Bridgerton Style for Modern Life
Looking for Bridgerton outfit inspiration to bring a touch of regency romance to your everyday wardrobe? You don’t need to be a member of the Ton to embrace the show’s dreamy aesthetic. From floral dresses to delicate lace details and pastel hues, Bridgerton style is all about soft femininity, romantic silhouettes, and timeless elegance. Here’s how to recreate Bridgerton-inspired outfits for modern life — whether you’re dressing for brunch, a cocktail party, or just want to feel like a romance heroine running errands.
Left to Right: Sigrid Eyelet Blouse | Ruffle-Strap Peplum Top | Hill House Charlotte Nap Dress | V. Chapman Lucetta Dress
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Historical Background: What is Bridgerton Style, Exactly?
The Netflix Bridgerton series is set in an alternate reality based on Regency-era England. The Regency era technically spanned only the years of 1811 to 1820. However, is often characterized as a time period including roughly 1795 to 1837. It was an era of political turmoil due to the fact that the Prince of Wales had to act as regent over his incapacitated father, King George III. Taking the larger period of time ending in 1837, the era encompassed the end of the Georgian era, the official Regency era, and ended with the ascension of Queen Victoria, which brought on the eponymous Victorian era.
The Bridgerton series is loosely based on Regency era fashions. The show leans into a cohesive color palette of pastels as part of its visual storytelling. The show features Empire waist silhouettes with soft color palettes and romantic fabrics, such as silk and chiffon with delicate embroidery. Traditionally feminine necklines and hairstyles accentuate the upper classes in the series, with lots of sparkling accessories. Obviously, they have taken artistic license with the styles, but they use the traditional silhouettes to help tell the story playing out on the screen.
Image Credit: Netflix
In terms of fashion history, the Regency era trends were greatly influenced by both classical antiquity and imperial influences throughout the Continent. In part due to the Napoleonic wars, fashions from Eastern Europe began to influence British dress. Where the Georgians favored decadent fashions with wide skirts and fitted bodices covered in fine details, the Regency era preferred high waists with almost geometric, tubular skirts.
One thing that I particularly enjoy in terms of Bridgerton costuming is how the different styles are used to delineate the characters, particularly in regard to Queen Charlotte.
Image Credit: Netflix
In Bridgerton and the eponymous spin-off series, Queen Charlotte’s ensembles are Georgian in style. They are very distinct from the younger members of the Ton, as you can see from the promo graphic above with the bulk of the cast. This helps characterize her in the audience’s eyes even before she speaks, showing her separate bodice and pannier-type skirts, along with increasingly complicated wigs, which illustrate her ties to her husband’s reign.
Further Reading on Georgian and Regency era fashion:
- Fashion History Timeline: 1810-1819
- British Fashion through the Ages — Georgian Fashion
- A Tour of Regency Fashion: Day and Evening Dress
- Elegance and Craftsmanship: A Guide to Georgian Era Fashion in the 1700s
- Regency Court Gown Recreation from Bernadette Banner
Bridgerton Outfit Inspiration for Real Life
Contemporary Bridgerton Inspired Dresses
There are a few brands that stand out to me when it comes to Bridgerton inspired dresses, both casual and dressy. Free People, Anthropologie, Hill House, and V. Chapman all tend towards the feminine frills that viewers know and love from the show, especially during the spring season.
For a casual Bridgerton dress style, Hill House’s iconic Nap Dresses are a great place to start, with their soft smocking and growing library of silhouettes (more on those here). After these, I would turn to the Anthropologie Somerset dress (available in a variety of lengths), and Free People’s slip and casual dresses. Both brands offer a variety of colors and styles, so you can personalize the look to your heart’s content.
Top Row: Hill House Fae Dress (similar style here) | Somerset Organza Mini Dress | Free People Slip Dress
Bottom Row: V. Chapman Lucetta Dress (similar style here) | Hill House Charlotte Nap Dress | V. Chapman Ellerie Corset Dress
As for dressy ensembles, V. Chapman is the first brand that springs to mind, with their romantic jacquard fabrics and timeless-yet-contemporary silhouettes. Anthropologie has a good selection of this brand, as does Revolve.
Separates for daily Bridgerton Outfit Inspiration
For an everyday Bridgerton outfit, I’ve found a few separates that could easily add some regency romance to your look. Again, these pieces are largely from Free People, Anthropologie, and Hill House — the brands just do feminine frills so well!
Top Row: Tapestry Trellis Jacket | Sigrid Eyelet Blouse | Anthropologie Illusion Corset Top
Bottom Row: FP Darling Dreams Cami | Ruffle-Strap Peplum Top | Pointelle Wrap Sweater
With a mix of flowy and structured silhouettes, the tops below would pair well with your favorite jeans. For layers, I love the Tapestry Trellis Jacket from Hill House, featuring a classic pattern that would look at home on any Bridgerton set, blended with a clean, contemporary cut. For a softer look, this Pointelle Wrap Sweater is a great mix of simple and sweet, all wrapped up with a bow.
Regency inspired accessories
With the new series, there are lots of fun Bridgerton beauty collaborations, including the perfume pictured below and Dove’s various Bridgerton themed bath products. Use these to add a little whimsy to your day, whether you’re wearing something inspired by the series or not.
As for accessories, Bridgerton hairstyles always feature ornate details — think jeweled pins, ribbon bows, and floral accents. Add some romantic whimsy with simple accents like the crystal bobby pins below or a classic bow clip!
Top Row: Crystal Bobby Pins | Blue Petal Hair Bow (another great pattern here)
Bottom Row: Bridgerton Eau de Parfum | Mini Dumpling Satchel Bag
Shop Bridgerton Outfit Inspiration for Modern Life
If You Love Bridgerton, Read These Next:
- Bridgerton Aesthetic Home Decor
- Shows to Watch if You Love Bridgerton
- A Reader’s Guide to The Bridgerton Book Series by Julia Quinn
- Bookish Candle Pairings for Readers (Featuring Bridgerton)
I do love how Bridgerton blends styles, using not just colors (Bridgerton Blue, Featherington Fantasy, deep jewel tones for interesting characters, etc.) But also fashion to tell a story. Queen Charlotte was very much an Icon in her heyday, but by the 1810’s stuck in the past because of her husband. At court, all of her servants, her children and courtiers wore modified late 1700s clothing. Picture Regency tube tops with panniers right underneath. It was an absolutely ridiculous fashion and I’m honestly glad they don’t use it 🤣 Although the elaborate hairstyles are true to form according to some portraits lol. https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/queen-charlotte
https://candicehern.com/regencyworld/court-dress-june-1817/
You’re a history buff so I figured you’d like some of the true court dresses of the time
I love this stuff! So fascinating! Thanks for sharing those links — I’m going to go down some fun rabbit holes on those sites, I can already tell.