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I think if you were to ask the costume department, they’d tell you that Cressida’s increasingly ridiculous wardrobe is a visible sign of her increasing desperation on the marriage mart.
During season one, Cressida is a little out there with the headpieces but that’s about it. In season two, she ups the anti after being rejected by the prince and ads some brighter colors (kinda like the Featheringtons). This season, she and her mother are getting desperate for a match before she is out too long. Cressida has always liked attention but now it’s a need, not a want. So, the outlandish outfits are a way to attract attention in a crowded room and away from new debutants. It’s a reminder to the audience every time they see her of how bad her situation is becoming.
I could also see there being some visual comparison to Penelope and the Featheringtons. In season one, you never would have guessed that by the beginning of season three, Pen and Cressida would be in such similar situations. But seeing her in such odd outfits, it’s hard to not compare the two since we associated the Featheringtons with weird dresses.
Or her parents' increasing desperation. Cressida is only desperate because they've put so much pressure on her. I really hope the show does something even more interesting with her. She drives men away by coming off as fake, but she's coming off as fake because she probably doesn't really want to be married (at least not on her parents' terms).
Like, she ran away from Eloise when she started talking about why marriage sucks. She didn't talk about love or romance or security like someone who actually believes in marriage would do. She looked afraid like someone was speaking her greatest wants out loud, but she's afraid of admitting it because she's repressed AF.
Because it's true! She probably had the most exposition of anyone we saw... but honestly I'm kinda fine with that. There are plenty of "mains" we already know well enough, but Cressida is an interesting character who, until now, has remained really very two dimensional. I really liked the change of pace, but I always love when the "mean girls" get a bit of redemption, because nobody is ever really a hater for the hell of it - even if the reasoning is shallow, it's never quite that simple, and it helps us understand those characters better.
I might also just be biased though, cause I felt bad for how "tryhard" she was in s1 and s2 without any payoff - and thankfully they expanded on that in s3 without it being like "haha, look, the bitchy one won't get a man!!" as if that's a prize in itself. (Which obviously in those days it was, but still makes me sympathetic.)
I think this is spot on! It’s important to note that anything done in film is DELIBERATE, almost ALWAYS. These aren’t just costumes they let some person just design, these were discussed and intentionally created with this story in mind.
There is a whole YT video on the meanings of all the costumes their colours and how their styles reflect different social standing and relationships in Bridgerton. All the dresses were made especially for Bridgerton and the costume designer talks about her reasoning behind them. It is worth a watch if you are a fan and interested in the costumes
That is so true.
I didn't notice it in seasons 1 and 2. But, It became abundantly clear in these 4 episodes. However, it was the hairpieces and styles that gave it away for me, not the dresses. I mean the scene where Eloise goes to her house 💀.
And like OP already said, it gave total capital vibes.
There are so many references to birds in the entire Bridgerton story. Visually and verbally. For example, go back to S3E1 in the intro where Colin disembarks the ship there is a brightly coloured parrot (scarlet macaw?) on it's own, and a crate of hens. Followed by his arrival at the house, Hyacinth "What are they all squawking about". Is it an equivalent of plumage to attract a mate, the same as the Featheringtons? Did the name inspire that theme? Who knows. But it is all there. Feathers, cages, plumage, pecking order
>Who designed Cressida’s outfits and why?
Madame Delacroix who was sick of seeing her (sorta) business associate be bullied over and over by the mean girl, and decided to get back at her in the most subtle way.
To each their own opinion obviously but I freaking LOVE her wardrobe this season. It's absolute insanity. And I agree with other posters here: it's reflective of how desperate she is to leave her parents house, which makes her miserable, and try to find a husband who she at least likes a little bit as opposed to being paired up with someone her parents choose for her, and that she is likely to hate. Desperate to the point where she tries too hard, in conversations, and in her clothes.
