is such an important thing to keep in mind, or else it potentially becomes a scenario of "the more I learn about fashion history, the less I enjoy period inspired media". There are some designing choices that bother me (e.g. Penelope's ill-fitting dresses, Daphne's hairstyles make her look like a child), but what I really want to know is: if so many pieces had so little screentime, did they need to exist? To me, Daphne's looks had a general "Wendy Darling's nightgown vibe" (whereas other characters had such distinctive looks within their styles that I remember them wearing different clothes), and I can't help but wonder: was all the stress and effort to make these many costumes necessary in the first place? As someone in an overworked and underpaid profession, it really doesn't sit right with me
I wasn't going to watch this because I'm so sick and tired of giving costubers reason to keep doing HA review videos. It has been causing shaming of others who are doing their best and internalized not-good-enoughness with others, and it's getting old. Using the fuel the review videos provide to shame and gatekeep in HB and sewing for fun communities is not ok. I'm glad you are talking about not-HA being ok. We need more of this. I, as a consumer of costube videos, am asking for LESS of the accuracy review videos (but I know that they are popular and get many views that help pay the bills so maybe address the armchair historians who shame others and tell them to.. maybe not?)
I like HA review videos. I think that even intentionally inaccurate costuming can serve as a great jumping off point for education about actual historical dress. What I don’t like is if people hold shows to unrealistic standards, or who hold intentionally not accurate costuming to HA standards. I think we can have both- point out what is and isn’t accurate, while also allowing for creativity and fantasy. Not all costuming has to be HA, I think that should be made clear. But it’s still useful as a jumping off point- like explains how the lack of chemises and the tight lacing tropes in Bridgerton weren’t reality, and why not. Honestly, that was the only thing costume wise that I had an issue with, because I feel that they don’t make scientific or logical sense, not even in the fantasy world that they created. I mean- those were hand stitched eyelets. You physically cannot (as in, physics will not let you) tight lace them. Not to mention the fact that it makes no logical sense based on the fashions within that world. I think it’s reasonable to point that out- but also to add that they do that because, firstly they don’t think chemises are sexy, and because tight lacing tropes basically serve as shorthand for female oppression, and the need to meet strict beauty standards. I get why they do it, but I don’t have to like it.
@@katherinemorelle7115 I liked them too... but there is a price being paid by learners, starters, hobbyists, etc... People are cruel and that's not ok. Its worse when they take enjoyable fun content to rain on people's parades. I'm asking that members of the costube community keep this in mind while making their content. They don't mean to fuel bullys but that's what's happening.
This is a really important point. I’ve also been disturbed by the way costume reviews can contribute to “not HA enough” shaming. Often times the costume review videos are ok, but the comment sections get ugly. We also need to remember the costume technicians who have worked hard on the designs, and commend their work; even if it’s not HA the work alone is admirable.
Once I realized the costuming was up the same alley as the live-action 'Cinderella' (non-Brandy edition), I calmed down a lot. That said, I still think the fabric and construction looked so cheap sometimes - like, unforgivably so.
😂😂😂 I tried hello fresh cause so may people I deliver it to (including you). But I ended up with Every Plate. (Same company more celiac friendly food.) Also, just been busy but will get the copies of the historic patterns to you when I have more time.
My biggest thing with historical fashion in TV and movies is always just that it be clear they like, yknow, put effort into it. I want to see that they did at least SOME research, y'know?
i really respect the achievements of the costume department but i must say i didn’t find it the amount of piecies super noticeable when i watched it? a lot of daphne’s gowns were so similar that i can barely recall any specific ones, it all kinda washed over me. just my personal opinion, but i think i would’ve rather seen more rewears ect. if that would’ve allowed them to make costumes from ‘big’ moments more memorable. perhaps it still would’ve been possible to switch up the day looks by using items like spencers and chemisettes instead of full nee gowns. the costumes rarely gave me an idea of where the time/mood/setting was at within the series
My dad joke humor was on fire when I wrote the script for this video, I was cracking myself up the whole time 😂 and thank you! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas! 😍
I didn't mind that they were historical fantasy I was expecting that. I was just disappointed that some of the costumes were downright ugly. Quantity, doesn't always mean quality. And I wish that they hadn't made so many overindulgent of costumes, so there could be more hats and perhaps some bonnets. Naked heads with loose hair in historical fantasy bother me, though that's just me. But I guess they blew the lot on the costumes and jewels. Though I could have done without the corset tightening scene, it's like every period piece/historical show has them and it's so tired, boring, and cliché now. We get it, Hollywood wants to make fun of corsets. But we don't need five million scenes of them to drill that home.
I too love your sweater - but it has also brought back long-forgotten memories of a fuchsia pink sweatshirt-fabric jumpsuit I maaaay just have owned in the 80s......and I am not sure those memories are A Good Thing 😝
7,500 pieces of costume and no-one thought to put a shift under a Mr Pearl corset. This kind of 'romantic fantasy' is so far from my interests I wouldn't ordinarily watch it; I contemplated it for the Mr Pearl corsets but I think I'll just wind up angry and that's not the point of entertainment. I'll just wait for season 2 of Gentleman Jack and catch up on my reading instead :)
They corsets get minimal screen time, and since they're regency they're boring af. I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one minute they're talking about how Mr. Pearl made the corsets and the next showing them bloodied and complaining about being uncomfortable... like... that's kinda rude? (though, tbh, I find Regency era corsets to actually be my least favorite because I hate the busk lol)
@@AbbyCox it does feel rude, he's considered a master of his craft and they still revisited the 'corsets are pain' trope, which at this point is overdone and extremely boring.
THIS IS ALL MY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSS. It's been bothering me a wee bit :) This never made me think it was this universe. It's also largely joking a little bit with the tropes of these types of stories.
OMG Abby!! How are you reading my mind? I've been thinking the exact same things ever since this show came out, possibly even before then because costume reviews are booming everywhere on youtube. You've articulated the one thing I feel a lot of reviews miss, which is that the tone of media in question matters. Thank you
THANK YOU! When I saw dress historians, etc. commenting on how historically inaccurate the costumes were in Bridgerton, I was so confused. How could they not see that a lot of the costumes were satirical? The fact that Lady Featherington wore the same dress, just in different fabrics should have been your first clue. We are so “politically correct” these days and I was disappointed that reviewers were holding the show to this high standard of being “culturally sensitive.” This was obviously not supposed to be set in 1800’s that we know of. Let the show have its fun with its quirkiness. The colors and “jewels”, and frankly all of the costumes, were a treat for the eye. Maybe just leave it there.
Are you calling it Bangerton because so many of the women have bangs? HA HA HA...Just kidding. Most of the costumes didn't bother me except for Pen's ill-fitting bustlines and Lady Featherington's 1950's hip-hugging ball gowns. The tight-lacing...yeah, that didn't make any sense.
One thing I've learned from the Costumer UA-cam community is that Historical Accuracy really isn't a thing. We can copy what we have, but there isn't any way to know 100% of what they did. Enjoy the shows (or not) for what they are, entertainment! Thanks Abby, I always enjoy hearing your perspective!
I'd say it's a thing. There is some stuff we know, and while it's true we can never reach 100% HA, we do our best from that knowledge. The difference here is that HA wasn't a goal. Had it been an "normal" period piece, I would have expected more.
