Attendees at the Bridgerton Experience like to dress like the characters of the Netflix program.
By Ed Avis
Popular TV shows and movies are always a source for costume ideas. A good recent example is Bridgerton, a Netflix program that debuted in December 2020 and has sparked consumer interest for a costumes resembling clothing from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
The program is set in the early 1800s in London, but the clothing worn by the characters spans several styles, says Larry Docktor, owner of Broadway Costumes & Theatrical Supply in Sacramento, California.
“When customers come in and say they want something from Bridgerton, we have to educate them that we don’t have ‘official’ Bridgerton costumes, but usually we can steer them to something from those eras,” Docktor says. “If you watch the show you can see that the clothing spans the decades and styles that traditional costume rental houses are used to.”
Docktor says his store is well stocked with rentals that please Bridgerton fans. Broadway Costumes has been open since 1965 and has accumulated a great volume of quality costumes that resemble what’s worn on the show.
“We’ve been renting the fans a lot of Victorian and some Colonials and some fancy Renaissance-style stuff, like gowns that look like a queen,” he reports. “There are also some ‘70s style dresses that work. A longer, slender flowing gown from the ‘70s goes well because that’s what they use in the TV show.”
Docktor says sales of Bridgerton-style wear has been pumped up by “The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience.” The immersive exhibit, located in San Francisco (and other U.S. cities), features regular balls that attract costumed guests. Naturally, the guests want to look as authentic as possible, and Broadway Costumes helps them do that.
“In June, July and August and into September the Queen’s Ball was going on every week, so we had a lot of customers requesting costumes during those four months,” Docktor says. “After that it was just maybe one per month, but we’ve had four customers in the last week or two looking for Bridgerton-style costumes. One of them said they had a work event with Bridgerton as the style.”
If you’re hoping to snag some rentals to Bridgerton fans, Docktor recommends watching a few episodes of the show so that you’ll know how to direct them. He’s not aware of any officially licensed Bridgerton costumes, but if you have a decent selection of outfits from those early 1800s eras, you’ll do fine.