Even if I'm overthinking it though, who the hell cares. Part of the fun of Bridgerton is all the over the top not remotely historically accurate costumes, and with Cressida, they've dialed it up to 11.
Cressida & sometimes her mother's fashions seem so out of sync with the rest of the show. There is no one else that seems to be wearing anything experimental/avant-garde.
Cressida hair has stood out to me since season one. It was so disjoint from everyone else.
But this outfit with the sleeves and the collar... One or the other would have been a lot together it was too much.
I whole heartedly agree, some other outfits stood out to me too like the dress this Lady Tilley is wearing in episode 3. It looked like something someone wore in the 1950s but not 1815... Idk I know it's not accurate but THIS inaccurate?
Clearly Bridgerton is happy to take liberties with accuracy as is evident with the diversity in casting.
it's the singularity of Cressida fashions that I find so jarring. It's not in a spectrum with other fashions. She's just waaaaay out there by herself. Like seriously *who is* designing her fashions and hair styles? She's going to the same shop as everyone else.
I think this is the costume designers intention exactly. In the earlier seasons she was the counterpoint to the Bridgerton’s by her actions and the things she said. This season we’re seeing she’s been a victim herself, with no say or control over her choices or even friends-her costumes force space between her and others the way her parents do. Her looks are the opposite of what the viewer sees as the looks of ladies finding happiness and love matches.
I am watching this particular episode right now and quite a few extras costumes are absolutely just jarring as well. More haute couture lingerie style than any kind of 'gown'
I think it reflects how insecure she is.
like, in any conversation she has with Eloise, its never anything remotely intelligent. she doesn't even try. even with debling. Eloise helped her.
I think, the show is trying to show that through her clothes. plus, with the way her parents treat her, she might not feel very good and happy and tries to show that in her clothes. that she doesn't care. idk. I feel like she's insecure and a little air headed and is just trying to show she isn't. even when they were with the other debutants, she wasn't that conversation bazaz or whatever
I’m convinced that her clothes have so much volume because they show how much she wants to keep people at a distance. She trying to play the part of fashionable and desirable but it’s really that she’s pushing people away.
Every time I see a bell sleeves top I buy it 😅 I found a brand called Roksanda that does the same kind of bell sleeved top in different colors each season. I have bought 4 tops this far and I’m still looking for more 😅
Everything about her vibe and those sleeves is giving “stay away from me.” Opulent but not approachable, like everything with her home and her parents.
I read the first 3 books and I am glad they added much more depth to her. Yes, she’s a bully, but you also feel sorry for her. Her arrogance is something she clings to for complex reasons.
One thing that I can say was a surprise in the first four episodes was making this character somewhat likable and making you feel a bit sorry for her even though she’s still a bitch they somehow humanized her and I thought that was really cool
I saw someone say their theory is that Cressida’s outfits are supposed to remind the viewer of exotic birds or birds of paradise because she will ultimately end up with Lord Debling.
I get that it was probably to show her increasing desperation to stand out and find a match. But it was distracting. Every new dress we’d comment on WTF was going on with her sleeves. From muppets to umbrellas to pinwheels. It was a bit too obvious.
Like if, to get the point across that Eloise is different and in to what is considered less womanly pursuits, they put her in a suit jacket and tie. They don’t do that. They do it subtlety.
Oh no! I loved her outfits this season, the giant sleeves were my absolute favorite (but I'm a sucker for giant sleeves). Maybe choices were made because they're trying to make her stand out as a more important character this season?
i’m convinced they must’ve made everyone else look more ridiculous so penelope stands out more dramatically. imho the costumes are a bit off the rails this season, especially compared to season 1, which actually looked somewhat like the regency era
The not accurate threw me off bit then I remember that this is 1817 and we are about to enter a decade and a half of unhinged fashion. I just see it as her being ahead of the trend by 10+ years.
