Bridgerton Season 3: All the Hidden Meanings in the Hair, Makeup, and Costumes

The long-awaited Bridgerton season three is nearly here, dearest gentle readers, and when it does arrive, you’ll find the Ton are busier than ever. Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) Bridgerton are very much enjoying their newlywed bliss. His sister Francesca (Hannah Dodd), meanwhile, makes her debut into society and quickly catches the eye of a potential love interest. It seems Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) may have also found a potential suitor herself.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, could be more interesting about Bridgerton season 3 than the glow-up of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton are unquestionably hot people in real life, but their characters were always dressed so…dorky. (And that’s putting it nicely.) That was the point—in the books, Penelope finally starts choosing clothes without her mother’s influence and is all the better for it—but still, the contrast between seasons is startling.

On the show, we have costume designer John Glaser and hair and makeup designer Erika Ökvist to thank for their transformations into leading lady and leading man.

“In season one, the clothes told you who the character was right away,” Glaser says of Penelope. “We know the character, we know who she is. Now it’s ‘Let her be the character, not the clothing.’ Let her shine.”

Shine, indeed. At the start of the season, Penelope gives herself a makeover, spending all that Lady Whistledown money on clothes in more flattering shades. This new attire also coincides with a new attitude: She’s determined this season to marry and starts gaining more confidence as she steps outside of her comfort zone. Colin, meanwhile, returns from his travels abroad with more swagger and fewer ruffles. It’s a good look on him, to say the least.

Below, Ökvist and Glaser break down all the secrets behind the Bridgerton season three hair, makeup, and outfits.

Penelope’s season three glow-up was inspired by Old Hollywood.

According to Glaser, the costume mood board for a Bridgerton character always has three things: a historic reference, a fashion reference from 1950 to today, and a piece of artwork. “It could be anybody’s painting, from an Old Master up to Andy Warhol or Robert Motherwell,” says Glaser. “Whatever inspires us.”

For Penelope’s new look in season three, the inspiration was 1950s movie sirens like Marilyn Monroe. Ökvist says she started by studying Nicola Coughlan’s face to figure out what would be the most flattering. “I just felt Old Hollywood would be the best—like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, all of them,” she says. “Nicola was quite happy with that look.”

Bridgerton. Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in episode 301 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX