Thanks for the sweater love! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas and it came from Sezane: www.sezane.com/us/collection/knitwear I also wanted to add an additional note about the costuming build for Bridgerton - the Costume Industry Coalition (the organization behind the Hamilton Spencer Jacket that Bernadette did the documentary for) did an IG post the other day about how there were costume shops all over the world who worked on the builds for Bridgerton - including the US, UK, Italy, Spain, and Bucharest. The level of organization that had to happen to make this series happens blows my mind and gives me just a *little* bit of anxiety. 😂
Absolutely mind blowing. I want a documentary camera crew (working on 75mm film stock so we can get every juicy detail) following all of the costume production shops doing their monumental job. How do you even plan that. The spreadsheets must have been terrifying. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
While I cannot organize lunch for two (extra nod to the generous sponsor of this program who I am hoping continues to support this worthy channel), I am really happy that multiple, international costume shops were used. This means survival of something which should survive, apologies to the late Mr. Darwin for mucking up his algorithm.
The tight lacing under an empire waistline was...hilarious. But yes, as someone who makes historically inaccurate fluff myself, it’s helpful to remember that not all media is intended to be a perfect facsimile. This is a nuanced explanation and it doesn’t hurt that you’re so darn charming!
I mean that was just stupid. It doesn’t need to be perfect but you need to only think a second why you would not need to thightlace. Also it makes the characters look dim and the corset look worse and it’s a lace trope. Something like bonnets can be left out but you should have costumes that make sense.
I believe that the Featherington girls wear tight stays as a commentary on their mother being a control freak. It's also why their mother's gowns have figure hugging silhouettes rather than the empire silhouettes of the other women (except the queen) and all the other characters we see in their under things are shown wearing short stays.
Jup it was hilarious 😂 Though I would not state that my regency corset is made very accurate to an original, it simply cannot be tight laced, or at least that does not do anything for my waist...(or bust) That wooden plank (damn I forgot the word for it) going from in between the boobs to and a bit past the waist doesn't help creating A slimmer waist. It does help in separating the breasts and make my front rather flat (in vertical line) I had to laugh at the lacing in the first episode (haven't watched the rest yet, but will)
I find it hilarious how the entire costuming community's reaction to Bridgerton seems to be: "I can roll with the candy colored polyester extravaganza, but for the love of all that is holy stop with the shiftless tight lacing!"
I have seen some discussions about Queen Charlotte being out of fashion when, as a queen with her eye on the social scene, she should have been on the cutting edge. A friend of mine and I have a theory about this and how it supports the story: George III is shown to be mentally ill in a way that seems to align to a kind of dementia, such as when he forgets that his daughter died and he accuses Charlotte of killing her. My friend and I theorize that Charlotte wearing clothes in the style of her youth is a subtle indicator of how she tries to get George to recognize her since, with his memory wandering, he is more likely to know who she is if she dresses as she did when they were first married. She wears the style all the time so that if he is lucid, she can go to him immediately without stopping to change. To me, this seems like an interesting way that the costume supports the story line, even though it is not historically accurate.
also, queen Charlotte was not at the cutting edge of fashion either, that is why court dress was so out of wack. The queen even made women wear hoops even when the fashion was very different at the time.
How interesting! That actually makes quite a bit of sense! The moments when he was lucid may have been fleeting so anything that would have taken up precious time in getting to him would have to be reduce. Just that gesture alone shows just how much she loved him.
This is why I get iffy when people bash designers when they weren't necessarily striving for historical inaccuracy and could have been making a very intentional design choice for a specific reason such as this which fits well. It's worth researching why the designer made a choice to better understand it or just understand that it may have been intentional for reasons such as this. It's worth speculating and analyzing why they made the choice. I'm only an aspiring designer not a professional but I know even if I don't have time to give every specific reason for every design choice there is still a reason because I am playing close attention to detail in my work and am being very intentional and pretty much everything has a specific reason behind it but we'd be here for hours if I rattled them all off. That's in my own work at least.
Were you blessed with the gift of prophecy by Apollo or something? Cuz this is basically confirmed in Queen Charlotte, or at least gained traction as a theory lmao
I think that part of the problem is referring to Bridgerton as a "period drama"! As you said, it's not a period drama, it's a bodice-ripper Regency-ish romance novel/soap opera on film ... Looking at it like that, the costumes make perfect sense, and I'm actually surprised that they aren't *more* inaccurate than they are!
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/ www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber th-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/w-d-xo.html #Bridgerton
@@AWordorNinety But this is not what the show does. It's not showing realistic presence of POCs in that time in England, it's just places them randomly everywhere and gives the impression to ignorant or uninformed people that this is a historical reality by calling it a period drama. Plus, it's condescending and kind of ridiculing the POC actors.
@@Anna-rk2wi I mean, calling it a "first" is a BIG stretch. Lots of such adaptations came around in the 80s and 90s and even earlier. It's not a new genre, rather an old one. But certainly one that doesn't aim for accuracy, rather aims more towards fantasy and that's ok. But no way in hell is it the first lol :P
Thank you for this! I was one of the embellishers for the costumes on Bridgerton and I have to say, despite being someone who loves fashion history and (on most occasions) accuracy, it was so refreshing to work on a show where everyone could truly express their creativity. There was a huge number of costumes to work on, but the team was made up of so many incredibly talented and experienced artists. It was a genuine pleasure to be a part of 💙
You and your team made costumes that were such a joy to see on screen!! And my, potentially unpopular, opinion is Lady Fetherington had some of the best costumes. The patterns! The fit! It totally suited her character and I loved it. Y'all did amazing work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
As someone who also generally loves historical accuracy depending on the type of film/tv show, I have been absolutely loving the costumes, wigs, and overall style of the series. Everything so distinctly belongs in the world of Bridgerton, which really separates this series from other regency set shows or films. I view it as a historical fantasy, and accurate or not, there was clearly a lot of incredible work done on all of the costumes.
As a Hollywood assistant, that request sounds like every other Tuesday. Legit, the asks we get make The Devil Wears Prada look like preschool. Honestly, the fact that the costume department got the ridiculous amount of garments done and out the door is a feat of legend.
@@availanila lol no. The Devil Wears Prada is about an assistant that is asked to do the impossible on a regular basis - totally ridiculous tasks with a boss that is strict, exacting, and mean. In reality, Hollywood producers are actually much worse than the movie even shows. Reality makes the movie seem like a nice environment, like preschool, because the kinds of ridiculous things that actual assistants have to do are actually much worse.
@@availanila She's saying the brutality of life in that industry portrayed in the movie The Devil Wears Prada makes it look like preschool compared to the reality in the costume making industry. Its waaaay harsher. Something to that extent.
@@davriecaro3036 I imagine it involved a *lot* of spraying with vodka (an old theater costume trick for disinfecting costume pieces that either can't be washed at all, or have to be more or less clean in less time than it would take to wash and dry them)!
@@TakiKimono that sounds Like a Future adventure: In a world where Minimalism dominates, one woman uncovers a relic from the past to lead her people to bright glimmering future: Beadazzler 2000's -show jeans no mercy!
The 2006 Marie Antoinette movie is sooo pervasive in art too! I'm a studio art major and and in one of my courses art of the 18th century class we watched that movie and analyzed its importance and how it made Versailles's abundance even more digestible for a modern viewer. It's truly spectacular.
I say this a lot- that while not all the pieces of Marie Antoinette were HA, the *vibe* certainly was! It’s still my favourite movie for costuming of all time. I was one of the ones who loved it as soon as it came out. I was primed for it, I already loved Sophia Coppola, and I’d follow her anywhere after the masterpiece that was The Virgin Suicides. Honestly, she doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit. I think she’s a better filmmaker than her father.
I think it did a good job in presenting the sheer opulence of those first years in Versailles for her in a way that everyone in modern society can relate to. The obsession with fashion, the parties, the food, it was a whirlwind that made me, at least, how overwhelming it must have been for her after the relative austerity MA was raised in, to find herself in that situation... Although, yeah, it is not Historically Accurate by a long shot.
@@katherinemorelle7115 In my opinion the costumes were mostly historically accurate, there were just a few licenses here and there which added that certain artsy factor. The shoegazing, dream-poppish aesthetics and the occasional post-punk/new wave/indie music imo matched well with the decadent Versailles in the last decades of the Ancien Régime. It's one those movies where the main core is correct, yet there are some artistic liberties added upon. In Bridgerton everything is a fantasy.
The historical accuracy bothered me until I got 5 minutes in and realized it was more of a historical fantasy. The lack of chemise and tight lacing did bug me a little though. I LOVED the show though and I can’t wait for the next season.
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/ www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber th-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/w-d-xo.html #Bridgerton
The mention on how costume department works on "we-need-this-piece-for-yesterday-actually-no-we-don't-know-the-size-yet" style gave me major war flashbacks XDDD i worked on a few movie sets and it's 10/10 true...
@@paigemyers4762 Even some professional community theaters. Director decided he wanted a whole new gown for Eponine to wear at the end of Les Mis (since she and Fantine welcome Valjean to the afterlife) hours before the opening show. And as I was a sticker on accuracy... That crew got to learn to deal with buttons during quick changes, and ties for other things. Did some stuff for theaters higher up than that, and...yeah. But damn, I loved it.
I have no problem with the costuming in primarily a fantasy series not being historically accurate. But the lack of suitable fit on the Penelope character (the only leading plus-sized character) is just unforgivable.