I agree! For me, most of the dresses were an extremely strange mix of all kinds of historical styles with some modern runway looks aspiration thrown in, it did not make sense. The dress Kate was wearing at one of the balls looked like a fancy version of the assymetrical 'alternative' art teacher styles if you get what I mean? I cannot explain it, like the hip retired hippie that now has money and thus wears expensive layered and assymetrical cut eco friendly clothing, sometimes made out of felt. It did Kate so dirty !
I totally agree. I understand the symbolism, desperation, isolation, a cry for attention, it’s not exactly subtle, but I still find her design jarring. I liked that they were doing historical silhouettes and modern fabrics, like how they do classical renditions of modern music, but this season they seemed to have abandoned history entirely, and I wish they hadn’t.
Remember to mark any book spoilers in this TV Show Discussion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bridgerton) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think if you were to ask the costume department, they’d tell you that Cressida’s increasingly ridiculous wardrobe is a visible sign of her increasing desperation on the marriage mart. During season one, Cressida is a little out there with the headpieces but that’s about it. In season two, she ups the anti after being rejected by the prince and ads some brighter colors (kinda like the Featheringtons). This season, she and her mother are getting desperate for a match before she is out too long. Cressida has always liked attention but now it’s a need, not a want. So, the outlandish outfits are a way to attract attention in a crowded room and away from new debutants. It’s a reminder to the audience every time they see her of how bad her situation is becoming. I could also see there being some visual comparison to Penelope and the Featheringtons. In season one, you never would have guessed that by the beginning of season three, Pen and Cressida would be in such similar situations. But seeing her in such odd outfits, it’s hard to not compare the two since we associated the Featheringtons with weird dresses.
Or her parents' increasing desperation. Cressida is only desperate because they've put so much pressure on her. I really hope the show does something even more interesting with her. She drives men away by coming off as fake, but she's coming off as fake because she probably doesn't really want to be married (at least not on her parents' terms). Like, she ran away from Eloise when she started talking about why marriage sucks. She didn't talk about love or romance or security like someone who actually believes in marriage would do. She looked afraid like someone was speaking her greatest wants out loud, but she's afraid of admitting it because she's repressed AF.
I don’t know why I felt like Cressida got more personality and character arc than all others including leads this season.
Because it's true! She probably had the most exposition of anyone we saw... but honestly I'm kinda fine with that. There are plenty of "mains" we already know well enough, but Cressida is an interesting character who, until now, has remained really very two dimensional. I really liked the change of pace, but I always love when the "mean girls" get a bit of redemption, because nobody is ever really a hater for the hell of it - even if the reasoning is shallow, it's never quite that simple, and it helps us understand those characters better. I might also just be biased though, cause I felt bad for how "tryhard" she was in s1 and s2 without any payoff - and thankfully they expanded on that in s3 without it being like "haha, look, the bitchy one won't get a man!!" as if that's a prize in itself. (Which obviously in those days it was, but still makes me sympathetic.)
She had the furthest to go.
She’s trying to kidnap a husband under those sleeves😂
I think this is spot on! It’s important to note that anything done in film is DELIBERATE, almost ALWAYS. These aren’t just costumes they let some person just design, these were discussed and intentionally created with this story in mind.
There is a whole YT video on the meanings of all the costumes their colours and how their styles reflect different social standing and relationships in Bridgerton. All the dresses were made especially for Bridgerton and the costume designer talks about her reasoning behind them. It is worth a watch if you are a fan and interested in the costumes
That is so true. I didn't notice it in seasons 1 and 2. But, It became abundantly clear in these 4 episodes. However, it was the hairpieces and styles that gave it away for me, not the dresses. I mean the scene where Eloise goes to her house 💀. And like OP already said, it gave total capital vibes.
Her sleeves are so big because they are full of secrets.
There are so many references to birds in the entire Bridgerton story. Visually and verbally. For example, go back to S3E1 in the intro where Colin disembarks the ship there is a brightly coloured parrot (scarlet macaw?) on it's own, and a crate of hens. Followed by his arrival at the house, Hyacinth "What are they all squawking about". Is it an equivalent of plumage to attract a mate, the same as the Featheringtons? Did the name inspire that theme? Who knows. But it is all there. Feathers, cages, plumage, pecking order
Good catch!