I agree with not knowing 100% of what they did in real life... it's like using Vogue and re-discovered Pinterest boards to re-create fashions of today. It's a good representation of the ideals and aspirations and the feel of fashions but I doubt it would make much sense if we were to watch it in a TV show. If someone makes a film about 2020 300 years from now, we will be all lounging around in Dior and Gucci like tracksuits lol worn out joggers and novelty t-shirts be dammed :)
I'LL ADMIT IT! I'm one of those noobs in the historical costuming community that's been so wrapped up in finding things that aren't accurate that I judged Bridgerton WAY too soon. 🤦♀️ I didn't know any of the backstory with the novels and assumed it was just another historical drama with horrendously inaccurate costumes. But you know what assuming does... 😑 Now, knowing that it's supposed to be a historical FANTASY it definitely let's me relax and enjoy the show, because it is actually a good show. And with that in mind, the costumes aren't too bad... mostly. 😅
I was ready for fantasy costumes in Bridgerton, but I couldn't take that tight lacing scene. I closed the window 5 seconds into the start of the first episode and swore I would never come back, but the costume community seems to enjoy it for the garbage drama and bright colors and I am certainly not above that, so I might check it out. Thanks for always pushing my thinking Abby!
same! I love the details on regency dresses but I can't get over the waistline! But the director of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie also dislikes them, so at least we're not alone 😅
@@clover3124 i also appreciate the lack of poodle curls on the women on the 2005 version. seriously. so much work for women in those days to look so awful.
Thanks for the sweater love! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas and it came from Sezane: www.sezane.com/us/collection/knitwear
I also wanted to add an additional note about the costuming build for Bridgerton - the Costume Industry Coalition (the organization behind the Hamilton Spencer Jacket that Bernadette did the documentary for) did an IG post the other day about how there were costume shops all over the world who worked on the builds for Bridgerton - including the US, UK, Italy, Spain, and Bucharest. The level of organization that had to happen to make this series happens blows my mind and gives me just a *little* bit of anxiety. 😂
Absolutely mind blowing. I want a documentary camera crew (working on 75mm film stock so we can get every juicy detail) following all of the costume production shops doing their monumental job. How do you even plan that. The spreadsheets must have been terrifying.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Also wanted to add- the costume coalition has released the Spencer Pattern in a larger size range!!!!!!
Definitely LOVING the sweater. My sister had one like that and I always LOVED it. (never got to wear it, but SOOOO wanted to)
I loved this video, I just wish the increasingly unrealistic expectations of the costuming industry were flagged for what they are - exploitation.
While I cannot organize lunch for two (extra nod to the generous sponsor of this program who I am hoping continues to support this worthy channel), I am really happy that multiple, international costume shops were used. This means survival of something which should survive, apologies to the late Mr. Darwin for mucking up his algorithm.
The tight lacing under an empire waistline was...hilarious. But yes, as someone who makes historically inaccurate fluff myself, it’s helpful to remember that not all media is intended to be a perfect facsimile. This is a nuanced explanation and it doesn’t hurt that you’re so darn charming!
The modern high heels on the gymnast..stretch fabric.. no bonnets...
I mean that was just stupid. It doesn’t need to be perfect but you need to only think a second why you would not need to thightlace. Also it makes the characters look dim and the corset look worse and it’s a lace trope. Something like bonnets can be left out but you should have costumes that make sense.
I believe that the Featherington girls wear tight stays as a commentary on their mother being a control freak. It's also why their mother's gowns have figure hugging silhouettes rather than the empire silhouettes of the other women (except the queen) and all the other characters we see in their under things are shown wearing short stays.
Jup it was hilarious 😂 Though I would not state that my regency corset is made very accurate to an original, it simply cannot be tight laced, or at least that does not do anything for my waist...(or bust) That wooden plank (damn I forgot the word for it) going from in between the boobs to and a bit past the waist doesn't help creating A slimmer waist. It does help in separating the breasts and make my front rather flat (in vertical line)
I had to laugh at the lacing in the first episode (haven't watched the rest yet, but will)
@@tukicat1399 Not clothing but the hair. The long hair in the evening. The Fringe....:o
I find it hilarious how the entire costuming community's reaction to Bridgerton seems to be: "I can roll with the candy colored polyester extravaganza, but for the love of all that is holy stop with the shiftless tight lacing!"
I think that part of the problem is referring to Bridgerton as a "period drama"! As you said, it's not a period drama, it's a bodice-ripper Regency-ish romance novel/soap opera on film ... Looking at it like that, the costumes make perfect sense, and I'm actually surprised that they aren't *more* inaccurate than they are!
Yes! According to the author, it is the first television adaptation of a regency-themed romance novel. Thus it is an entirely new genre/subgenre
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton
mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise
www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp
www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa
www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF
umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber
ua-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/v-deo.html
#Bridgerton
@@AWordorNinety But this is not what the show does. It's not showing realistic presence of POCs in that time in England, it's just places them randomly everywhere and gives the impression to ignorant or uninformed people that this is a historical reality by calling it a period drama. Plus, it's condescending and kind of ridiculing the POC actors.
@@Anna-rk2wi Huh? I'm pretty sure there are plenty of tv Jane Austin adaptations.
@@Anna-rk2wi I mean, calling it a "first" is a BIG stretch. Lots of such adaptations came around in the 80s and 90s and even earlier. It's not a new genre, rather an old one. But certainly one that doesn't aim for accuracy, rather aims more towards fantasy and that's ok.
But no way in hell is it the first lol :P
I have seen some discussions about Queen Charlotte being out of fashion when, as a queen with her eye on the social scene, she should have been on the cutting edge. A friend of mine and I have a theory about this and how it supports the story:
George III is shown to be mentally ill in a way that seems to align to a kind of dementia, such as when he forgets that his daughter died and he accuses Charlotte of killing her. My friend and I theorize that Charlotte wearing clothes in the style of her youth is a subtle indicator of how she tries to get George to recognize her since, with his memory wandering, he is more likely to know who she is if she dresses as she did when they were first married. She wears the style all the time so that if he is lucid, she can go to him immediately without stopping to change. To me, this seems like an interesting way that the costume supports the story line, even though it is not historically accurate.
also, queen Charlotte was not at the cutting edge of fashion either, that is why court dress was so out of wack. The queen even made women wear hoops even when the fashion was very different at the time.
How interesting! That actually makes quite a bit of sense! The moments when he was lucid may have been fleeting so anything that would have taken up precious time in getting to him would have to be reduce. Just that gesture alone shows just how much she loved him.
This is why I get iffy when people bash designers when they weren't necessarily striving for historical inaccuracy and could have been making a very intentional design choice for a specific reason such as this which fits well. It's worth researching why the designer made a choice to better understand it or just understand that it may have been intentional for reasons such as this. It's worth speculating and analyzing why they made the choice. I'm only an aspiring designer not a professional but I know even if I don't have time to give every specific reason for every design choice there is still a reason because I am playing close attention to detail in my work and am being very intentional and pretty much everything has a specific reason behind it but we'd be here for hours if I rattled them all off. That's in my own work at least.
@@alejandramoreno6625 I feel like he clearly has Dementia/Alzheimer’s rather than a mental illness in the general sense.
Were you blessed with the gift of prophecy by Apollo or something? Cuz this is basically confirmed in Queen Charlotte, or at least gained traction as a theory lmao
Thank you for this! I was one of the embellishers for the costumes on Bridgerton and I have to say, despite being someone who loves fashion history and (on most occasions) accuracy, it was so refreshing to work on a show where everyone could truly express their creativity. There was a huge number of costumes to work on, but the team was made up of so many incredibly talented and experienced artists. It was a genuine pleasure to be a part of 💙
So, did you wield a bedazzler?