This! I've seen some people who have read the books talk about it being intentional and that her fashion should improve in future seasons, but if that's the case, I feel like they needed to make it more obvious? Maybe have her/other characters comment on how her dresses don't fit properly, having her pinch and pull to attempt to make them sit properly, etc. As they appear in the show, it just looks like bad costuming 🤦♀️ (and maybe it just is and the book readers are giving them too much credit 😂)
@@melissac8006 I feel the pain (I'm fat), but it truly is part of her story arc. In her book (which everybody should read, because it's the best one out of the series and no one will ever convince me otherwise) she talks about how her mother made all her dressing choices regarding fit and colours (she later stops this as she is convinced Penelope would never land a husband, but again, it makes more sense when you actually read the book). they try to show it when she takes out her dress in this one scene while her sisters are very excited and exclaim the colours and Penelope says "... and mine is yellow" and they also highlight the mother's questionable fashion taste when the designer delivers the dresses after the bills have been paid and she tells them that nobody else wanted the fabrics. but i get that it's difficult to catch without knowing the books. I just really really hope they plan to fully tell her story in the next seasons.
@@merletwowildsymphonies1836 I wish it would have been more obvious in the show that it was intentional! I didn’t catch that, I just saw that they dressed Penelope in bodices that cut straight across her nipples (ouch!) and it severely annoyed me because it looked like they just didn’t bother getting the correct fit on the one plus sized main character. Though tbh I didn’t finish the series, so maybe it was made clearer later.
Half the time, the part that was supposed to go under her bust was ON her bust. It cut her in half in a weird way and made her look larger than she was. Maybe that was the point, though? She was meant to be a character no one paid attention to. The wall flower.
THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! thank you so so much Abby for addressing this! The timelines for this must have been crazy for the costumers and it is a TV series and not a film so more screen time and bigger cast! I thought it was amazing and I totally got swept up in the gorgeous fantasy.
the CIC (the people behind the Hamilton spencer) put out an IG post that apparently there were costume shops *all over the world* who built for bridgerton, which is *insane* 🤯
Such a refreshing take, tbh. I don't get the schadenfreude so much of the internet gets from criticizing the accuracy of costumes that are clearly from a fantasy land. Love that you are so knowledgeable, but not preachy or judgemental. It makes your videos way more fun to watch.
The show was such a visual treat to behold! All of the colours, beautiful fabrics, lighting and overall cinematography was delightful. It was exactly as you described, a fantasy. So I had no issues with its costumes.
Yaaaaaaass!!! THIS. Incredibly well said. I’ve never understood the need to hold historical fantasy to accuracy...or even FANTASY to historical accuracy (ahem...*Witcher’). The costuming in Bangerton (buah ha ha ha!) is really gorgeous in and of itself...but, WEAR A DAMN CHEMISE! That, and tight lacing regency stays?? Fantastic video! I hope you had a lovely New Year celebration. Much love!
The chemise and stays things were the only issues I had, and that was mostly because it scientifically and logically does not make sense- not even within the fantasy world they’d created. Everything else costume wise, I’m fine with. Though I’m also not fine with one particular aspect of the plot... I hated it in the book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I read the first few books out of order, I’d not have continued reading them. I was very unhappy with that plot line. I still am, and the fact that I have barely seen anyone talking about it, well, it’s frustrating, to say the least. I thought we as a society were better than that. That we recognised these things as problems. Guess not.
@@katherinemorelle7115 if you’re referring to the plotline that this article covers, it’s the reason I probably won’t be watching this series: www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/the-questions-of-male-consent-that-puncture-both-fantasy-worlds-of-bridgerton-and-wonder-woman-1984-.php
@@twobluestripes yep. As far as I can remember, it would only be on this season. And I had read some of the other books in the series first, which was why I co tinier reading the rest of them. I’m just really disappointed that there’s so little discussion of this. It’s a post MeToo world, but no one seems to care about this and it’s just very disappointing. I’m not saying people shouldn’t discuss other things to do with the series- the costumes, the race baiting, whatever. But the lack of discussion about this is very troubling, I think. And I know that is the ropes been reversed, this show wouldn’t even have been made. The double standards are very obvious.
This was sort of my problem with discussing hystorical accuracy of something like Enola Holmes. Like sure, it’s a mish-mash of years, and sure they mentioned a specific year... but it’s a movie based off of a book that is an alternate universe of a fictional book. Like. It is literally adaptation of fiction of fiction. Why in the donkey love would it be historically accurate? Historically inspired? Sure. Has its problems? Yes. However I never once assumed it would be “accurate” and kind of didn’t get why everyone else was so down on it. EDIT: I am adding HolmesPunk is now a thing to me. Enola Holmes is HolmesPunk. I’m keeping that.
personally, i usually couldn't care less if costumes are "accurate" in fantasy settings, but the corset nonsense in both bridgerton and enola holmes is infuriating!!!
@@BarbiesRevenge579 true. At least in Enola she didn’t suffer horrible tight lacing, she CHOSE to put it on, and it came in quite handy later. Silver lining.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 I didn’t really see it as complaining. More of a “this is a bad thing if it’s forced on someone, but I’m using it because I want to”. So that’s just my perspective. And I can’t see it as being set in real history, because it’s basically a movie adaptation of an AU of a fictional book. That’s an alternate history no matter how you look at it. That always suspends my disbelief far enough that unless something is so awful that it throws me totally, I can ignore most things. But then, most people have different things that bother them that strongly. Like half the time I’m watching media supposedly set in that era I just think everything looks too clean.
What I hated with Enola Holmes movie's costumes is that, despite the fact it is an alternative universe of a fictional book, the original book series is really historically accurate and every slighest change in fashion is acknowledged. So, as I just loved these books as a child, the movie ruined the esthetic of the book I had in mind. But the costumes totally works as costumes in a fun, period inspired, adventure movie and some of them are really beautiful.
Thanks for saying all the things I've been thinking watching the community freak out over these outfits! Are the costume in Bridgerton accurate? No, they weren't meant to be. Is it something to wring our historic dress hands over and be super judgey about? No. This series and it's costumes are a bit of imagination and fun, it's okay to just enjoy them for what they are. (Are we over the "corsets are the worst" troupe though, hell yes! )
@@Hair8Metal8Karen in the case of Penelope I would argue they did that deliberately. Her character has a kind of Butterfly transformation arc, so I think they were trying to make the costumes as unflattering as possible to then make the transformation in later seasons. Hard to do when Nicola Coughlan is so gorgeous!
I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one of the most famous corset-makers in the world, and then they act like they're uncomfortable and painful. Talk about a bad advertisement for his work. One minute they're like "OMG Mr. Pearl made our corsets" and the next "halp corsets ouchy" ...like... I'd be really salty.
@@AbbyCox I agree, this is just straight-out disrespectful towards his work. I am hundred percent sure that this decision had nothing to do with the costume department.
@@AbbyCox I’ve watched probably way too many interviews with the cast, and there’s not nearly as much corset-dissing as one would expect. Phoebe (Daphne) actually wanted to steal one of them, so she must have liked it. And when Claudia (Eloise) and Nicola (Penelope) were asked to “stan or ban” wardrobe articles, they chose to ban too-tight shoes and stockings that kept falling down with nary a mention of their stays.
I was surprised at tightlacing in a semi-Regency piece, of all things. I mean, they mostly stay true to the waistline-right-below-the-boobs thing. Why then were they trying to accentuate the waist? lol
So many of the tired corset tropes in this show when they don’t apply... I’ll never understand the “fantasy” element of being uncomfortable for historical fashion lmao
I tried to watch War and Peace (2007) but it too opened with a scene where they tight lace a 13 years old girl (at least in the book she was 13 at the beginning) and then dress her in a regency dress. Since the show was less cool than Bridgerton I noped after 10 minutes of the 1st episode.
I thought it was a commentary on how ridiculous and superficial the character of Lady Featherington is, and making a point of introducing her while she was tight-lacing her daughter even though the natural waist isn’t visible in the empire waist dresses
look, i dont actually work in costume shops but ive been in plenty of meetings with them, and BOY that impression of a normal day at the office had me in stitches! ...(not those stitches. i was laughing. abby funny i laugh heh heh)
Really enjoyed and appreciated this video! I think the fact that Bridgerton is Historical fantasy is what really makes the show and really gave the costume designers the ability to use costumes as a way to highlight each characters personality!
YES! Thank you Abby! I have many friends that hate the show cause the costume inaccuracies. But I keep saying that it is not meant to be. The costumes are insane yes, but they play off the theme of the show and the personalities of the characters. Love the show, love the costumes and obvi love you for getting it!
That’s been my take as well - the costumes are able to tell us so much about the characters! I think my favourites are anything worn by Lady Danbury, Penelope’s dress when her father is her escort, and Eloise’s pale pink cravat & short jacket ensemble 😀
I am SOOOOOO GLAD you did this video because yesterday I said similar things in Portuguese and got backlash now that you said it I can link it as source as well
Honestly the tight-lacing scene in the first 5 mins set the stage of “damn I guess this isn’t going to be accurate...how annoyed am I going to be?” Overall I liked it except for the lack of shifts, and the fit of the dresses on poor Penelope. Why doesn’t anything fit??? Loved the velvet on Simon though. That tickled me
SAmE! There is no reason, real or fantasy, that a custom made dress would fit as poorly as Penelopes dresses did. And Lady featheringtons dresses were confusing. I got a weird feeling they were making a half-hearted commentary on how plus-sized people get the short end of the stick in fashion. Still, it was never brought up explicitly (even POC issues had some discussion in the script, even if it wasn't enough) and again custom dresses.
