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Speaker 1 00:00:04 The hate Netflix show Bridgeton said in England's Regency era follows the lives of the influential Bridgeton family. First gaining popularity with the release of the first season in December of 2020, the show re-entered popular discourse when season two came out on March 25th. This year, One of the most notable aspects of the series is the decadent costume design from core sets to empire line dresses, to large hair pieces, the detailed and extravagant costumes characterize the show. First year of Northwestern university's MFA and stage design Benjamin CRE describes his take on Bridger's costumes.
Speaker 2 00:00:46 You know, they've taken some liberties, but the liberties are to make it look more beautiful. <laugh> so it's just like, it's like candy. I think to look at
Speaker 1 00:00:54 Crest, studied psychology and theater for undergrad in Ohio and says he stumbled into costume design after due a two week internship in theater. He stuck with it in Baltimore for six years before ending up at Northwestern. Crest's favorite Bridgers and character is the feather tens whose costumes are meant to be garish with an acid yellow and out of proportionality. That crest finds to be more visually interesting.
Speaker 2 00:01:20 Yeah. There's this family that, you know, they're kind of like struggling with money all the time. <laugh> so I think they're meant to be more out of fashion, but, um, really just to make them like loud and like trying to fit in the most, they, the designer has put them in these like really bright colors. Whereas the other family is more like blues and soft pink and kind of in general, the whole town is like softer colors, but they're in these like bright, bright colors.
Speaker 1 00:01:49 Chris also mentioned his admiration for the Queen's wigs in the show.
Speaker 2 00:01:53 I will say, I love like using NA like natural black hair in the architecture of those wigs is like so cool to see
Speaker 1 00:02:02 Kres address is the controversy around corsets as well.
Speaker 2 00:02:07 It's like this myth that's been created that corsets were like tearing into people's skin and, and yes, they were uncomfortable, but they weren't like, and yes, there were some periods where they were rearranging the organs. But like in this, like the period of Bridgeton, it was more about like a posture and be like keeping everything tight and up, cuz it was all about the wisdom.
Speaker 1 00:02:28 So some actors love corsets and some hate them, but crest believes they are ultimately a necessary aspect of Regency error. Costing
Speaker 2 00:02:38 Actors kind of get the two opinions. It's either like, oh, I can't wear course that it will interrupt my breath. Um, but then there are some actors who either like love the, what courses do to their breath or like love what it does to their posture. And like helps them inhabit the character. I think for a period like Richard, Tina said in the Regency period, you almost need that. Cuz they like their idea of beauty is like these columns. Right? And so the, these courses help you like be a human column. <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:03:06 Kres these costumes as part of creating the world. But this doesn't mean designers should be limited by historical accuracy.
Speaker 2 00:03:13 Like if you're trying to be so historically accurate, that can be like less fulfilling in think. So. Like what they do in Bridgeton is exciting. Cuz you, you take like the period, so the way, but then you like push it in the directions that are like, uh, interesting for the viewers. So like you push the sexuality, you push the, you push the color. So you have contrast between families. Like you're pushing everything in, in that way. The diverging from, even if you start from like the research, then you like go and see like what can we take from modern? Like that makes us more interesting that make these characters more relatable. Not only if like, if you're doing a straight period piece straight, like are the clothes kind of like you're limited there, but also like, you know, the, the conversation and the way these people live kind of limiting and like even that can be a little like boring to a modern viewer. So that way like Richard's pushed of course in that way too. I think if you're going to do a period piece, you have to have a point of
Speaker 1 00:04:10 View, some of his favorite details stray from the norms of the period.
Speaker 2 00:04:14 I, the historically accurate costumes are from a boring, I mean they're they have them and like silk, which of course there was silk back then, but like back then, there, there also would've been like a lot of cotton mu a lot of white dresses. Um, but to kind of elevate everything, to like the extreme, um, in terms of color, in terms of fabric, everything is just like luxurious and fancy. The designer also does this thing where she puts like almost a, every costume has like a sheer layer of fabric over the silk, which is like, it's almost kind of hard to see, but it's like usually organza. And what it does is like, it makes these dresses almost glow, cuz it like catches the light from the side. It also makes them like move in a more beautiful way.
Speaker 1 00:04:58 But ultimately crest believes the liberties to taken by Bridger's costume designers enhance the meaning of the show From Evanston, Illinois, Justine Fisher, w N R news.