Great work Henry!! The embellishments on the gowns were mouth watering! 😍
I bet you did have fun! 🥳
You and your team made costumes that were such a joy to see on screen!! And my, potentially unpopular, opinion is Lady Fetherington had some of the best costumes. The patterns! The fit! It totally suited her character and I loved it. Y'all did amazing work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The costumes were stunning! Especially the embellishments. 💕
As someone who also generally loves historical accuracy depending on the type of film/tv show, I have been absolutely loving the costumes, wigs, and overall style of the series. Everything so distinctly belongs in the world of Bridgerton, which really separates this series from other regency set shows or films. I view it as a historical fantasy, and accurate or not, there was clearly a lot of incredible work done on all of the costumes.
As a Hollywood assistant, that request sounds like every other Tuesday. Legit, the asks we get make The Devil Wears Prada look like preschool. Honestly, the fact that the costume department got the ridiculous amount of garments done and out the door is a feat of legend.
@@availanila lol no. The Devil Wears Prada is about an assistant that is asked to do the impossible on a regular basis - totally ridiculous tasks with a boss that is strict, exacting, and mean. In reality, Hollywood producers are actually much worse than the movie even shows. Reality makes the movie seem like a nice environment, like preschool, because the kinds of ridiculous things that actual assistants have to do are actually much worse.
@@availanila She's saying the brutality of life in that industry portrayed in the movie The Devil Wears Prada makes it look like preschool compared to the reality in the costume making industry. Its waaaay harsher. Something to that extent.
The lack of shifts and chemises was unforgivable tho...
I feel really bad for the laundry crew...
@@AbbyCox Yes imagine some poor costuming intern or assistant.
Cleaning all of the stays alone
@@davriecaro3036 I imagine it involved a *lot* of spraying with vodka (an old theater costume trick for disinfecting costume pieces that either can't be washed at all, or have to be more or less clean in less time than it would take to wash and dry them)!
@@e.urbach7780 I think that some of the vodka might have found its way to that person's mouth
@Jonathan Parks Vodca is cheaper, I think?
The 2006 Marie Antoinette movie is sooo pervasive in art too! I'm a studio art major and and in one of my courses art of the 18th century class we watched that movie and analyzed its importance and how it made Versailles's abundance even more digestible for a modern viewer. It's truly spectacular.
I say this a lot- that while not all the pieces of Marie Antoinette were HA, the *vibe* certainly was! It’s still my favourite movie for costuming of all time. I was one of the ones who loved it as soon as it came out. I was primed for it, I already loved Sophia Coppola, and I’d follow her anywhere after the masterpiece that was The Virgin Suicides. Honestly, she doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit. I think she’s a better filmmaker than her father.
I think it did a good job in presenting the sheer opulence of those first years in Versailles for her in a way that everyone in modern society can relate to. The obsession with fashion, the parties, the food, it was a whirlwind that made me, at least, how overwhelming it must have been for her after the relative austerity MA was raised in, to find herself in that situation...
Although, yeah, it is not Historically Accurate by a long shot.
@@katherinemorelle7115 In my opinion the costumes were mostly historically accurate, there were just a few licenses here and there which added that certain artsy factor. The shoegazing, dream-poppish aesthetics and the occasional post-punk/new wave/indie music imo matched well with the decadent Versailles in the last decades of the Ancien Régime.
It's one those movies where the main core is correct, yet there are some artistic liberties added upon. In Bridgerton everything is a fantasy.
@@katherinemorelle7115 btw I loved that movie too, and actually found it underrated.
"not afraid to use it" -- literally any person who has ever held a bedazzler.
😔 I never held a bedazzler and I asked for it for Christmas every year for like 5 years. Lol
The jobs not done till to run out of beads
Bedazzler. 2000s. Your jeans. No mercy.
@@TakiKimono that sounds Like a Future adventure: In a world where Minimalism dominates, one woman uncovers a relic from the past to lead her people to bright glimmering future: Beadazzler 2000's -show jeans no mercy!
@@CyberMercy If you owned one, you know.
I have no problem with the costuming in primarily a fantasy series not being historically accurate. But the lack of suitable fit on the Penelope character (the only leading plus-sized character) is just unforgivable.
This! I've seen some people who have read the books talk about it being intentional and that her fashion should improve in future seasons, but if that's the case, I feel like they needed to make it more obvious? Maybe have her/other characters comment on how her dresses don't fit properly, having her pinch and pull to attempt to make them sit properly, etc. As they appear in the show, it just looks like bad costuming 🤦♀️ (and maybe it just is and the book readers are giving them too much credit 😂)
@@melissac8006 I feel the pain (I'm fat), but it truly is part of her story arc. In her book (which everybody should read, because it's the best one out of the series and no one will ever convince me otherwise) she talks about how her mother made all her dressing choices regarding fit and colours (she later stops this as she is convinced Penelope would never land a husband, but again, it makes more sense when you actually read the book). they try to show it when she takes out her dress in this one scene while her sisters are very excited and exclaim the colours and Penelope says "... and mine is yellow" and they also highlight the mother's questionable fashion taste when the designer delivers the dresses after the bills have been paid and she tells them that nobody else wanted the fabrics. but i get that it's difficult to catch without knowing the books. I just really really hope they plan to fully tell her story in the next seasons.
100%
@@merletwowildsymphonies1836 I wish it would have been more obvious in the show that it was intentional! I didn’t catch that, I just saw that they dressed Penelope in bodices that cut straight across her nipples (ouch!) and it severely annoyed me because it looked like they just didn’t bother getting the correct fit on the one plus sized main character.
Though tbh I didn’t finish the series, so maybe it was made clearer later.
Half the time, the part that was supposed to go under her bust was ON her bust. It cut her in half in a weird way and made her look larger than she was. Maybe that was the point, though? She was meant to be a character no one paid attention to. The wall flower.
The historical accuracy bothered me until I got 5 minutes in and realized it was more of a historical fantasy. The lack of chemise and tight lacing did bug me a little though. I LOVED the show though and I can’t wait for the next season.
I get the fantasy aspect - but the chemise and tight lacing KILLED me.
I needed about half of the first episode to get really into it. First I was a bit put off, until I was able to appreciate the unique and fun approach.
@DelmezaRane random, but thank you. Finding actual resources on this online, if you don’t know exactly where to look is a huge pain in the a$$.
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton
mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise
www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp
www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa
www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF
umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber
ua-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/v-deo.html
#Bridgerton
THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! thank you so so much Abby for addressing this! The timelines for this must have been crazy for the costumers and it is a TV series and not a film so more screen time and bigger cast! I thought it was amazing and I totally got swept up in the gorgeous fantasy.
the CIC (the people behind the Hamilton spencer) put out an IG post that apparently there were costume shops *all over the world* who built for bridgerton, which is *insane* 🤯
@@AbbyCox that's crazy!!! Wow mode blown!
@@AbbyCox so we must Stan Bridgerton for keeping them working!!!
@@AbbyCox Well at least they got work now...
The mention on how costume department works on "we-need-this-piece-for-yesterday-actually-no-we-don't-know-the-size-yet" style gave me major war flashbacks XDDD i worked on a few movie sets and it's 10/10 true...
Having worked for a company that made Broadway costumes, I can confirm that this is absolutely accurate!
@@paigemyers4762 Even some professional community theaters. Director decided he wanted a whole new gown for Eponine to wear at the end of Les Mis (since she and Fantine welcome Valjean to the afterlife) hours before the opening show. And as I was a sticker on accuracy... That crew got to learn to deal with buttons during quick changes, and ties for other things. Did some stuff for theaters higher up than that, and...yeah. But damn, I loved it.