I’ve heard people say that Penelope’s dresses are intentionally unflattering because her mother is trying to sabotage her, but I haven’t read the books so can’t confirm this.
Right?! Like, I get the lack of accuracy, they're not going for that and that's fine, but you still have to make sense within the world you're building, and there's just no reason for tightlacing when the gowns you're wearing aren't fitted at the waist.
I appreciate that the sheer amount of work involved was discussed. A lot of these sorts of videos are just 'omg, this is awful. how dare they take any liberties or shortcuts. I don't care that they have to dress an ensemble cast of 15 plus a few dozen extras, I am disgusted and appalled' which always feels a little unfair to all the people who put in a ridiculous amount of work to bring these movies and shows to life. I enjoy learning about how things were done/worn/etc. too, or else I wouldn't be here, but behind each movie and mediocre costume (according to Historically Accurate (tm) standards) are a team of people who just straight up don't deserve the ire heaped upon them in the comments by folks who, by-and-large, are historical hobbyists who *might* sew a few things in their spare time. This felt fair AND honest which was refreshing.
Really really really good point. For me, if the quality of construction is noticeably bad and pulls you out of the immersion, then it's really a matter of the budget/organization/timeline being inadequate. "Why did they make it like that, that looks like crap" as a sentiment is assuming that the people who work on costumes don't care, which seems like the opposite of the attitude one would have to have to work in costuming.
As long as a world is consistent and believable within it's own universe I'm perfectly fine with giving it a fantasy makeover. That said, as an aspiring novelist, should my own historical fantasy be given such a makeover when I have worked *so* hard to make it accurate to the time period in all details but that one fantasy thing, I'd be depressed for a decade or two. Luckily, that's unlikely ever to be an issue 🤣
Thank you for recognizing the hard work of costume designers, drapers, first hands, stitchers and wardrobe goddesses, and everyone who makes a show come together!!!
I honestly get so excited whenever someone mentions the V&A dress recreated for Emma; I fell in love with it when I last visited the museum and had no idea how well-known it was (or would become!). It's just perfect!
I was eating dinner watching this video and right as she said that I nearly choked on my food. Hastily swallowed and told my husband why I choked, he replied: so... You choked because you wanted something else in your mouth.... Had to pause the video for a good five minutes while I stopped laughing.
I have to say, of all the YTubers I watch who have a Hello Fresh paid promotion, I liked your incorporation the best. It truly showed the box items in real life use ... Thank you!
BLESS YOU, Abby! Thank you for making this video, it says SO much of what I’ve been thinking over the last week or so. As a costumer for stage and screen, my primary concern is telling the story and showing character. Sometimes that means being as HA as possible, but many times it doesn’t (and sometimes it’s even more effective to throw HA out the window). It’s not fair to judge something that’s not supposed to be historically accurate on historical accuracy.
I love Abby's cheeky, funny little side bars. For someone who only follows only two TH-cam channels, is not a costume designer, nor works in the theater business, I LOVE Abby Cox's channel, I love how articulate she is and yes of course I'm a history buff so I love all the tidbits of accurate info. Thanks Abby for all the hard work your team does to entertain us.
OMG Abby!! How are you reading my mind? I've been thinking the exact same things ever since this show came out, possibly even before then because costume reviews are booming everywhere on youtube. You've articulated the one thing I feel a lot of reviews miss, which is that the tone of media in question matters. Thank you
THANK YOU ms. Cox!!!! This makes me feel so much better about my personal foray into "historical" costuming and movies. One 1850's ball gown in a month (literal fantasy where the main characters are imagining themselves as President and Mrs. Linclon) and... 12 1680's outfits in a month/3 days (scientists telling campfire stories)... Okay the 1680's outfits were 3 men's coats, waistcoats, and shirts, and 3 woman's gowns, chemise, and petticoats both pristine and "tracked through the wilderness for 20 years". And the habit of a Franciscan friar. The friar's costume and the underpinnings for the men and women were trashed by my roommate, for ... reasons and I had to remake them, on set... 4-day shooting schedule.
Such a wholesome video! I totally agree with you~ I'm usually not a huge fan of history-inspired dramas and such, however I really enjoyed Bridgerton. I think it's really sad that it got ripped apart so badly, even though it was so clear (to me at least) that it was not supposed to be 100% accurate but just inspired by the era and its fashion. It inspired me to try making my own Bridgerton Costume/Cosplay, even though I'm a complete beginner when it comes to historical costume & sewing. And I think that that's what a show wants you to feel. They want you to enjoy it & feel somewhat inspired after it. It definetly had its flaws, but I think most people just simply did not like the show and just try to find even more things to critique.
It`s honestly so refreshing to hear such a chill opinion from a costuber. Don`t get me wrong, I love me some videos of ladies in vintage discussing every button in a new period drama, top content, never stop, but I also kinda feel bad for some of these costume designers that clearly try to do their research and, honestly, their best in often a very restricting environment and then get called out for being an uneducated savage that can`t tell a corset from stays in a youtube video or some clickbait article. And for any viewer reading this, I know the tightlacing trope can be frustrating in the year 2000 and 21 but please remember that it wasn`t the costume designer that put that scene in the script.
*flash back to the time when I was a contract costumer for a theater company and they told me "No they do not have a schedule for their costumes they just have to be done as quickly as possible. PS. We don't have measurements on anyone, two people are playing each main character but we only have a budget for one costume to share for each pair, and everything has to have a zipper"* The crying on the floor among boxes of materials and notions is REAL
I had two Hansels, one size 16 and the other size 9. They both had to wear the same costume and be able to sing. Oh and the fairy couldn't wear makeup because of the bad acne but had an amazing voice.
As someone who started watching TH-cam in the beauty community and am now here I like that you guys get together to decide who reviews what cause over there everyone reviews everything. 👏
LOVE this video! You're so correct about admiring a show/movie for what it is and not always looking for the accuracy. Since happening upon your channel I find myself studying the costumes, jewelry and make up so much more. Thank you so much for the glorious enlightening education.
I just want one video, just one, of someone in the historical costumer community reading the book series. Or at least the first book. Because as someone who loves romance novels I would really love to see someone with a history background/interest reading the book and watching the series.
@@AbbyCox Really! Oh good. I hope you enjoy it. I always liked Anthony's story better but that's next season for the show. Anyways thanks for letting me know. And I would love a deep dive into the differences and history in the show vs. Book. Like, if I remember correctly the only time Daphne says something negative about corset wasn't about tight lacing (done with that inaccurate trope). Hope you're having a good day.
As a professional costume maker OMG I literally started sweating when you talked about the timeline for these costumes. And the story about the over night courier for the fitting? I'm stressed just thinking about it 😂
I would suggest that even prior to "Marie Antoinette", we had Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) as a shining example of taking a historically based story and setting it in a fantasy land.
My sister and I found you separately and were so excited that we both watch your channel. It always gives us something fun to talk about. Now I need to go watch episode 4 of Bridgerton.
I think the best about those series is the inspiration they give. For example the outlander series brought a lot of people to sew, knit and crotchet and make their own outlander inspired wardrobe........ skirts, dresses, jackets, shawls.... And acurate or not, there are some very beautiful designs. So if people begin again to make their own clothes, helped along by youtubers like you - that is absolutely great!!!
honestly I was even okay with the sleeping in corsets in Bridgeton because every time I saw a character who clearly had stays on under her nightgown I had Terry Pratchett's voice pop into my head cracking jokes about underwired-nightgowns.
me: appreciating the hell outta all the on-point memes in this video. also, thank you for addressing logistics of scheduling and ordering materials and shipping. All very well said!
Awesome. Also - I hadn't realized how conditioned I was to your weekly videos, I kept coming back here all last week and I had to remind myself - no video the first Sunday of the month! LOL Definitely worth the wait.
Yes! Thank you. This is the video the costuming community NEEDED. Though I was annoyed by the tight lacing, lack of chemises, and the Duke's very strange cravat choices. I APPRECIATE this conversation. I like learning about historical dress through videos but Bang-erton (I will be using that name from now on) is a fantasy and pretending it was ever trying to be something other than that is fruitless. Much love to you and the dog family!
So glad to see this review! I felt the same way about Bridgerton. I enjoyed it for what it was--a fantasy historical romance, portraying fantasy regency people, in fantasy regency costume. In fact, I think the costuming choices added to the story, because it conveyed the characters' personalities in a wonderful way--a way that would've been virtually impossible within the constrained reality of a Jane Austen novel. Was Bridgerton a mind-bending, soul-searching, Emmy-worthy series? No. Was it darn fun to watch? Yes! Will I watch Series 2? Yes!
I love, love LOVE this show and that you commented on the costumes' historical accuracy. In fact, despite being a new fan of yours, one of the first things I wondered as I binge-watched this the first (of many, many times) is what you thought of the costumes because it is instantly apparent that they aren't historically accurate. Which, considering that it's produced by Shonda Rhimes, has a "Hamiltoned" diverse cast (yes, I made up that word) and modern music disguised as period music, left me expecting that they were unlikely to be accurate. My best friend texted me while watching the first episode and was like, am I supposed to be confused by this? (I told her to just go with it). They did, for the most part, get the mood and the etiquette of the time right. So there's that. I also love that you call it Bangerton. I describe it as "lady porn" (I may have made that up too). I am writing a Victorian romance novel series, and getting historical details right can drive you out of your mind. I've worked in the art department in theater for the last 25 years (so yes, I'm old) and the one thing I've learned is that you can't fake anything. There is always SOMEONE who will notice. So it makes me feel better that someone who is so picky (and I mean that in the nicest way) about those details recognizes that there is a fantasy aspect to the writing that means we can't always be completely accurate. So when my books get made into a Netflix series (and, by God, THEY WILL) I hope that I not only have the production quality of Bridgerton, but that you will review the costumes.
Love this. Really like your purple top/blouse. I giggle..UT was an 80s style..1982. I had a rust and navy plaid top. Might even still have the pattern. It's a great style on you.
I too love your sweater - but it has also brought back long-forgotten memories of a fuchsia pink sweatshirt-fabric jumpsuit I maaaay just have owned in the 80s......and I am not sure those memories are A Good Thing 😝
I think the number they gave was their internal wardrobe and costume department. A lot of the costumes were sewn by costume houses, mostly in the UK, like Angles, but there was one in the US who mostly made baground characters frocks. I saw some pieces being made two years ago, so they actually had more lead time that you think, as least a year before filming.
I really enjoyed them, especially since I'd read enough articles ahead of time to be reminded to turn off my dress historian brain, and just take them for themselves. Except for the lack of shifts. And Eloise's hair threw me out of the whole world every time.
Same, I didn't go into the series expecting anything other than some over the top "regency" romance novel stuff, and that's what I got 😂. I didn't mind the hair...mostly because it was so wild anyways that it was like "ah yes ok, cool just further character development" 😂😂
There are plenty of theatres that do not sew 200+ costumes for plays. Many companies (regional theatres included) create their costumes from a variety of effforts. They pull from stock, they rent from other theatres, and even purchase used/vintage/custom made - all in addition to custom sewing in house. Also... just because something gives you anxiety, doesn't mean it's not normal. And, just because it's normal for you to work on a shoestring budget, doesn't mean one can't be anxious at the idea of taking on such a massive project. If you have outfitted 200 people in a play in custom garments, you shouldn't sell yourself short! That's a huge amount of work!
@@onlyasamuse There is evidence that Queen Charlotte had African blood, so that part is fine. As for the rest - I personally only wish it had had more diverse and colorblind casting. I'm a total stickler for historical accuracy, but this is an alternate history anyway. Also, Regency England (and where was Prinny?) was more racially diverse than I'm sure Charisma Girl realizes. I will not forgive the lack of chemises, though. That's a practical thing.
I actually minded more the race-baiting and other racist aspects of the show (Noelle did an amazing vídeo talking about it, and of course you already know about it 😂). About the costumes, there are some things that truly annoyed me, but I guess that when you're making so many (can I say too many without sounding like a bitch? Probably not) costumes, some things are lost and it's ok... It's just a netflix show at the end of the day...
I enjoyed your commentary on this. I binge watched the series and loved it. While it is truly interesting and fascinating to learn about historical accuracy with costumes, I also think people have been far too critical of the Bridgerton series. It is refreshing to hear commenntaries that celebrate the project for what is was, lovely, fun, romantic, and you sure got the idea of the time era, regardless of its accuracy. Thanks for sharing!
I fully expected to hate the costumes in Bridgerton, but once I got past the silly corset tropes I really enjoyed how different it was. One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of English Regency court gowns though, because by choosing not to go historically accurate there they really missed a golden opportunity to make some absolutely batshit crazy costumes.
My dad joke humor was on fire when I wrote the script for this video, I was cracking myself up the whole time 😂 and thank you! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas! 😍
Thank you! I'm tired of hearing people go on and on about inaccuracies. Costumes are more than just history, they tell stories too about the characters. And just like today, not everyone was fashionably up to date
I, like many , was outraged at first with the historical inaccuracy and the tight lacing scene without the shift ! I actually stopped watching the show. But then I read the Vogue magazine article that presented the views of the costume designer of this show. Finally afterunderstanding that it was a fantasy ,. I got wholeheartedly interested and enjoyed it very much! Thank you for your wonderful commentary! I love your take on it and in allowing historical fantasies to just be, without judgment and appreciating their creativity
I loved this series so much. The colors were just mouthwatering. It reminded me of Marie Antoinette 2007 with all of the stunning bold colors and sympathetic nod to the historical period
I don't know if I asked before, because I didn't think you'd want to do a non-historically accurate review. I would LOVE to hear you talk about Jingle Jangle, the costumes looked so FUN. Plus your level of detail I'd love to hear about the mix of African fabrics and European silhouettes.
As you said, this is a fantasy series based on a Jane Austin type time period, they can have fun with it all they like, I wanted to add, I loved the "Community" clips , awesome. 😊
Couldn't click fast enough! I've been waiting for your review. EDIT: Awesome commentary. I always take movies and series that are "period" set because, well, we're not entirely conversant with techniques and the reality of clothing in history. To add the flavour of fantasy to it also gives anyone creative licence. History bounder anyone? (with love)
Coming back to this years later now that the season 3 trailer and stills are out. The absolutely baffling fit of Penelope's dresses in seasons 1-2 make so much more sense when you realize that they were really trying to downplay Nicola's erm assets before doing the big 'glow-up' in season 3.
Thanks for the sweater love! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas and it came from Sezane: www.sezane.com/us/collection/knitwear
I also wanted to add an additional note about the costuming build for Bridgerton - the Costume Industry Coalition (the organization behind the Hamilton Spencer Jacket that Bernadette did the documentary for) did an IG post the other day about how there were costume shops all over the world who worked on the builds for Bridgerton - including the US, UK, Italy, Spain, and Bucharest. The level of organization that had to happen to make this series happens blows my mind and gives me just a *little* bit of anxiety. 😂
Absolutely mind blowing. I want a documentary camera crew (working on 75mm film stock so we can get every juicy detail) following all of the costume production shops doing their monumental job. How do you even plan that. The spreadsheets must have been terrifying.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Also wanted to add- the costume coalition has released the Spencer Pattern in a larger size range!!!!!!
Definitely LOVING the sweater. My sister had one like that and I always LOVED it. (never got to wear it, but SOOOO wanted to)
I loved this video, I just wish the increasingly unrealistic expectations of the costuming industry were flagged for what they are - exploitation.
While I cannot organize lunch for two (extra nod to the generous sponsor of this program who I am hoping continues to support this worthy channel), I am really happy that multiple, international costume shops were used. This means survival of something which should survive, apologies to the late Mr. Darwin for mucking up his algorithm.
The tight lacing under an empire waistline was...hilarious. But yes, as someone who makes historically inaccurate fluff myself, it’s helpful to remember that not all media is intended to be a perfect facsimile. This is a nuanced explanation and it doesn’t hurt that you’re so darn charming!
The modern high heels on the gymnast..stretch fabric.. no bonnets...
I mean that was just stupid. It doesn’t need to be perfect but you need to only think a second why you would not need to thightlace. Also it makes the characters look dim and the corset look worse and it’s a lace trope. Something like bonnets can be left out but you should have costumes that make sense.
I believe that the Featherington girls wear tight stays as a commentary on their mother being a control freak. It's also why their mother's gowns have figure hugging silhouettes rather than the empire silhouettes of the other women (except the queen) and all the other characters we see in their under things are shown wearing short stays.
Jup it was hilarious 😂 Though I would not state that my regency corset is made very accurate to an original, it simply cannot be tight laced, or at least that does not do anything for my waist...(or bust) That wooden plank (damn I forgot the word for it) going from in between the boobs to and a bit past the waist doesn't help creating A slimmer waist. It does help in separating the breasts and make my front rather flat (in vertical line)
I had to laugh at the lacing in the first episode (haven't watched the rest yet, but will)
@@tukicat1399 Not clothing but the hair. The long hair in the evening. The Fringe....:o
I find it hilarious how the entire costuming community's reaction to Bridgerton seems to be: "I can roll with the candy colored polyester extravaganza, but for the love of all that is holy stop with the shiftless tight lacing!"
I have seen some discussions about Queen Charlotte being out of fashion when, as a queen with her eye on the social scene, she should have been on the cutting edge. A friend of mine and I have a theory about this and how it supports the story:
George III is shown to be mentally ill in a way that seems to align to a kind of dementia, such as when he forgets that his daughter died and he accuses Charlotte of killing her. My friend and I theorize that Charlotte wearing clothes in the style of her youth is a subtle indicator of how she tries to get George to recognize her since, with his memory wandering, he is more likely to know who she is if she dresses as she did when they were first married. She wears the style all the time so that if he is lucid, she can go to him immediately without stopping to change. To me, this seems like an interesting way that the costume supports the story line, even though it is not historically accurate.
also, queen Charlotte was not at the cutting edge of fashion either, that is why court dress was so out of wack. The queen even made women wear hoops even when the fashion was very different at the time.
How interesting! That actually makes quite a bit of sense! The moments when he was lucid may have been fleeting so anything that would have taken up precious time in getting to him would have to be reduce. Just that gesture alone shows just how much she loved him.
