Bridgerton brides – how the Netflix series drives the ‘Regencycore’ global wedding fashion trend
- Netflix series Bridgerton has spawned a fashion trend, known as ‘Regencycore’, based on the regency era in which the series is set
- Wedding planners and social media influencers are referencing colours and styles from the early 19th century
If you’re one of the millions who watched hit Netflix period drama series Bridgerton, then you’ll understand wedding fashion in 2022.
Created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes, the period drama, based on the book series of the same name by Julia Quinn and back for a second season, follows the lives of eight siblings and their romantic escapades during the Regency era (1811 to 1820).
The era in which the romantic show is set, in combination with its extravagant settings and costumes, has given rise to the fashion trend known as “Regencycore”.
Picture corsets, empire dresses, baby-doll tops, capes, Mary Jane shoes, crystal jewellery and pearl hair bands.
The series has even sparked a social media trend, with TikTok users showing how to recreate Regency-era gowns and elaborate hairstyles from scratch.
Its influence has also extended to bridal wear. In 2022, wedding fashion is romantic, playful and, most importantly, richly decorated. Although Regencycore fashion isn’t always reflected in what is currently being sold in the shops, that seems to be exactly where its charm lies. Regencycore is something to escape to.
Corsets, long gloves: how Bridgerton sparked a new fashion trend
It allows people to dream about opulent balls, tea parties and receptions that we may never experience in our everyday lives, even without a pandemic going on.
Coincidentally, the show revolves mainly around arranged marriages between noble families, and a daughter being dressed up for ball after ball. The Regencycore style is perfect for weddings, and a day when brides get to wear a kind of dress that they will, in all likelihood, put on only once in a lifetime.
So what does that mean for this season’s dresses? “You’re seeing a lot of big gowns and figure-hugging silhouettes in current wedding fashion,” says bridal expert Kerrin Wiesener. Deep necklines are not in fashion at the moment. However, high leg slits are in.
And yet there is no longer one big trend in bridal fashion. “Diverse” is how Susann Lippe-Bernhard, editor-in-chief of a German bridal magazine, calls the fashion choices in the industry.
“There are princess-style dresses as well as wedding suits for the bride with a clean look.” That means the trends are not all about completely new dress styles, but about the details.
This includes, for example, dresses with sleeves. The new, sought-after update is that the sleeves on many dresses are removable, says wedding planner Jacqueline Exel. “This makes a dress totally changeable and you have two looks in one, so to speak.”
Often the sleeves are so elaborately designed that they themselves are a fashion statement, such as puff sleeves made of transparent fabric and trumpet sleeves that add extra length with flowing embroidery.
“Overskirts that are worn during the wedding ceremony and taken off in the evening for the party are also in demand,” says Exel, noting a rise in dresses that allow for a quick costume change.
For rather plain and slim-fitting dresses, there are also floor-length capes made of lace or delicate tulle fabric that temporarily change the look.
Bridal designers currently like to use satin and silk, crepe fabrics and chiffon. Besides classic white, there are also cream- and champagne-coloured models on offer for wedding dresses.
Dresses in blush tones – the same delicate pink used in cosmetics for cheeks – are becoming more popular.
Indeed, this tone is a trademark of Regencycore fashion, and the lush world of Bridgerton, continuing into season two in March, is filled with pastels and pinks – the perfect backdrop for a romantic wedding.