This was sort of my problem with discussing hystorical accuracy of something like Enola Holmes.
Like sure, it’s a mish-mash of years, and sure they mentioned a specific year... but it’s a movie based off of a book that is an alternate universe of a fictional book. Like. It is literally adaptation of fiction of fiction. Why in the donkey love would it be historically accurate?
Historically inspired? Sure. Has its problems? Yes. However I never once assumed it would be “accurate” and kind of didn’t get why everyone else was so down on it.
EDIT: I am adding HolmesPunk is now a thing to me. Enola Holmes is HolmesPunk. I’m keeping that.
personally, i usually couldn't care less if costumes are "accurate" in fantasy settings, but the corset nonsense in both bridgerton and enola holmes is infuriating!!!
@@BarbiesRevenge579 true. At least in Enola she didn’t suffer horrible tight lacing, she CHOSE to put it on, and it came in quite handy later. Silver lining.
@Kit DuBran her complaining was the issue. And it was never made clear it wasn’t set in real history until the issues were piling up.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 I didn’t really see it as complaining. More of a “this is a bad thing if it’s forced on someone, but I’m using it because I want to”. So that’s just my perspective.
And I can’t see it as being set in real history, because it’s basically a movie adaptation of an AU of a fictional book. That’s an alternate history no matter how you look at it. That always suspends my disbelief far enough that unless something is so awful that it throws me totally, I can ignore most things.
But then, most people have different things that bother them that strongly. Like half the time I’m watching media supposedly set in that era I just think everything looks too clean.
What I hated with Enola Holmes movie's costumes is that, despite the fact it is an alternative universe of a fictional book, the original book series is really historically accurate and every slighest change in fashion is acknowledged. So, as I just loved these books as a child, the movie ruined the esthetic of the book I had in mind. But the costumes totally works as costumes in a fun, period inspired, adventure movie and some of them are really beautiful.
Yaaaaaaass!!! THIS. Incredibly well said. I’ve never understood the need to hold historical fantasy to accuracy...or even FANTASY to historical accuracy (ahem...*Witcher’). The costuming in Bangerton (buah ha ha ha!) is really gorgeous in and of itself...but, WEAR A DAMN CHEMISE! That, and tight lacing regency stays??
Fantastic video! I hope you had a lovely New Year celebration. Much love!
Yeah, the only thing I was like "ugh, no chemise" mostly because I felt bad for the actresses and anyone who was on laundry duty. Oof. 😂
Exactly! That had to have been so uncomfortable.
The chemise and stays things were the only issues I had, and that was mostly because it scientifically and logically does not make sense- not even within the fantasy world they’d created.
Everything else costume wise, I’m fine with. Though I’m also not fine with one particular aspect of the plot... I hated it in the book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I read the first few books out of order, I’d not have continued reading them. I was very unhappy with that plot line. I still am, and the fact that I have barely seen anyone talking about it, well, it’s frustrating, to say the least. I thought we as a society were better than that. That we recognised these things as problems.
Guess not.
@@katherinemorelle7115 if you’re referring to the plotline that this article covers, it’s the reason I probably won’t be watching this series: www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/the-questions-of-male-consent-that-puncture-both-fantasy-worlds-of-bridgerton-and-wonder-woman-1984-.php
@@twobluestripes yep. As far as I can remember, it would only be on this season. And I had read some of the other books in the series first, which was why I co tinier reading the rest of them.
I’m just really disappointed that there’s so little discussion of this. It’s a post MeToo world, but no one seems to care about this and it’s just very disappointing.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t discuss other things to do with the series- the costumes, the race baiting, whatever. But the lack of discussion about this is very troubling, I think. And I know that is the ropes been reversed, this show wouldn’t even have been made. The double standards are very obvious.
Thanks for saying all the things I've been thinking watching the community freak out over these outfits! Are the costume in Bridgerton accurate? No, they weren't meant to be. Is it something to wring our historic dress hands over and be super judgey about? No. This series and it's costumes are a bit of imagination and fun, it's okay to just enjoy them for what they are. (Are we over the "corsets are the worst" troupe though, hell yes! )
Yes, and can we talk about how amazing Queen Charlottes wigs were? Because - Oh. My. GAWD. they were incredible! 😍
I will agree with Karolina that the empire waistline cutting the busts in half drives me mental.
@@Hair8Metal8Karen in the case of Penelope I would argue they did that deliberately. Her character has a kind of Butterfly transformation arc, so I think they were trying to make the costumes as unflattering as possible to then make the transformation in later seasons. Hard to do when Nicola Coughlan is so gorgeous!
10:12 yeah, I'd definitely look away if I see a less accurate shoe BUT pulling the "Killer corset trope" was Not Nice At All.
I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one of the most famous corset-makers in the world, and then they act like they're uncomfortable and painful. Talk about a bad advertisement for his work. One minute they're like "OMG Mr. Pearl made our corsets" and the next "halp corsets ouchy" ...like... I'd be really salty.
@@AbbyCox I agree, this is just straight-out disrespectful towards his work. I am hundred percent sure that this decision had nothing to do with the costume department.
@@AbbyCox I’ve watched probably way too many interviews with the cast, and there’s not nearly as much corset-dissing as one would expect. Phoebe (Daphne) actually wanted to steal one of them, so she must have liked it. And when Claudia (Eloise) and Nicola (Penelope) were asked to “stan or ban” wardrobe articles, they chose to ban too-tight shoes and stockings that kept falling down with nary a mention of their stays.
I was surprised at tightlacing in a semi-Regency piece, of all things. I mean, they mostly stay true to the waistline-right-below-the-boobs thing. Why then were they trying to accentuate the waist? lol
So many of the tired corset tropes in this show when they don’t apply... I’ll never understand the “fantasy” element of being uncomfortable for historical fashion lmao
Yes, this was painful to watch!
I tried to watch War and Peace (2007) but it too opened with a scene where they tight lace a 13 years old girl (at least in the book she was 13 at the beginning) and then dress her in a regency dress. Since the show was less cool than Bridgerton I noped after 10 minutes of the 1st episode.
I thought it was a commentary on how ridiculous and superficial the character of Lady Featherington is, and making a point of introducing her while she was tight-lacing her daughter even though the natural waist isn’t visible in the empire waist dresses
Also the desirable body type at the time was plumper and shorter, maybe we should have seen Lady Bridgestone trying to fatten her girls up!
Bangerton! Even as a teen I don’t think I snort laughed that hard and loud as I did now! My year is complete and it’s only January.
Happy endings for everyone! :giggle:
As long as a world is consistent and believable within it's own universe I'm perfectly fine with giving it a fantasy makeover. That said, as an aspiring novelist, should my own historical fantasy be given such a makeover when I have worked *so* hard to make it accurate to the time period in all details but that one fantasy thing, I'd be depressed for a decade or two. Luckily, that's unlikely ever to be an issue 🤣
I see over 7000 costume pieces and I see people in the industry working. Making pictures into reality is so cool.
the video just started just wanted to say I love that sweater on you
Me, too. I have a similar one in glittery black.
The show was such a visual treat to behold! All of the colours, beautiful fabrics, lighting and overall cinematography was delightful. It was exactly as you described, a fantasy. So I had no issues with its costumes.
Such a refreshing take, tbh. I don't get the schadenfreude so much of the internet gets from criticizing the accuracy of costumes that are clearly from a fantasy land. Love that you are so knowledgeable, but not preachy or judgemental. It makes your videos way more fun to watch.
Honestly the tight-lacing scene in the first 5 mins set the stage of “damn I guess this isn’t going to be accurate...how annoyed am I going to be?”