This is why I get iffy when people bash designers when they weren't necessarily striving for historical inaccuracy and could have been making a very intentional design choice for a specific reason such as this which fits well. It's worth researching why the designer made a choice to better understand it or just understand that it may have been intentional for reasons such as this. It's worth speculating and analyzing why they made the choice. I'm only an aspiring designer not a professional but I know even if I don't have time to give every specific reason for every design choice there is still a reason because I am playing close attention to detail in my work and am being very intentional and pretty much everything has a specific reason behind it but we'd be here for hours if I rattled them all off. That's in my own work at least.
@@alejandramoreno6625 I feel like he clearly has Dementia/Alzheimer’s rather than a mental illness in the general sense.
Were you blessed with the gift of prophecy by Apollo or something? Cuz this is basically confirmed in Queen Charlotte, or at least gained traction as a theory lmao
I think that part of the problem is referring to Bridgerton as a "period drama"! As you said, it's not a period drama, it's a bodice-ripper Regency-ish romance novel/soap opera on film ... Looking at it like that, the costumes make perfect sense, and I'm actually surprised that they aren't *more* inaccurate than they are!
Yes! According to the author, it is the first television adaptation of a regency-themed romance novel. Thus it is an entirely new genre/subgenre
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton
mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise
www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp
www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa
www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF
umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber
th-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/w-d-xo.html
#Bridgerton
@@AWordorNinety But this is not what the show does. It's not showing realistic presence of POCs in that time in England, it's just places them randomly everywhere and gives the impression to ignorant or uninformed people that this is a historical reality by calling it a period drama. Plus, it's condescending and kind of ridiculing the POC actors.
@@Anna-rk2wi Huh? I'm pretty sure there are plenty of tv Jane Austin adaptations.
@@Anna-rk2wi I mean, calling it a "first" is a BIG stretch. Lots of such adaptations came around in the 80s and 90s and even earlier. It's not a new genre, rather an old one. But certainly one that doesn't aim for accuracy, rather aims more towards fantasy and that's ok.
But no way in hell is it the first lol :P
Thank you for this! I was one of the embellishers for the costumes on Bridgerton and I have to say, despite being someone who loves fashion history and (on most occasions) accuracy, it was so refreshing to work on a show where everyone could truly express their creativity. There was a huge number of costumes to work on, but the team was made up of so many incredibly talented and experienced artists. It was a genuine pleasure to be a part of 💙
So, did you wield a bedazzler?
Great work Henry!! The embellishments on the gowns were mouth watering! 😍
I bet you did have fun! 🥳
You and your team made costumes that were such a joy to see on screen!! And my, potentially unpopular, opinion is Lady Fetherington had some of the best costumes. The patterns! The fit! It totally suited her character and I loved it. Y'all did amazing work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The costumes were stunning! Especially the embellishments. 💕
As someone who also generally loves historical accuracy depending on the type of film/tv show, I have been absolutely loving the costumes, wigs, and overall style of the series. Everything so distinctly belongs in the world of Bridgerton, which really separates this series from other regency set shows or films. I view it as a historical fantasy, and accurate or not, there was clearly a lot of incredible work done on all of the costumes.
As a Hollywood assistant, that request sounds like every other Tuesday. Legit, the asks we get make The Devil Wears Prada look like preschool. Honestly, the fact that the costume department got the ridiculous amount of garments done and out the door is a feat of legend.
@@availanila lol no. The Devil Wears Prada is about an assistant that is asked to do the impossible on a regular basis - totally ridiculous tasks with a boss that is strict, exacting, and mean. In reality, Hollywood producers are actually much worse than the movie even shows. Reality makes the movie seem like a nice environment, like preschool, because the kinds of ridiculous things that actual assistants have to do are actually much worse.
@@availanila She's saying the brutality of life in that industry portrayed in the movie The Devil Wears Prada makes it look like preschool compared to the reality in the costume making industry. Its waaaay harsher. Something to that extent.
The lack of shifts and chemises was unforgivable tho...
I feel really bad for the laundry crew...
@@AbbyCox Yes imagine some poor costuming intern or assistant.
Cleaning all of the stays alone
@@davriecaro3036 I imagine it involved a *lot* of spraying with vodka (an old theater costume trick for disinfecting costume pieces that either can't be washed at all, or have to be more or less clean in less time than it would take to wash and dry them)!
@@e.urbach7780 I think that some of the vodka might have found its way to that person's mouth
@Jonathan Parks Vodca is cheaper, I think?
"not afraid to use it" -- literally any person who has ever held a bedazzler.
😔 I never held a bedazzler and I asked for it for Christmas every year for like 5 years. Lol
The jobs not done till to run out of beads
Bedazzler. 2000s. Your jeans. No mercy.
@@TakiKimono that sounds Like a Future adventure: In a world where Minimalism dominates, one woman uncovers a relic from the past to lead her people to bright glimmering future: Beadazzler 2000's -show jeans no mercy!
@@CyberMercy If you owned one, you know.
The 2006 Marie Antoinette movie is sooo pervasive in art too! I'm a studio art major and and in one of my courses art of the 18th century class we watched that movie and analyzed its importance and how it made Versailles's abundance even more digestible for a modern viewer. It's truly spectacular.
I say this a lot- that while not all the pieces of Marie Antoinette were HA, the *vibe* certainly was! It’s still my favourite movie for costuming of all time. I was one of the ones who loved it as soon as it came out. I was primed for it, I already loved Sophia Coppola, and I’d follow her anywhere after the masterpiece that was The Virgin Suicides. Honestly, she doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit. I think she’s a better filmmaker than her father.
I think it did a good job in presenting the sheer opulence of those first years in Versailles for her in a way that everyone in modern society can relate to. The obsession with fashion, the parties, the food, it was a whirlwind that made me, at least, how overwhelming it must have been for her after the relative austerity MA was raised in, to find herself in that situation...
Although, yeah, it is not Historically Accurate by a long shot.
@@katherinemorelle7115 In my opinion the costumes were mostly historically accurate, there were just a few licenses here and there which added that certain artsy factor. The shoegazing, dream-poppish aesthetics and the occasional post-punk/new wave/indie music imo matched well with the decadent Versailles in the last decades of the Ancien Régime.
It's one those movies where the main core is correct, yet there are some artistic liberties added upon. In Bridgerton everything is a fantasy.
@@katherinemorelle7115 btw I loved that movie too, and actually found it underrated.
The historical accuracy bothered me until I got 5 minutes in and realized it was more of a historical fantasy. The lack of chemise and tight lacing did bug me a little though. I LOVED the show though and I can’t wait for the next season.
I get the fantasy aspect - but the chemise and tight lacing KILLED me.
I needed about half of the first episode to get really into it. First I was a bit put off, until I was able to appreciate the unique and fun approach.
@DelmezaRane random, but thank you. Finding actual resources on this online, if you don’t know exactly where to look is a huge pain in the a$$.
Some links on the real Black men and women that lived in the UK in the 18th and 19th Centuries, very few Brits are educated on quite how present they were, in all classes of society. Below are links, accounts and excerpts from books talking about the community at the time as well as their white British descendents today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Forbes_Bonetta
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton
mobile.twitter.com/bbctwo/status/796464416321585156?lang=en
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_in_Ireland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Soubise
www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/photographs-of-black-britons-in-1800s-unearthed-after-125-years-reveal-rich-and-diverse-black-presence-a3251531.html%3famp
www.fubiz.net/en/2020/07/22/pictures-of-black-victorians-to-celebrate-black-british-culture-2/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Sancho
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Relief_of_the_Black_Poor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Africa
www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/publishing/books/gerzina1995/
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-historical-studies/article/africans-in-eighteenthcentury-ireland/B135E1A488292C403EF99869903B6AEF
umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/rebel_women/minorities.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Antonio_Emidy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archer_(British_politician)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Eaton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barber
th-cam.com/video/SUbtdQ0pI0Q/w-d-xo.html
#Bridgerton
The mention on how costume department works on "we-need-this-piece-for-yesterday-actually-no-we-don't-know-the-size-yet" style gave me major war flashbacks XDDD i worked on a few movie sets and it's 10/10 true...
Having worked for a company that made Broadway costumes, I can confirm that this is absolutely accurate!
@@paigemyers4762 Even some professional community theaters. Director decided he wanted a whole new gown for Eponine to wear at the end of Les Mis (since she and Fantine welcome Valjean to the afterlife) hours before the opening show. And as I was a sticker on accuracy... That crew got to learn to deal with buttons during quick changes, and ties for other things. Did some stuff for theaters higher up than that, and...yeah. But damn, I loved it.
I have no problem with the costuming in primarily a fantasy series not being historically accurate. But the lack of suitable fit on the Penelope character (the only leading plus-sized character) is just unforgivable.
This! I've seen some people who have read the books talk about it being intentional and that her fashion should improve in future seasons, but if that's the case, I feel like they needed to make it more obvious? Maybe have her/other characters comment on how her dresses don't fit properly, having her pinch and pull to attempt to make them sit properly, etc. As they appear in the show, it just looks like bad costuming 🤦♀️ (and maybe it just is and the book readers are giving them too much credit 😂)
@@melissac8006 I feel the pain (I'm fat), but it truly is part of her story arc. In her book (which everybody should read, because it's the best one out of the series and no one will ever convince me otherwise) she talks about how her mother made all her dressing choices regarding fit and colours (she later stops this as she is convinced Penelope would never land a husband, but again, it makes more sense when you actually read the book). they try to show it when she takes out her dress in this one scene while her sisters are very excited and exclaim the colours and Penelope says "... and mine is yellow" and they also highlight the mother's questionable fashion taste when the designer delivers the dresses after the bills have been paid and she tells them that nobody else wanted the fabrics. but i get that it's difficult to catch without knowing the books. I just really really hope they plan to fully tell her story in the next seasons.
