Every ‘Bridgerton’ Era Is Setting Trends
The “Bridgerton Effect” is real — and we’re loving every look, trend, and “core” that comes from it.
While we know that Bridgerton became a worldwide hit when it premiered in 2020, there have been a series of slower, steadier ways that the record-breaking Netflix show has influenced our consumer habits. Through fashion, personal style, and design, people are mimicking the things they’ve seen on the show and are shopping and making choices in their everyday lives accordingly. Now, three seasons in, with a fourth season on the way, the “Bridgerton Effect,” as it’s called, has reached even further and can be seen in everything from cosmetics to airlines.
It’s dizzying to think about the scope of it, but we understand why these trends happen—every detail of Bridgerton (and its spinoff Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) is considered on every level, including costumes, hair and makeup, jewelry, art, set design, camera angles, lighting, paint colors, food choices, prop books, and more. And that dedication to aesthetics is conveyed to viewers on a more subliminal level, leading to how we style ourselves, our homes, and more.
So without further ado, here are all the times we saw Bridgerton help set a trend. And if you notice any other trends coming from the Bridgerverse, let us know!
It was a collective breathless moment when Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) took to the dance floor with the Duke (Regé-Jean Page) at the Vauxhall celebratory ball in her impeccable blue lace-covered satin gown. And from the entire Bridgerton family’s wardrobe to every room in their house, the Bridgerton blue they wore was ingrained in our bones. Both production designer Will Hughes-Jones and season one costume designer Ellen Mirojnick told us that Wedgwood blue was the inspiration for Bridgerton blue, and now, from wedding dresses to cosplay to lengthy color analyses, this iconic shade will forever be a part of our palettes. In the three days following Bridgerton’s season two premiere, online searches for “Regency dresses” increased 84 percent, reaching a nearly 20-year high (only eclipsed by the release of Pride & Prejudice in 2005). The Regency influence didn’t start with Bridgerton—the late Vivienne Westwood relied on 18th-century styles throughout her 50-year career in the fashion industry, and Jean Paul Gaultier has always favored corsets in his designs—but the show arguably brought the trend to the masses. ASOS, Lulus, Urban Outfitters, and other affordable, accessible lines are embracing Regencycore as a matter of course at this point, and many tailoring lines are also incorporating Bridgerton into their products—like Selkie’s new collaboration with Bridgerton, which includes blazers, dresses, corsets, and more. Puffy sleeves, chokers, and bows are all branches of Regencycore, but they’ve also had their own resurgence with the spread of the Bridgerverse. Even Featherington’s orange hue is trending for summer 2024! And while chokers have come and gone over the centuries as a way to adorn our necks (hello, 1990s grunge chokers), we’d argue that the “Coquette Choker” can be directly attributed to Daphne in season one, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) in season two, and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) in season three. But one can’t underestimate the popularity of puffy sleeves after season three of Bridgerton. Reese Witherspoon consistently wears puffy sleeves in all sorts of outfit combinations, and the list of people who’ve embraced the look (or sleeves) goes on and on: Hailey Bieber, Katie Holmes, Tracee Ellis Ross, and many more. While each face on Bridgerton has its own unique look, the overall goal of the show’s makeup is fresh, flawless, glamorous, and radiant. If you Google “Bridgerton makeup,” you’ll find thousands of makeup tutorials featuring Francesca, Penelope, Kate, and Daphne ready to help you achieve their signature looks. In season two, Pat McGrath Labs partnered with Shondaland to create a Bridgerton-inspired makeup line, and season three brought the Kiko Milano makeup line to the forefront. It’s collaborations like these that show how the show’s aesthetic has influenced the market.
