Dearest gentle (Her Campus) readers,
Bridgerton is back for its fourth season (part one, that is) and there is lots to talk about! First and foremost is the style. Under the guidance of designer John Glaser, Bridgerton has a special way of using outfits, hairstyles, and jewelry to signal personality and character growth. Let’s take a look at how Bridgerton has used style as a story-telling tool in past seasons and look forward to what’s different in season four!
Style as a Social Status Marker
From the beginning, style has set the Bridgerton family apart from other families of the ton, and perhaps most notably, the Featheringtons. The Bridgerton family is clothed in pastels – calming greens, blues, and pinks – which reflect their genteel nature and refined status. They’re not seeking social validation from anyone. The matriarch of the family, Violet (and my emerging favourite character – “tea” iykyk) leads the way in simple but elegant satin and tulle fabrics of light blue and purple, occasionally adorned with diamonds and sparkles.
In contrast, the Featheringtons have consistently stuck to vibrant colours and jarring accessories throughout, wearing rich oranges, purples, pinks and greens. Their bright colours seem to reflect their desperation, vying for attention in the marriage mart. They remind me of those vulnerable insects who try to protect themselves by flashing bright colours and pretending they’re venomous. Unlike the Bridgertons, the Featheringtons have no sons, and must secure marriage matches to ensure their line and maintain their place in society.
Queen Charlotte, the epitome of opulence, offers another example of how Bridgerton uses style as a reflection of character. Like the Bridgertons, she needs no affirmation. And yet, like the Featheringtons, she uses style as a sort of protection. The queen has come a long way from Queen Charlotte, in which a girlish Charlotte learns the ropes of royalty. She’s bossy, particular, and not afraid to assert her opinion, especially when it comes to commanding her best friend (Lady Danbury) to stay by her side. And yet, her extravagant hairstyles all seem to act as a shield for her true emotions and a crutch that allows her to assert her social dominance. Season four gives an unexpected glimpse of the vulnerable Charlotte underneath the wigs when she opens up to Lady Danbury, about her fears of being left alone when her husband dies. Despite her ornaments, she’s still just a woman who needs her friends. And let’s be real, who can’t relate to Charlotte? While Queen Charlotte’s outward appearance conceals her vulnerability, other characters’ style changes hit a much lighter note, merely indicating a move into leading man or lady.
Character Growth and the Bridgerton ‘Glow Up’
When it comes to character growth, you might swap ‘growth’ for ‘glow up’. The now infamous Bridgerton glow up signals the move of a character from the sidelines into the limelight as the ‘diamond’ or desirable ‘rake’ of the season. In the past we’ve seen Jonathan Bailey (season two) go from mutton chops and sideburns to clean shaven, and Nicola Coughlan (season three) go from loud yellows to complementary blues and a full beat of makeup.
So What’s So Different About Season Four?
This season faces a unique challenge in that the new ‘diamond’ Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) is an illegitimate daughter forced to be a maid. Unlike the rest of the women, Sophie doesn’t have a choice in her outfits. She mainly shows up in maid dresses, so we only get sneak peeks of her personality from her wardrobe. To me, this ups the tension! Like Benedict, we’re left wondering who Sophie really is and what she wants. As Glaser says, “We don’t quite know who she is yet, visually speaking.”
The only times we see her in a chosen outfit are at the masquerade ball and when she’s at “My Cottage.” When she appears in dazzling silver for the ball, you can’t help but call “diamond!” at your screen, even though we know she can’t be one. At “My Cottage”, we get to see her in two gowns but even these are leftover dresses from Daphne in season one. All of this points again and again to the social dynamics of the whole season: Sophie is a maid, in a completely separate class from Benedict, and has little choice in how she presents herself, let alone whom she loves.
If you’re anything like me (spoilers ahead!), you ended part one full of frustration at the “offer from a gentleman” (Benedict) to Sophie which didn’t seem very gentlemanly at all. Looking forward to season four part two, I can’t wait to see Sophie’s response play out, and how the show reflects this through her style choices. My prediction is that as she takes agency in her relationship with Benedict (our girl knows she deserves better), and we’ll also (hopefully) get to see her in at least one outfit she truly chooses or, perhaps, even creates for herself. Unlike other seasons, Sophie’s style transformation isn’t purely about aesthetics. It’s about her telling us her story on her terms.