100%
@@merletwowildsymphonies1836 I wish it would have been more obvious in the show that it was intentional! I didn’t catch that, I just saw that they dressed Penelope in bodices that cut straight across her nipples (ouch!) and it severely annoyed me because it looked like they just didn’t bother getting the correct fit on the one plus sized main character.
Though tbh I didn’t finish the series, so maybe it was made clearer later.
Half the time, the part that was supposed to go under her bust was ON her bust. It cut her in half in a weird way and made her look larger than she was. Maybe that was the point, though? She was meant to be a character no one paid attention to. The wall flower.
THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! thank you so so much Abby for addressing this! The timelines for this must have been crazy for the costumers and it is a TV series and not a film so more screen time and bigger cast! I thought it was amazing and I totally got swept up in the gorgeous fantasy.
the CIC (the people behind the Hamilton spencer) put out an IG post that apparently there were costume shops *all over the world* who built for bridgerton, which is *insane* 🤯
@@AbbyCox that's crazy!!! Wow mode blown!
@@AbbyCox so we must Stan Bridgerton for keeping them working!!!
@@AbbyCox Well at least they got work now...
Such a refreshing take, tbh. I don't get the schadenfreude so much of the internet gets from criticizing the accuracy of costumes that are clearly from a fantasy land. Love that you are so knowledgeable, but not preachy or judgemental. It makes your videos way more fun to watch.
I see over 7000 costume pieces and I see people in the industry working. Making pictures into reality is so cool.
The show was such a visual treat to behold! All of the colours, beautiful fabrics, lighting and overall cinematography was delightful. It was exactly as you described, a fantasy. So I had no issues with its costumes.
Bangerton! Even as a teen I don’t think I snort laughed that hard and loud as I did now! My year is complete and it’s only January.
Happy endings for everyone! :giggle:
Yaaaaaaass!!! THIS. Incredibly well said. I’ve never understood the need to hold historical fantasy to accuracy...or even FANTASY to historical accuracy (ahem...*Witcher’). The costuming in Bangerton (buah ha ha ha!) is really gorgeous in and of itself...but, WEAR A DAMN CHEMISE! That, and tight lacing regency stays??
Fantastic video! I hope you had a lovely New Year celebration. Much love!
Yeah, the only thing I was like "ugh, no chemise" mostly because I felt bad for the actresses and anyone who was on laundry duty. Oof. 😂
Exactly! That had to have been so uncomfortable.
The chemise and stays things were the only issues I had, and that was mostly because it scientifically and logically does not make sense- not even within the fantasy world they’d created.
Everything else costume wise, I’m fine with. Though I’m also not fine with one particular aspect of the plot... I hated it in the book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I read the first few books out of order, I’d not have continued reading them. I was very unhappy with that plot line. I still am, and the fact that I have barely seen anyone talking about it, well, it’s frustrating, to say the least. I thought we as a society were better than that. That we recognised these things as problems.
Guess not.
@@katherinemorelle7115 if you’re referring to the plotline that this article covers, it’s the reason I probably won’t be watching this series: www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/the-questions-of-male-consent-that-puncture-both-fantasy-worlds-of-bridgerton-and-wonder-woman-1984-.php
@@twobluestripes yep. As far as I can remember, it would only be on this season. And I had read some of the other books in the series first, which was why I co tinier reading the rest of them.
I’m just really disappointed that there’s so little discussion of this. It’s a post MeToo world, but no one seems to care about this and it’s just very disappointing.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t discuss other things to do with the series- the costumes, the race baiting, whatever. But the lack of discussion about this is very troubling, I think. And I know that is the ropes been reversed, this show wouldn’t even have been made. The double standards are very obvious.
Your doggo is a blessing and he deserves all the treats.
This was sort of my problem with discussing hystorical accuracy of something like Enola Holmes.
Like sure, it’s a mish-mash of years, and sure they mentioned a specific year... but it’s a movie based off of a book that is an alternate universe of a fictional book. Like. It is literally adaptation of fiction of fiction. Why in the donkey love would it be historically accurate?
Historically inspired? Sure. Has its problems? Yes. However I never once assumed it would be “accurate” and kind of didn’t get why everyone else was so down on it.
EDIT: I am adding HolmesPunk is now a thing to me. Enola Holmes is HolmesPunk. I’m keeping that.
personally, i usually couldn't care less if costumes are "accurate" in fantasy settings, but the corset nonsense in both bridgerton and enola holmes is infuriating!!!
@@BarbiesRevenge579 true. At least in Enola she didn’t suffer horrible tight lacing, she CHOSE to put it on, and it came in quite handy later. Silver lining.
@Kit DuBran her complaining was the issue. And it was never made clear it wasn’t set in real history until the issues were piling up.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 I didn’t really see it as complaining. More of a “this is a bad thing if it’s forced on someone, but I’m using it because I want to”. So that’s just my perspective.
And I can’t see it as being set in real history, because it’s basically a movie adaptation of an AU of a fictional book. That’s an alternate history no matter how you look at it. That always suspends my disbelief far enough that unless something is so awful that it throws me totally, I can ignore most things.
But then, most people have different things that bother them that strongly. Like half the time I’m watching media supposedly set in that era I just think everything looks too clean.
What I hated with Enola Holmes movie's costumes is that, despite the fact it is an alternative universe of a fictional book, the original book series is really historically accurate and every slighest change in fashion is acknowledged. So, as I just loved these books as a child, the movie ruined the esthetic of the book I had in mind. But the costumes totally works as costumes in a fun, period inspired, adventure movie and some of them are really beautiful.
Thanks for saying all the things I've been thinking watching the community freak out over these outfits! Are the costume in Bridgerton accurate? No, they weren't meant to be. Is it something to wring our historic dress hands over and be super judgey about? No. This series and it's costumes are a bit of imagination and fun, it's okay to just enjoy them for what they are. (Are we over the "corsets are the worst" troupe though, hell yes! )
Yes, and can we talk about how amazing Queen Charlottes wigs were? Because - Oh. My. GAWD. they were incredible! 😍
I will agree with Karolina that the empire waistline cutting the busts in half drives me mental.
@@Hair8Metal8Karen in the case of Penelope I would argue they did that deliberately. Her character has a kind of Butterfly transformation arc, so I think they were trying to make the costumes as unflattering as possible to then make the transformation in later seasons. Hard to do when Nicola Coughlan is so gorgeous!
10:12 yeah, I'd definitely look away if I see a less accurate shoe BUT pulling the "Killer corset trope" was Not Nice At All.
I just feel bad for Mr. Pearl at this point. Like, one of the most famous corset-makers in the world, and then they act like they're uncomfortable and painful. Talk about a bad advertisement for his work. One minute they're like "OMG Mr. Pearl made our corsets" and the next "halp corsets ouchy" ...like... I'd be really salty.
@@AbbyCox I agree, this is just straight-out disrespectful towards his work. I am hundred percent sure that this decision had nothing to do with the costume department.
@@AbbyCox I’ve watched probably way too many interviews with the cast, and there’s not nearly as much corset-dissing as one would expect. Phoebe (Daphne) actually wanted to steal one of them, so she must have liked it. And when Claudia (Eloise) and Nicola (Penelope) were asked to “stan or ban” wardrobe articles, they chose to ban too-tight shoes and stockings that kept falling down with nary a mention of their stays.
the video just started just wanted to say I love that sweater on you
Me, too. I have a similar one in glittery black.
I was surprised at tightlacing in a semi-Regency piece, of all things. I mean, they mostly stay true to the waistline-right-below-the-boobs thing. Why then were they trying to accentuate the waist? lol
So many of the tired corset tropes in this show when they don’t apply... I’ll never understand the “fantasy” element of being uncomfortable for historical fashion lmao
Yes, this was painful to watch!
I tried to watch War and Peace (2007) but it too opened with a scene where they tight lace a 13 years old girl (at least in the book she was 13 at the beginning) and then dress her in a regency dress. Since the show was less cool than Bridgerton I noped after 10 minutes of the 1st episode.
I thought it was a commentary on how ridiculous and superficial the character of Lady Featherington is, and making a point of introducing her while she was tight-lacing her daughter even though the natural waist isn’t visible in the empire waist dresses
Also the desirable body type at the time was plumper and shorter, maybe we should have seen Lady Bridgestone trying to fatten her girls up!
look, i dont actually work in costume shops but ive been in plenty of meetings with them, and BOY that impression of a normal day at the office had me in stitches! ...(not those stitches. i was laughing. abby funny i laugh heh heh)
Every time I got off the phone with someone working on a production, I wanted to send them a fruit basket and a starbucks gift card. 😂
It also reminds me of Karolina’s Time Travel Agency seamstress skit.
That was perfect.
I also recall the brief glimpse of a pair of Chuck Taylors in a pile of shoes in Marie Antionette that completely tickled me.
Really enjoyed and appreciated this video! I think the fact that Bridgerton is Historical fantasy is what really makes the show and really gave the costume designers the ability to use costumes as a way to highlight each characters personality!
I can't explain how happy that these youtubers are friends... Being all alone in my room
YES! Thank you Abby! I have many friends that hate the show cause the costume inaccuracies. But I keep saying that it is not meant to be. The costumes are insane yes, but they play off the theme of the show and the personalities of the characters. Love the show, love the costumes and obvi love you for getting it!