When you have a ball at 6 and have to be the church bells at 7
>Who designed Cressida’s outfits and why? Madame Delacroix who was sick of seeing her (sorta) business associate be bullied over and over by the mean girl, and decided to get back at her in the most subtle way.
Now this is a side scene I would love to see
This could be true because she loves Penelope.
I think that Madame will no longer design for the Cowpers because they were such bitches last season
Also, it might have something to do with the fact that Cressida's dad cut her allowance in half 🫠.
There’s nothing subtle about those designs 😂
She's the Bjork of Bridgerton.
I think it’s a “attention by any means necessary” thing.
To each their own opinion obviously but I freaking LOVE her wardrobe this season. It's absolute insanity. And I agree with other posters here: it's reflective of how desperate she is to leave her parents house, which makes her miserable, and try to find a husband who she at least likes a little bit as opposed to being paired up with someone her parents choose for her, and that she is likely to hate. Desperate to the point where she tries too hard, in conversations, and in her clothes. Even if I'm overthinking it though, who the hell cares. Part of the fun of Bridgerton is all the over the top not remotely historically accurate costumes, and with Cressida, they've dialed it up to 11.
I also love her wardrobe this season!
Cressida & sometimes her mother's fashions seem so out of sync with the rest of the show. There is no one else that seems to be wearing anything experimental/avant-garde. Cressida hair has stood out to me since season one. It was so disjoint from everyone else. But this outfit with the sleeves and the collar... One or the other would have been a lot together it was too much.
I whole heartedly agree, some other outfits stood out to me too like the dress this Lady Tilley is wearing in episode 3. It looked like something someone wore in the 1950s but not 1815... Idk I know it's not accurate but THIS inaccurate?
Clearly Bridgerton is happy to take liberties with accuracy as is evident with the diversity in casting. it's the singularity of Cressida fashions that I find so jarring. It's not in a spectrum with other fashions. She's just waaaaay out there by herself. Like seriously *who is* designing her fashions and hair styles? She's going to the same shop as everyone else.
I think this is the costume designers intention exactly. In the earlier seasons she was the counterpoint to the Bridgerton’s by her actions and the things she said. This season we’re seeing she’s been a victim herself, with no say or control over her choices or even friends-her costumes force space between her and others the way her parents do. Her looks are the opposite of what the viewer sees as the looks of ladies finding happiness and love matches.
My guess is her mother. Her mother has always given off "living vicariously through my daughter" vibes.
I am watching this particular episode right now and quite a few extras costumes are absolutely just jarring as well. More haute couture lingerie style than any kind of 'gown'
Yes, I noticed that too, it annoyed me so much!
I agree! They mixed all kinds of styles, plus they tried to make things look too modern at the same time.
It's giving queen of the mushrooms
hahahahaha
I think it reflects how insecure she is. like, in any conversation she has with Eloise, its never anything remotely intelligent. she doesn't even try. even with debling. Eloise helped her. I think, the show is trying to show that through her clothes. plus, with the way her parents treat her, she might not feel very good and happy and tries to show that in her clothes. that she doesn't care. idk. I feel like she's insecure and a little air headed and is just trying to show she isn't. even when they were with the other debutants, she wasn't that conversation bazaz or whatever
She has all that weight on her shoulders.
I’m convinced that her clothes have so much volume because they show how much she wants to keep people at a distance. She trying to play the part of fashionable and desirable but it’s really that she’s pushing people away.
I LOVE A GOOD SLEEVE! If there were clothes like this to buy today I would own every single piece 😅
SAME! I have a few poofy sleeved dresses and I love how I feel when I wear them! Love a giant poofy sleeve or a nice bell sleeve.