Overall I liked it except for the lack of shifts, and the fit of the dresses on poor Penelope. Why doesn’t anything fit??? Loved the velvet on Simon though. That tickled me
SAmE! There is no reason, real or fantasy, that a custom made dress would fit as poorly as Penelopes dresses did. And Lady featheringtons dresses were confusing. I got a weird feeling they were making a half-hearted commentary on how plus-sized people get the short end of the stick in fashion. Still, it was never brought up explicitly (even POC issues had some discussion in the script, even if it wasn't enough) and again custom dresses.
If you read the books the "bad choices" in dresses of Penelope is a trope of lady whistledown papers.
I’ve heard people say that Penelope’s dresses are intentionally unflattering because her mother is trying to sabotage her, but I haven’t read the books so can’t confirm this.
@@lyndabethcave3835 that was my take, that the ill fit was intentional on her mother part.
Right?! Like, I get the lack of accuracy, they're not going for that and that's fine, but you still have to make sense within the world you're building, and there's just no reason for tightlacing when the gowns you're wearing aren't fitted at the waist.
As Bernadette Banner would say, it was a Design Choice(tm), and should be treated as such by costume reviewers.
Your doggo is a blessing and he deserves all the treats.
look, i dont actually work in costume shops but ive been in plenty of meetings with them, and BOY that impression of a normal day at the office had me in stitches! ...(not those stitches. i was laughing. abby funny i laugh heh heh)
Every time I got off the phone with someone working on a production, I wanted to send them a fruit basket and a starbucks gift card. 😂
It also reminds me of Karolina’s Time Travel Agency seamstress skit.
That was perfect.
OMG I snorted at “happy endings.” Even woke my cat from her nap.
waking your cat when they are napping - the worst sin possible!
I was eating dinner watching this video and right as she said that I nearly choked on my food. Hastily swallowed and told my husband why I choked, he replied: so... You choked because you wanted something else in your mouth.... Had to pause the video for a good five minutes while I stopped laughing.
For real, the tight-lacing and lack of chemises were my only issues with the costuming.
I appreciate that the sheer amount of work involved was discussed. A lot of these sorts of videos are just 'omg, this is awful. how dare they take any liberties or shortcuts. I don't care that they have to dress an ensemble cast of 15 plus a few dozen extras, I am disgusted and appalled' which always feels a little unfair to all the people who put in a ridiculous amount of work to bring these movies and shows to life. I enjoy learning about how things were done/worn/etc. too, or else I wouldn't be here, but behind each movie and mediocre costume (according to Historically Accurate (tm) standards) are a team of people who just straight up don't deserve the ire heaped upon them in the comments by folks who, by-and-large, are historical hobbyists who *might* sew a few things in their spare time. This felt fair AND honest which was refreshing.
Really really really good point. For me, if the quality of construction is noticeably bad and pulls you out of the immersion, then it's really a matter of the budget/organization/timeline being inadequate. "Why did they make it like that, that looks like crap" as a sentiment is assuming that the people who work on costumes don't care, which seems like the opposite of the attitude one would have to have to work in costuming.
I've always been of the opinion that costume accuracy is great but only throws open the doors to serious criticism when the costume designer opens their mouth and says "These costumes are based in history." Then, all bets are off.
What I found much worse about Bridgerton than the costumes is that Daphne literally r*ped Simon and nobody is talking about it, as far as I know.
Vox had an article about it. www.vox.com/22194033/bridgerton-netflix-rape-scene-novel It's not being talked about enough though, publicly. (I've been in a lot of private conversations about it.) Also, how that whole story line was handled in the following episodes was super problematic. I had to walk away from the show for about a week or so before I finished the last 2 episodes.
@@AbbyCox I agree! It has not been talked about enough publically. Thank you for the resource. I just found a video about the topic from @fictionaldarling here on UA-cam that tacles the topic as well. Maybe that could interest someone :)
Oh, wow, OK. I have a friend who is talking about the show and I was thinking about watching it, but damn, that's the kind of thing that would make me think twice and needs a warning IMHO. Thanks for the heads up.
@@christineherrmann205 the show does include that trigger warning (sexual violence) in every episode, from the very beginning, rather than having a warning in one episode. This was helpful to me, because then I could make the conscious decision at the beginning of the series, instead of becoming invested in the characters first, then being caught off guard halfway through the show. The show heavily foreshadows it in the episode prior to the scene as well, so you know its coming from a mile away. I was still slightly upset, of course, but Netflix did a MUCH better job at warning the viewer than most other shows I have seen. Could the content itself have been written differently? Yes, but the way the content was HANDLED by the network is to be applaided.
Well I am glad I haven't watched it and I never will.
If I had known about this part of the plot, I wouldn't have watched this commentary on it either, regardless of being a fan of Abby's channel and her video essays. Too late for that one.
And can I just say one teeny tiny thing about the WIGS??? Historical--o hell no. Fantasmagoric hair art? O HELL YES!
I fully expected to hate the costumes in Bridgerton, but once I got past the silly corset tropes I really enjoyed how different it was. One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of English Regency court gowns though, because by choosing not to go historically accurate there they really missed a golden opportunity to make some absolutely batshit crazy costumes.
YES! Thank you Abby! I have many friends that hate the show cause the costume inaccuracies. But I keep saying that it is not meant to be. The costumes are insane yes, but they play off the theme of the show and the personalities of the characters. Love the show, love the costumes and obvi love you for getting it!
That’s been my take as well - the costumes are able to tell us so much about the characters! I think my favourites are anything worn by Lady Danbury, Penelope’s dress when her father is her escort, and Eloise’s pale pink cravat & short jacket ensemble 😀
I really enjoyed them, especially since I'd read enough articles ahead of time to be reminded to turn off my dress historian brain, and just take them for themselves.
Except for the lack of shifts. And Eloise's hair threw me out of the whole world every time.
Same, I didn't go into the series expecting anything other than some over the top "regency" romance novel stuff, and that's what I got 😂. I didn't mind the hair...mostly because it was so wild anyways that it was like "ah yes ok, cool just further character development" 😂😂
There are plenty of theatres that do not sew 200+ costumes for plays. Many companies (regional theatres included) create their costumes from a variety of effforts. They pull from stock, they rent from other theatres, and even purchase used/vintage/custom made - all in addition to custom sewing in house.
Also... just because something gives you anxiety, doesn't mean it's not normal. And, just because it's normal for you to work on a shoestring budget, doesn't mean one can't be anxious at the idea of taking on such a massive project.
If you have outfitted 200 people in a play in custom garments, you shouldn't sell yourself short! That's a huge amount of work!
@Charisma Girl It's FANTASY. I thought it was great and your comment reeks of racism.
@@onlyasamuse There is evidence that Queen Charlotte had African blood, so that part is fine. As for the rest - I personally only wish it had had more diverse and colorblind casting. I'm a total stickler for historical accuracy, but this is an alternate history anyway. Also, Regency England (and where was Prinny?) was more racially diverse than I'm sure Charisma Girl realizes.
I will not forgive the lack of chemises, though. That's a practical thing.
I actually minded more the race-baiting and other racist aspects of the show (Noelle did an amazing vídeo talking about it, and of course you already know about it 😂). About the costumes, there are some things that truly annoyed me, but I guess that when you're making so many (can I say too many without sounding like a bitch? Probably not) costumes, some things are lost and it's ok... It's just a netflix show at the end of the day...
Bangerton...hahaha!! Yep, I was very tired of seeing that one guy's butt by the end of the season!!