That’s been my take as well - the costumes are able to tell us so much about the characters! I think my favourites are anything worn by Lady Danbury, Penelope’s dress when her father is her escort, and Eloise’s pale pink cravat & short jacket ensemble 😀
I am SOOOOOO GLAD you did this video because yesterday I said similar things in Portuguese and got backlash now that you said it I can link it as source as well
For real, the tight-lacing and lack of chemises were my only issues with the costuming.
Honestly the tight-lacing scene in the first 5 mins set the stage of “damn I guess this isn’t going to be accurate...how annoyed am I going to be?”
Overall I liked it except for the lack of shifts, and the fit of the dresses on poor Penelope. Why doesn’t anything fit??? Loved the velvet on Simon though. That tickled me
SAmE! There is no reason, real or fantasy, that a custom made dress would fit as poorly as Penelopes dresses did. And Lady featheringtons dresses were confusing. I got a weird feeling they were making a half-hearted commentary on how plus-sized people get the short end of the stick in fashion. Still, it was never brought up explicitly (even POC issues had some discussion in the script, even if it wasn't enough) and again custom dresses.
If you read the books the "bad choices" in dresses of Penelope is a trope of lady whistledown papers.
I’ve heard people say that Penelope’s dresses are intentionally unflattering because her mother is trying to sabotage her, but I haven’t read the books so can’t confirm this.
@@lyndabethcave3835 that was my take, that the ill fit was intentional on her mother part.
Right?! Like, I get the lack of accuracy, they're not going for that and that's fine, but you still have to make sense within the world you're building, and there's just no reason for tightlacing when the gowns you're wearing aren't fitted at the waist.
I appreciate that the sheer amount of work involved was discussed. A lot of these sorts of videos are just 'omg, this is awful. how dare they take any liberties or shortcuts. I don't care that they have to dress an ensemble cast of 15 plus a few dozen extras, I am disgusted and appalled' which always feels a little unfair to all the people who put in a ridiculous amount of work to bring these movies and shows to life. I enjoy learning about how things were done/worn/etc. too, or else I wouldn't be here, but behind each movie and mediocre costume (according to Historically Accurate (tm) standards) are a team of people who just straight up don't deserve the ire heaped upon them in the comments by folks who, by-and-large, are historical hobbyists who *might* sew a few things in their spare time. This felt fair AND honest which was refreshing.
Really really really good point. For me, if the quality of construction is noticeably bad and pulls you out of the immersion, then it's really a matter of the budget/organization/timeline being inadequate. "Why did they make it like that, that looks like crap" as a sentiment is assuming that the people who work on costumes don't care, which seems like the opposite of the attitude one would have to have to work in costuming.
As long as a world is consistent and believable within it's own universe I'm perfectly fine with giving it a fantasy makeover. That said, as an aspiring novelist, should my own historical fantasy be given such a makeover when I have worked *so* hard to make it accurate to the time period in all details but that one fantasy thing, I'd be depressed for a decade or two. Luckily, that's unlikely ever to be an issue 🤣
Thank you for recognizing the hard work of costume designers, drapers, first hands, stitchers and wardrobe goddesses, and everyone who makes a show come together!!!
I honestly get so excited whenever someone mentions the V&A dress recreated for Emma; I fell in love with it when I last visited the museum and had no idea how well-known it was (or would become!). It's just perfect!
I am totally here for the sweater and doggo snugs.. ♥
I haven’t been able to do any costuming sense COVID-19 started and somehow this video made me cry because it reminded me of how much I love it.
OMG I snorted at “happy endings.” Even woke my cat from her nap.
waking your cat when they are napping - the worst sin possible!
I was eating dinner watching this video and right as she said that I nearly choked on my food. Hastily swallowed and told my husband why I choked, he replied: so... You choked because you wanted something else in your mouth.... Had to pause the video for a good five minutes while I stopped laughing.
Just finished watching this today. Loved the gorgeous dresses and gentleman's outfits.
I have to say, of all the YTubers I watch who have a Hello Fresh paid promotion, I liked your incorporation the best. It truly showed the box items in real life use ... Thank you!
BLESS YOU, Abby! Thank you for making this video, it says SO much of what I’ve been thinking over the last week or so.
As a costumer for stage and screen, my primary concern is telling the story and showing character. Sometimes that means being as HA as possible, but many times it doesn’t (and sometimes it’s even more effective to throw HA out the window). It’s not fair to judge something that’s not supposed to be historically accurate on historical accuracy.
I love Abby's cheeky, funny little side bars. For someone who only follows only two TH-cam channels, is not a costume designer, nor works in the theater business, I LOVE Abby Cox's channel, I love how articulate she is and yes of course I'm a history buff so I love all the tidbits of accurate info.
Thanks Abby for all the hard work your team does to entertain us.
OMG Abby!! How are you reading my mind? I've been thinking the exact same things ever since this show came out, possibly even before then because costume reviews are booming everywhere on youtube. You've articulated the one thing I feel a lot of reviews miss, which is that the tone of media in question matters. Thank you
THANK YOU ms. Cox!!!! This makes me feel so much better about my personal foray into "historical" costuming and movies. One 1850's ball gown in a month (literal fantasy where the main characters are imagining themselves as President and Mrs. Linclon) and... 12 1680's outfits in a month/3 days (scientists telling campfire stories)...
Okay the 1680's outfits were 3 men's coats, waistcoats, and shirts, and 3 woman's gowns, chemise, and petticoats both pristine and "tracked through the wilderness for 20 years". And the habit of a Franciscan friar. The friar's costume and the underpinnings for the men and women were trashed by my roommate, for ... reasons and I had to remake them, on set... 4-day shooting schedule.
Such a wholesome video! I totally agree with you~ I'm usually not a huge fan of history-inspired dramas and such, however I really enjoyed Bridgerton. I think it's really sad that it got ripped apart so badly, even though it was so clear (to me at least) that it was not supposed to be 100% accurate but just inspired by the era and its fashion. It inspired me to try making my own Bridgerton Costume/Cosplay, even though I'm a complete beginner when it comes to historical costume & sewing. And I think that that's what a show wants you to feel. They want you to enjoy it & feel somewhat inspired after it. It definetly had its flaws, but I think most people just simply did not like the show and just try to find even more things to critique.
It`s honestly so refreshing to hear such a chill opinion from a costuber. Don`t get me wrong, I love me some videos of ladies in vintage discussing every button in a new period drama, top content, never stop, but I also kinda feel bad for some of these costume designers that clearly try to do their research and, honestly, their best in often a very restricting environment and then get called out for being an uneducated savage that can`t tell a corset from stays in a youtube video or some clickbait article.
And for any viewer reading this, I know the tightlacing trope can be frustrating in the year 2000 and 21 but please remember that it wasn`t the costume designer that put that scene in the script.
*flash back to the time when I was a contract costumer for a theater company and they told me "No they do not have a schedule for their costumes they just have to be done as quickly as possible. PS. We don't have measurements on anyone, two people are playing each main character but we only have a budget for one costume to share for each pair, and everything has to have a zipper"* The crying on the floor among boxes of materials and notions is REAL
I had two Hansels, one size 16 and the other size 9. They both had to wear the same costume and be able to sing. Oh and the fairy couldn't wear makeup because of the bad acne but had an amazing voice.
As Bernadette Banner would say, it was a Design Choice(tm), and should be treated as such by costume reviewers.
As someone who started watching TH-cam in the beauty community and am now here I like that you guys get together to decide who reviews what cause over there everyone reviews everything. 👏
And can I just say one teeny tiny thing about the WIGS??? Historical--o hell no. Fantasmagoric hair art? O HELL YES!
LOVE this video! You're so correct about admiring a show/movie for what it is and not always looking for the accuracy. Since happening upon your channel I find myself studying the costumes, jewelry and make up so much more. Thank you so much for the glorious enlightening education.
I just want one video, just one, of someone in the historical costumer community reading the book series. Or at least the first book. Because as someone who loves romance novels I would really love to see someone with a history background/interest reading the book and watching the series.
I'm currently listening to it on audio book! I love a good historical romance novel for escapism, though I'm not looking forward to *that scene*.
@@AbbyCox Really! Oh good. I hope you enjoy it. I always liked Anthony's story better but that's next season for the show. Anyways thanks for letting me know. And I would love a deep dive into the differences and history in the show vs. Book. Like, if I remember correctly the only time Daphne says something negative about corset wasn't about tight lacing (done with that inaccurate trope). Hope you're having a good day.
As a professional costume maker OMG I literally started sweating when you talked about the timeline for these costumes. And the story about the over night courier for the fitting? I'm stressed just thinking about it 😂
Yes! Please! Love the intro and just the whole vibe of this WHOLE VIDEO
I would suggest that even prior to "Marie Antoinette", we had Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) as a shining example of taking a historically based story and setting it in a fantasy land.
My sister and I found you separately and were so excited that we both watch your channel. It always gives us something fun to talk about. Now I need to go watch episode 4 of Bridgerton.
I think the best about those series is the inspiration they give. For example the outlander series brought a lot of people to sew, knit and crotchet and make their own outlander inspired wardrobe........ skirts, dresses, jackets, shawls....
And acurate or not, there are some very beautiful designs.
So if people begin again to make their own clothes, helped along by youtubers like you - that is absolutely great!!!
honestly I was even okay with the sleeping in corsets in Bridgeton because every time I saw a character who clearly had stays on under her nightgown I had Terry Pratchett's voice pop into my head cracking jokes about underwired-nightgowns.
