Her sartorial transformation is just one of many in the Regency romp’s next chapter: there’s also Colin himself, who returns from his European adventures as a more rugged and worldly suitor, trading his Bridgerton baby blues for earthier shades; Eloise, whose outfits begin to mirror the flamboyance of Cressida’s; and Kate Bridgerton, née Sharma (Simone Ashley), whose Indian heritage, referenced in her Season 2 costumes, is even more pronounced this time around in the gold-embellished, sari-inspired ball gowns she wears as a newly married woman.
Also stepping into the spotlight is the mysterious Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd, inheriting the part from Ruby Stokes for Season 3), who follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne, to make her debut in front of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Shy and retiring, she seems to love her pianoforte more than the idea of falling in love, and as she meets potential partners, her costumes offer clues about her future.
To create all of these extraordinary ensembles, showrunner Jess Brownell and executive producer Shonda Rhimes enlisted the help of John Glaser, who previously collaborated with Ellen Mirojnick on the costumes for the series’s first season. Ahead of the first half of season three landing on Netflix on May 16, he talks us through Penelope’s sultry new look, Colin’s Marlboro Man-inspired aesthetic, and Eloise’s nods to My Fair Lady.
Vogue: The costumes in the first two seasons of the show are spectacular. How did you want to evolve the Bridgerton look for Season 3 while also staying true to the series’s aesthetic?
John Glaser: For the first season, we threw everything but the kitchen sink at it, because we had to define the characters very quickly, so it was broad strokes and distinct color palettes. For Season 2, the costumes were a little bolder in color and more period correct. And this season, because of the story we’re telling, we thought, Let’s make it softer. It’s more textural, a little more blurry. We layered fabrics—for instance, we’d take a warmer color and a cooler color and combine them, so when you’re looking at a dress, you’re not totally sure if it’s blue or green.