And it was basically just the same scene in different locations, over and over again. Like, we get it, they bang like bunnies.
Ha, right?! I didn't realize it was based off a romance series but it became very apparent very quickly. I'm not against romance as a genre, but as someone who identities as asexual/somewhat aromantic I was like "YIKES can't believe this is what most people think is romantic." I can appreciate a nice slow burn but this wasn't it (and the "rape is ok if you want babies" logic was just EW)
The books have way more sex. It’s toned down.
@@amyjones9784 most people don't think that's "romantic", it's explicit sex scenes, I don't find it romantic at all. I haven't watched the series myself, but I know that there are a lot of those scenes in it, personally I don't see how it's adding anything to the story and the plot with so many of those explicit scenes.
I am SOOOOOO GLAD you did this video because yesterday I said similar things in Portuguese and got backlash now that you said it I can link it as source as well
Sure, the justificacion is that Bridgerton is not a “period drama” is a “fantasy period drama” so they can do whatever they want with the fashion design and the representation of people of color. But I think that the purpose of this stories is to give the audiences and idea of how was the life in the past and really feel it with an accurate recreation of a certain era. So, if this details don’t matter let’s show also people using smartphones and modern devices in Bridgerton...it’s a “fantasy period drama” anyway 🙄
This is true. If you are going to change pretty much everything about a time period why set it in that time period at all?
For this show I don’t care about the historical accuracy. I loved plenty of movies, and wanted the costumes, that were set in history where they embellished or added a modern twist (moulin rouge, the favourite, vanity fair) but my issues lie with the misinformation of the tight lacing of STAYS (not corsets) and no shifts, the horrible fit of over half the gowns (poor Penelope), the fact that it looks like they used the same simplicity costume pattern for all the young ladies gowns and that most of the fabric looks like it was the crap leftovers from the early 2000’s in the Fabricland bargain bins. I didn’t “covet” any of these looks, save for the 1960’s inspired cream gown with the wide black velvet sash that then lost its “oomph” for me when all the background performers were wearing similar dresses. (That scene was one of the only ones where I was impressed with any of the clothes). It comes down to taste, and when there is 7500 bulids and I like a total of 4, one of which was worn as a nightgown on Penelope (and was probably a rental because it’s a ha gown) it’s disappointing. I know taste is personal, and people keep going on about “finally there is colour!” (Did no one watch Emma?) but this just wasn’t it for me. I liked the dark blue velvet gown the mom wore, the rusty maroon velvet dress the opera singer wore, and the two I already mentioned. Otherwise I was bored and annoyed. I’m not a gossip girl fan. I don’t condone rape, and the sexual scenes were very weird (he rams her for like 20 seconds and is done. I don’t find that sexy). I found the main 2 characters boring and I didn’t care about them. And for reference, I’m a historical costumer who specializes in regency and early 18th century, a costumer for film and television, and a costumer and costume designer for theatre. So the work load is not lost on me, but when your final product has half the dresses hanging off the middle of the actresses tits, the fabric looks cheap, and I can’t tell the brothers apart because they’re all dressed the same, it’s a no for me.
But then there's A Discovery of Witches which while being a historical fantasy has such good costumes.
Griffie: hold me mother
Abby: ok baby
Us: 🥰
I'm so scared one day he's going to try and actually sit in my lap like his sister does. Everytime she gets in my lap he gets *jealous* and I can see his little brain trying to figure out if he can do it too, and I'm silently going "nonononononononono" 😂
@@AbbyCox hahaha he 1000% is! Hopefully it's while you're filming for our sake! Cause he seems moderately polite and will prolly feel really bad when you get squished! :)
@@AbbyCox Let's hope he holds off on trying until you're on the sofa! Then he can just put his head, and maybe a paw, on your lap.
He's very sensitive. When Abby gets wound up, he has to come check that she's OK.
I may be a guy but darn I need that sweater.... also loved the section about outlander, but brought on my droughtlander ptsd. On a side note have you ever watched Horatio Hornblower and if so what do you think of the accuracy of their clothing?
Ooh, yeah! I loved Horatio Hornblower! Seconded!
I would suggest that even prior to "Marie Antoinette", we had Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) as a shining example of taking a historically based story and setting it in a fantasy land.
*flash back to the time when I was a contract costumer for a theater company and they told me "No they do not have a schedule for their costumes they just have to be done as quickly as possible. PS. We don't have measurements on anyone, two people are playing each main character but we only have a budget for one costume to share for each pair, and everything has to have a zipper"* The crying on the floor among boxes of materials and notions is REAL
I had two Hansels, one size 16 and the other size 9. They both had to wear the same costume and be able to sing. Oh and the fairy couldn't wear makeup because of the bad acne but had an amazing voice.
Really enjoyed and appreciated this video! I think the fact that Bridgerton is Historical fantasy is what really makes the show and really gave the costume designers the ability to use costumes as a way to highlight each characters personality!
Adding to the chorus - the only costuming thing that bothered me was the lack of shifts/chemises and the tight lacing scene.
With waistlines that high I don't care what world it's in, no one with any logic would feel that tight lacing was necessary under normal conditions and if the point really was showing how unreasonable Mrs Featherington was being then it should have been isolated to her demands. Alternatively if Marina was shown being tight laced specifically to hide her condition and give us another reminder of the stakes and that was the only instance I could maybe give it a pass. But... neither of those things are true. They were presented as the most extreme cases but certainly not the only ones.
Also assuming the fantasy world of Bridgerton bears any resemblance to our own (which it clearly does) and doesn't change how human bodies work (which it clearly doesn't) then there's no reason for not having shifts/chemises other than I guess showing a few more inches of bare skin and pseudo-historical ladies suffering for vanity.
I didn't think of myself as a snob ofcostumes. Instead a casual watcher of movies set in earlier periods. That being said some of the modern costumes would be worn and they were so ugly and gaudy that I would just say "Uckkkk" out loud and at first had to hold back from turning off the show. I don't feel they added to the movie at all , I don't need perfectly accurate, I just need a shadow of that and instead some were so bad it was distracting to watch the show at times.
Disliking the costumes is totally valid! There were a lot of "looks" in the show, both good and bad. At one point, my mom walked in, took one look at TV and went "Those look like our prom dresses [from the early 70s]" and then we started playing "Is it Bridgerton or is it Gunnie Sax" 😂
I also recall the brief glimpse of a pair of Chuck Taylors in a pile of shoes in Marie Antionette that completely tickled me.
I can't explain how happy that these youtubers are friends... Being all alone in my room
I just want one video, just one, of someone in the historical costumer community reading the book series. Or at least the first book. Because as someone who loves romance novels I would really love to see someone with a history background/interest reading the book and watching the series.
I'm currently listening to it on audio book! I love a good historical romance novel for escapism, though I'm not looking forward to *that scene*.
@@AbbyCox Really! Oh good. I hope you enjoy it. I always liked Anthony's story better but that's next season for the show. Anyways thanks for letting me know. And I would love a deep dive into the differences and history in the show vs. Book. Like, if I remember correctly the only time Daphne says something negative about corset wasn't about tight lacing (done with that inaccurate trope). Hope you're having a good day.
honestly I was even okay with the sleeping in corsets in Bridgeton because every time I saw a character who clearly had stays on under her nightgown I had Terry Pratchett's voice pop into my head cracking jokes about underwired-nightgowns.
I found the show boring, but this is a great video! I have no problem with the costume designers making their own spin on Regency fashion; however, I can't forgive the inaccurate corset and tight lacing trope -_-
The costumes actually felt like they would work amazingly well with a different show. The neon glitz would’ve popped in something that tried to push the comedy and exaggerated society silliness more. It just felt disconnected to have these wacky looks in what boiled down to romantic melodrama. So more of my problems are with the writers room than the costume dept. But also..... give them shifts. The bloody chafing had me cringing!