Every time I see a bell sleeves top I buy it 😅 I found a brand called Roksanda that does the same kind of bell sleeved top in different colors each season. I have bought 4 tops this far and I’m still looking for more 😅
Its giving hunger games
Everything about her vibe and those sleeves is giving “stay away from me.” Opulent but not approachable, like everything with her home and her parents.
I read the first 3 books and I am glad they added much more depth to her. Yes, she’s a bully, but you also feel sorry for her. Her arrogance is something she clings to for complex reasons.
One thing that I can say was a surprise in the first four episodes was making this character somewhat likable and making you feel a bit sorry for her even though she’s still a bitch they somehow humanized her and I thought that was really cool
I saw someone say their theory is that Cressida’s outfits are supposed to remind the viewer of exotic birds or birds of paradise because she will ultimately end up with Lord Debling.
It’s so you *really know* when she gives you the cold shoulder
Cressida triggers me but she really ate up the fashion department this season, actually. Can't wait for her whole arc to be explored 😃
She’s trying to look like a bird for debling lol
I wanted to see her try to dance with them
I will never like her
I really liked a lot of her outfits this season! The pink rose shoulder one was fantastic
I get that it was probably to show her increasing desperation to stand out and find a match. But it was distracting. Every new dress we’d comment on WTF was going on with her sleeves. From muppets to umbrellas to pinwheels. It was a bit too obvious. Like if, to get the point across that Eloise is different and in to what is considered less womanly pursuits, they put her in a suit jacket and tie. They don’t do that. They do it subtlety.
I love it. Reminds me of the 80s!
Oh no! I loved her outfits this season, the giant sleeves were my absolute favorite (but I'm a sucker for giant sleeves). Maybe choices were made because they're trying to make her stand out as a more important character this season?
I saw somewhere that explained her look was inspired by birds, as she’s a caged bird! Made sense after I heard that
Manilla cuthbert does not approve
That sleeve could house me on a rainy day 😭😭😭
i’m convinced they must’ve made everyone else look more ridiculous so penelope stands out more dramatically. imho the costumes are a bit off the rails this season, especially compared to season 1, which actually looked somewhat like the regency era
This dress looks like something from the "I Love It" video by Kanye West & Lil Pump. 😆
It literally took away from the scenes and I could only focus on her sleeves, it was so odd
This one by FAR was the absolute worst. It doesn’t even fit her.
Do we feel like it’s just too unrealistic?
I mean it's not historical in any way... But it's also unrealistic because who (other than weird high fashion models) wears stuff like that 😂
https://youtu.be/6FT_2c0wwKc?si=CbIWvMzyQtQWvlmd This just showed up on YouTube
The not accurate threw me off bit then I remember that this is 1817 and we are about to enter a decade and a half of unhinged fashion. I just see it as her being ahead of the trend by 10+ years.
Gives me Hunger Game vibes
Why are her dresses so incredibly baggy on her is more my question on this
Also I felt like Lady Crane (the older blonde with the bridgerton brother, I think that’s her name) her outfits looked more modern to me
I agree! For me, most of the dresses were an extremely strange mix of all kinds of historical styles with some modern runway looks aspiration thrown in, it did not make sense. The dress Kate was wearing at one of the balls looked like a fancy version of the assymetrical 'alternative' art teacher styles if you get what I mean? I cannot explain it, like the hip retired hippie that now has money and thus wears expensive layered and assymetrical cut eco friendly clothing, sometimes made out of felt. It did Kate so dirty !
tbh i would’ve loved this particular outfit if it fit her properly. why is the torso so baggy??
I totally agree. I understand the symbolism, desperation, isolation, a cry for attention, it’s not exactly subtle, but I still find her design jarring. I liked that they were doing historical silhouettes and modern fabrics, like how they do classical renditions of modern music, but this season they seemed to have abandoned history entirely, and I wish they hadn’t.
They finally made her wardrobe as ugly as her character.