I LOVE this so much!!! Such a good point here! Thanks for sharing Abby! ❤️❤️❤️
me: appreciating the hell outta all the on-point memes in this video.
also, thank you for addressing logistics of scheduling and ordering materials and shipping. All very well said!
I want your knitsweater! Beautiful piece...
And I really liked your "historical fantasy" definition - very on point
Awesome. Also - I hadn't realized how conditioned I was to your weekly videos, I kept coming back here all last week and I had to remind myself - no video the first Sunday of the month! LOL Definitely worth the wait.
Yes! Thank you. This is the video the costuming community NEEDED. Though I was annoyed by the tight lacing, lack of chemises, and the Duke's very strange cravat choices. I APPRECIATE this conversation. I like learning about historical dress through videos but Bang-erton (I will be using that name from now on) is a fantasy and pretending it was ever trying to be something other than that is fruitless.
Much love to you and the dog family!
I didn't think I could love Abby any more than I already do, but then she includes scenes from Community and my heart just grew 10 sizes ❤️❤️❤️.
So glad to see this review! I felt the same way about Bridgerton. I enjoyed it for what it was--a fantasy historical romance, portraying fantasy regency people, in fantasy regency costume. In fact, I think the costuming choices added to the story, because it conveyed the characters' personalities in a wonderful way--a way that would've been virtually impossible within the constrained reality of a Jane Austen novel. Was Bridgerton a mind-bending, soul-searching, Emmy-worthy series? No. Was it darn fun to watch? Yes! Will I watch Series 2? Yes!
I love, love LOVE this show and that you commented on the costumes' historical accuracy. In fact, despite being a new fan of yours, one of the first things I wondered as I binge-watched this the first (of many, many times) is what you thought of the costumes because it is instantly apparent that they aren't historically accurate. Which, considering that it's produced by Shonda Rhimes, has a "Hamiltoned" diverse cast (yes, I made up that word) and modern music disguised as period music, left me expecting that they were unlikely to be accurate. My best friend texted me while watching the first episode and was like, am I supposed to be confused by this? (I told her to just go with it). They did, for the most part, get the mood and the etiquette of the time right. So there's that. I also love that you call it Bangerton. I describe it as "lady porn" (I may have made that up too).
I am writing a Victorian romance novel series, and getting historical details right can drive you out of your mind. I've worked in the art department in theater for the last 25 years (so yes, I'm old) and the one thing I've learned is that you can't fake anything. There is always SOMEONE who will notice. So it makes me feel better that someone who is so picky (and I mean that in the nicest way) about those details recognizes that there is a fantasy aspect to the writing that means we can't always be completely accurate. So when my books get made into a Netflix series (and, by God, THEY WILL) I hope that I not only have the production quality of Bridgerton, but that you will review the costumes.
I loved the costumes. I live how bright they were and the beading and lace. It was forgot.
Love this. Really like your purple top/blouse. I giggle..UT was an 80s style..1982. I had a rust and navy plaid top. Might even still have the pattern. It's a great style on you.
THANK YOU, Abby. The voice of sense, reason and perspective costuming community needs.
I too love your sweater - but it has also brought back long-forgotten memories of a fuchsia pink sweatshirt-fabric jumpsuit I maaaay just have owned in the 80s......and I am not sure those memories are A Good Thing 😝
That Philippa Gregory jab though… Loved it
I think the number they gave was their internal wardrobe and costume department. A lot of the costumes were sewn by costume houses, mostly in the UK, like Angles, but there was one in the US who mostly made baground characters frocks. I saw some pieces being made two years ago, so they actually had more lead time that you think, as least a year before filming.
I really enjoyed them, especially since I'd read enough articles ahead of time to be reminded to turn off my dress historian brain, and just take them for themselves.
Except for the lack of shifts. And Eloise's hair threw me out of the whole world every time.
Same, I didn't go into the series expecting anything other than some over the top "regency" romance novel stuff, and that's what I got 😂. I didn't mind the hair...mostly because it was so wild anyways that it was like "ah yes ok, cool just further character development" 😂😂
There are plenty of theatres that do not sew 200+ costumes for plays. Many companies (regional theatres included) create their costumes from a variety of effforts. They pull from stock, they rent from other theatres, and even purchase used/vintage/custom made - all in addition to custom sewing in house.
Also... just because something gives you anxiety, doesn't mean it's not normal. And, just because it's normal for you to work on a shoestring budget, doesn't mean one can't be anxious at the idea of taking on such a massive project.
If you have outfitted 200 people in a play in custom garments, you shouldn't sell yourself short! That's a huge amount of work!
@Charisma Girl It's FANTASY. I thought it was great and your comment reeks of racism.
@@onlyasamuse There is evidence that Queen Charlotte had African blood, so that part is fine. As for the rest - I personally only wish it had had more diverse and colorblind casting. I'm a total stickler for historical accuracy, but this is an alternate history anyway. Also, Regency England (and where was Prinny?) was more racially diverse than I'm sure Charisma Girl realizes.
I will not forgive the lack of chemises, though. That's a practical thing.
I actually minded more the race-baiting and other racist aspects of the show (Noelle did an amazing vídeo talking about it, and of course you already know about it 😂). About the costumes, there are some things that truly annoyed me, but I guess that when you're making so many (can I say too many without sounding like a bitch? Probably not) costumes, some things are lost and it's ok... It's just a netflix show at the end of the day...
*mic drop* OMG YESSSSS! As a (future) Tudor historian that Phillipa Gregory burn was just *chef's kiss*.
That last point is everything. Thank you!
I enjoyed your commentary on this. I binge watched the series and loved it. While it is truly interesting and fascinating to learn about historical accuracy with costumes, I also think people have been far too critical of the Bridgerton series. It is refreshing to hear commenntaries that celebrate the project for what is was, lovely, fun, romantic, and you sure got the idea of the time era, regardless of its accuracy. Thanks for sharing!
Can i just thank you for the cute doggo at the end of your videos? 😍
I fully expected to hate the costumes in Bridgerton, but once I got past the silly corset tropes I really enjoyed how different it was. One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of English Regency court gowns though, because by choosing not to go historically accurate there they really missed a golden opportunity to make some absolutely batshit crazy costumes.
1st of all, lovely video. 2nd of all, I love the jaunty music that you play when you do your blooper reel at the end of the video.
Griffy is sooo sweet! I always look forward to your videos, thank you!
Great video, Abby.
Hahahaha the sponsor interlude really looked like an infomercial! XD awesome job!
Also: “loads of happy endings” lol!!!!!
And your top is wonderful!!
My dad joke humor was on fire when I wrote the script for this video, I was cracking myself up the whole time 😂 and thank you! It was a gift from Nicole for Christmas! 😍
Thank you! I'm tired of hearing people go on and on about inaccuracies. Costumes are more than just history, they tell stories too about the characters.
And just like today, not everyone was fashionably up to date
I, like many , was outraged at first with the historical inaccuracy and the tight lacing scene without the shift ! I actually stopped watching the show. But then I read the Vogue magazine article that presented the views of the costume designer of this show. Finally afterunderstanding that it was a fantasy ,. I got wholeheartedly interested and enjoyed it very much! Thank you for your wonderful commentary! I love your take on it and in allowing historical fantasies to just be, without judgment and appreciating their creativity
The number of gowns in this production taking a full squad of people to make, and yet in the story there was only ONE seamstress in town.
Yessss! And she could get dresses ready overnight- LOL!!
Clearly she had a magic needle for all but poor Penelope
@@EH23831 Elfin magic!
@@SusanYeske701 At the least she could have made her something that wasn't yellow.
Constantly haveing the historical vs fantasy discussion around all sorts of story elements. It can cover nearly anything in a story.
I loved this series so much. The colors were just mouthwatering. It reminded me of Marie Antoinette 2007 with all of the stunning bold colors and sympathetic nod to the historical period
I know absolutely nothing about fashion or historical fashion, yet somehow I found this channel. Thank you TH-cam Algorithm
I don't know if I asked before, because I didn't think you'd want to do a non-historically accurate review. I would LOVE to hear you talk about Jingle Jangle, the costumes looked so FUN. Plus your level of detail I'd love to hear about the mix of African fabrics and European silhouettes.
As you said, this is a fantasy series based on a Jane Austin type time period, they can have fun with it all they like, I wanted to add, I loved the "Community" clips , awesome. 😊
I’m so glad you have done this video.
Couldn't click fast enough! I've been waiting for your review.
EDIT: Awesome commentary. I always take movies and series that are "period" set because, well, we're not entirely conversant with techniques and the reality of clothing in history. To add the flavour of fantasy to it also gives anyone creative licence. History bounder anyone? (with love)
Still waiting on more mantua content 😉😂 This was great and super fun to watch!
I had that sweater (in teal) in the late 70’s...looks great on you!
The whole time I was watching this show I was thinking “I wonder what Abby would think about these dresses!”
The amount of cackling and bird noises I produce in the course of a 15 minute Abby Cox video is almost as productive as the Bangerton costume team
Coming back to this years later now that the season 3 trailer and stills are out. The absolutely baffling fit of Penelope's dresses in seasons 1-2 make so much more sense when you realize that they were really trying to downplay Nicola's erm assets before doing the big 'glow-up' in season 3.
thank you for being intelligent, witty, and knowledgeable