I love, love LOVE this show and that you commented on the costumes' historical accuracy. In fact, despite being a new fan of yours, one of the first things I wondered as I binge-watched this the first (of many, many times) is what you thought of the costumes because it is instantly apparent that they aren't historically accurate. Which, considering that it's produced by Shonda Rhimes, has a "Hamiltoned" diverse cast (yes, I made up that word) and modern music disguised as period music, left me expecting that they were unlikely to be accurate. My best friend texted me while watching the first episode and was like, am I supposed to be confused by this? (I told her to just go with it). They did, for the most part, get the mood and the etiquette of the time right. So there's that. I also love that you call it Bangerton. I describe it as "lady porn" (I may have made that up too).
I am writing a Victorian romance novel series, and getting historical details right can drive you out of your mind. I've worked in the art department in theater for the last 25 years (so yes, I'm old) and the one thing I've learned is that you can't fake anything. There is always SOMEONE who will notice. So it makes me feel better that someone who is so picky (and I mean that in the nicest way) about those details recognizes that there is a fantasy aspect to the writing that means we can't always be completely accurate. So when my books get made into a Netflix series (and, by God, THEY WILL) I hope that I not only have the production quality of Bridgerton, but that you will review the costumes.
Although historically accuracy will always be my jam, I love historically inspired things (but I'm still not going to watch Bridgerton because I simply Do Not Vibe with it)
My only Bridgerton complaint (okay, it’s not only but it’s the one I’ll type here) is STILETTOS!! Really, you had to use pair in stilettos in a scene? No. That’s just one little step too far....seriously?! It’s fantasy and all but an acrobat is not going to wear stiletto unless their a stripper. And there was no pole in that scene.
Lmao yes that was literally the only thing where I was like .... Really?
Bridgerton challenge, make 7,500 historically inspired costume pieces in a silly amount of time!!!
READY SET GO
There has been so much talk around historical accuracy, it's refreshing to see this angle be considered. I can completely get behind the fantasy elements, but there were some non history related choices that I found a bit odd. Like because Daphne's light blue colour scheme was stuck to soooo rigidly for most of the episodes, and her dresses were so often basically the same cut, I genuinely thought she kept wearing the same dress until I saw some side by side screen shots. Likewise with a few of the other characters.
It made me feel sorry for all the effort the costume makers went to, because why bother going to the effort of making so many dresses if so many of them are so similar. Maybe cut out a couple and use the extra time to draft a different jacket pattern for Simon!
(sorry for the essay - but I've needed to vent that for a while)
I only watched it, or as much of it as I could stomach, in anticipation of what the Costume Historians would have to say. The horses were abominable. They managed to get by with very few carriages. Wasn't anticipating, or interested in, porn.
Here’s why I think the tightlacing scene works:
. . .the tightlacing scene adds a LOT to the series. It's the perfect way to set up the world in a super short scene. It gives SO much information about what Lady Featherington is like (a bit clueless about the fashion of the day), what the show will be like (it's gonna mess with your historical Regency drama sensibilities), what the world is like. The entire show is a commentary on how modern people view the oppression of women in the Regency era, (among other things), and thus I think it's a brilliant visual metaphor for Bridgerton itself.
The tightlacing trope in cinema is a shorthand for "women's oppression", and the audience is used to that. I don't necessarily think it's an accurate or good trope, buuuut it's what the average cinemagoer understands these days. I think Bridgerton does a good job of utilising it and subverting it (by taking stays that couldn't even be tight-laced and making it tightlaced they stretch the trope to the point of ridiculous to make the points I mentioned above).
(I’ve written this in other places around UA-cam, but I’ve posted it again.)
Aw yes love a good Philippa Gregory drag
Thank you for noticing and acknowledging 😂
I am totally here for the sweater and doggo snugs.. ♥
I think the number they gave was their internal wardrobe and costume department. A lot of the costumes were sewn by costume houses, mostly in the UK, like Angles, but there was one in the US who mostly made baground characters frocks. I saw some pieces being made two years ago, so they actually had more lead time that you think, as least a year before filming.
Is anyone else disappointed that Abby doesn't have a live in cook dressed in historical costume? Just me then.
I guess I do if I dress up?? 😂
Mr Crocombe vibes?
As a professional costume maker OMG I literally started sweating when you talked about the timeline for these costumes. And the story about the over night courier for the fitting? I'm stressed just thinking about it 😂
This is such an important thing to keep in mind, or else it potentially becomes a scenario of "the more I learn about fashion history, the less I enjoy period inspired media". There are some designing choices that bother me (e.g. Penelope's ill-fitting dresses, Daphne's hairstyles make her look like a child), but what I really want to know is: if so many pieces had so little screentime, did they need to exist? To me, Daphne's looks had a general "Wendy Darling's nightgown vibe" (whereas other characters had such distinctive looks within their styles that I remember them wearing different clothes), and I can't help but wonder: was all the stress and effort to make these many costumes necessary in the first place? As someone in an overworked and underpaid profession, it really doesn't sit right with me
I wasn't going to watch this because I'm so sick and tired of giving costubers reason to keep doing HA review videos. It has been causing shaming of others who are doing their best and internalized not-good-enoughness with others, and it's getting old. Using the fuel the review videos provide to shame and gatekeep in HB and sewing for fun communities is not ok.
I'm glad you are talking about not-HA being ok. We need more of this.
I, as a consumer of costube videos, am asking for LESS of the accuracy review videos (but I know that they are popular and get many views that help pay the bills so maybe address the armchair historians who shame others and tell them to.. maybe not?)
I like HA review videos. I think that even intentionally inaccurate costuming can serve as a great jumping off point for education about actual historical dress.
What I don’t like is if people hold shows to unrealistic standards, or who hold intentionally not accurate costuming to HA standards.
I think we can have both- point out what is and isn’t accurate, while also allowing for creativity and fantasy. Not all costuming has to be HA, I think that should be made clear. But it’s still useful as a jumping off point- like explains how the lack of chemises and the tight lacing tropes in Bridgerton weren’t reality, and why not.
Honestly, that was the only thing costume wise that I had an issue with, because I feel that they don’t make scientific or logical sense, not even in the fantasy world that they created. I mean- those were hand stitched eyelets. You physically cannot (as in, physics will not let you) tight lace them. Not to mention the fact that it makes no logical sense based on the fashions within that world.
I think it’s reasonable to point that out- but also to add that they do that because, firstly they don’t think chemises are sexy, and because tight lacing tropes basically serve as shorthand for female oppression, and the need to meet strict beauty standards. I get why they do it, but I don’t have to like it.
@@katherinemorelle7115 I liked them too... but there is a price being paid by learners, starters, hobbyists, etc... People are cruel and that's not ok. Its worse when they take enjoyable fun content to rain on people's parades. I'm asking that members of the costube community keep this in mind while making their content. They don't mean to fuel bullys but that's what's happening.
This is a really important point. I’ve also been disturbed by the way costume reviews can contribute to “not HA enough” shaming. Often times the costume review videos are ok, but the comment sections get ugly. We also need to remember the costume technicians who have worked hard on the designs, and commend their work; even if it’s not HA the work alone is admirable.
Once I realized the costuming was up the same alley as the live-action 'Cinderella' (non-Brandy edition), I calmed down a lot. That said, I still think the fabric and construction looked so cheap sometimes - like, unforgivably so.
😂😂😂 I tried hello fresh cause so may people I deliver it to (including you). But I ended up with Every Plate. (Same company more celiac friendly food.) Also, just been busy but will get the copies of the historic patterns to you when I have more time.
my dog does the exact same thing when i get a little uppity or over excited youd think they were trained therapy dogs lol
The number of gowns in this production taking a full squad of people to make, and yet in the story there was only ONE seamstress in town.
Yessss! And she could get dresses ready overnight- LOL!!
Clearly she had a magic needle for all but poor Penelope
@@EH23831 Elfin magic!
@@SusanYeske701 At the least she could have made her something that wasn't yellow.
My biggest thing with historical fashion in TV and movies is always just that it be clear they like, yknow, put effort into it. I want to see that they did at least SOME research, y'know?
I know absolutely nothing about fashion or historical fashion, yet somehow I found this channel. Thank you UA-cam Algorithm
i really respect the achievements of the costume department but i must say i didn’t find it the amount of piecies super noticeable when i watched it? a lot of daphne’s gowns were so similar that i can barely recall any specific ones, it all kinda washed over me.
just my personal opinion, but i think i would’ve rather seen more rewears ect. if that would’ve allowed them to make costumes from ‘big’ moments more memorable. perhaps it still would’ve been possible to switch up the day looks by using items like spencers and chemisettes instead of full nee gowns. the costumes rarely gave me an idea of where the time/mood/setting was at within the series
Georgian Gossip Girl 🥰
I know and love both Frodo and Cesario as well as the Lost In Adaptation cats.... I do not know your dogs' names. This bothers me
The whole time I was watching this show I was thinking “I wonder what Abby would think about these dresses!”
a more fitting critique for bridgerton, then, would be how wasteful and pointless and unnecessary the surplus of garments was.
Hahahaha the sponsor interlude really looked like an infomercial! XD awesome job!
Also: “loads of happy endings” lol!!!!!
And your top is wonderful!!
My dad joke humor was on fire when I wrote the script for this video, I was cracking myself up the whole time 😂 and thank you! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas! 😍
I didn't mind that they were historical fantasy I was expecting that. I was just disappointed that some of the costumes were downright ugly. Quantity, doesn't always mean quality. And I wish that they hadn't made so many overindulgent of costumes, so there could be more hats and perhaps some bonnets. Naked heads with loose hair in historical fantasy bother me, though that's just me. But I guess they blew the lot on the costumes and jewels. Though I could have done without the corset tightening scene, it's like every period piece/historical show has them and it's so tired, boring, and cliché now. We get it, Hollywood wants to make fun of corsets. But we don't need five million scenes of them to drill that home.
I too love your sweater - but it has also brought back long-forgotten memories of a fuchsia pink sweatshirt-fabric jumpsuit I maaaay just have owned in the 80s......and I am not sure those memories are A Good Thing 😝
7,500 pieces of costume and no-one thought to put a shift under a Mr Pearl corset.
This kind of 'romantic fantasy' is so far from my interests I wouldn't ordinarily watch it; I contemplated it for the Mr Pearl corsets but I think I'll just wind up angry and that's not the point of entertainment.
I'll just wait for season 2 of Gentleman Jack and catch up on my reading instead :)
They corsets get minimal screen time, and since they're regency they're boring af. I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one minute they're talking about how Mr. Pearl made the corsets and the next showing them bloodied and complaining about being uncomfortable... like... that's kinda rude? (though, tbh, I find Regency era corsets to actually be my least favorite because I hate the busk lol)
@@AbbyCox it does feel rude, he's considered a master of his craft and they still revisited the 'corsets are pain' trope, which at this point is overdone and extremely boring.
THIS IS ALL MY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSS. It's been bothering me a wee bit :) This never made me think it was this universe. It's also largely joking a little bit with the tropes of these types of stories.
OMG Abby!! How are you reading my mind? I've been thinking the exact same things ever since this show came out, possibly even before then because costume reviews are booming everywhere on youtube. You've articulated the one thing I feel a lot of reviews miss, which is that the tone of media in question matters. Thank you
THANK YOU! When I saw dress historians, etc. commenting on how historically inaccurate the costumes were in Bridgerton, I was so confused. How could they not see that a lot of the costumes were satirical? The fact that Lady Featherington wore the same dress, just in different fabrics should have been your first clue. We are so “politically correct” these days and I was disappointed that reviewers were holding the show to this high standard of being “culturally sensitive.” This was obviously not supposed to be set in 1800’s that we know of. Let the show have its fun with its quirkiness. The colors and “jewels”, and frankly all of the costumes, were a treat for the eye. Maybe just leave it there.
Just finished watching this today. Loved the gorgeous dresses and gentleman's outfits.
Are you calling it Bangerton because so many of the women have bangs? HA HA HA...Just kidding. Most of the costumes didn't bother me except for Pen's ill-fitting bustlines and Lady Featherington's 1950's hip-hugging ball gowns. The tight-lacing...yeah, that didn't make any sense.
One thing I've learned from the Costumer UA-cam community is that Historical Accuracy really isn't a thing. We can copy what we have, but there isn't any way to know 100% of what they did. Enjoy the shows (or not) for what they are, entertainment! Thanks Abby, I always enjoy hearing your perspective!
I'd say it's a thing. There is some stuff we know, and while it's true we can never reach 100% HA, we do our best from that knowledge. The difference here is that HA wasn't a goal. Had it been an "normal" period piece, I would have expected more.
I agree with not knowing 100% of what they did in real life... it's like using Vogue and re-discovered Pinterest boards to re-create fashions of today. It's a good representation of the ideals and aspirations and the feel of fashions but I doubt it would make much sense if we were to watch it in a TV show. If someone makes a film about 2020 300 years from now, we will be all lounging around in Dior and Gucci like tracksuits lol worn out joggers and novelty t-shirts be dammed :)
I'LL ADMIT IT! I'm one of those noobs in the historical costuming community that's been so wrapped up in finding things that aren't accurate that I judged Bridgerton WAY too soon. 🤦♀️ I didn't know any of the backstory with the novels and assumed it was just another historical drama with horrendously inaccurate costumes. But you know what assuming does... 😑 Now, knowing that it's supposed to be a historical FANTASY it definitely let's me relax and enjoy the show, because it is actually a good show. And with that in mind, the costumes aren't too bad... mostly. 😅
I was ready for fantasy costumes in Bridgerton, but I couldn't take that tight lacing scene. I closed the window 5 seconds into the start of the first episode and swore I would never come back, but the costume community seems to enjoy it for the garbage drama and bright colors and I am certainly not above that, so I might check it out. Thanks for always pushing my thinking Abby!
there were a couple of things that bothered me (the mid bust empire waist) but I loved how fantastical it was!
Can i just thank you for the cute doggo at the end of your videos? 😍
Yes! Please! Love the intro and just the whole vibe of this WHOLE VIDEO
I love that a fanpage has found photos of you and become a fan 🤣🤣
Nah girl that’s Terry Dresbach’s outlander twitter
Oh damn! Thats so cool
I LOVE this so much!!! Such a good point here! Thanks for sharing Abby! ❤️❤️❤️
Why should the costumes be historically accurate, when nothing else in the series is?
am i the only one that thinks high-waisted gowns are NOT flattering??? they make every single woman look pregnant.
same! I love the details on regency dresses but I can't get over the waistline! But the director of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie also dislikes them, so at least we're not alone 😅
@@clover3124 i also appreciate the lack of poodle curls on the women on the 2005 version.
seriously. so much work for women in those days to look so awful.