Bridgerton Costumes: Colours of Spice vs Old Hollywood Glamour

One of the more divisive aspects of Bridgerton season 3 was the costumes and overall look of the season, which came in for criticism in a number of fan spaces from Reddit, to X, to TikTok and beyond. Whilst the costumes moved further from the aesthetic of season 1 and season 2 into a more fantastical realm of heightened drama, for some it is the costuming of the Viscountess Bridgerton that stood out in terms of how vastly different it was from season 2. In season 2, the then, Kathani 'Kate' Sharma was dressed in a lot of deep colours and jewel tones evoking her Indian heritage, but in season 3 her costumes were more muted in colour, and there was less silk used for her clothing. But it is not her costumes on their own that causes concern when we look at Kate's costumes in season 3, but the way that the season 3 costume designer, John Glaser, spoke on the inspiration for Kate's costumes when compared with the inspiration for Penelope, Eloise and Francesca. 

For Penelope the costume design team looked to old Hollywood icons such as Lauren Bacall as inspiration for her look in season 3, in this article in People magazine in June 2024, John Glaser is quoted as saying: “When you look at photographs from Old Hollywood, the people just look great. Their hair looks great, they look great, but you don't really remember what they're wearing because it's all about their face and who they are,”. In this same article John Glaser talks about the Audrey Hepburn inspiration for Eloise's costuming throughout seson 3, with much inspiration drawn from the 1964 film My Fair Lady. Penelope and Eloise's looks are not the only ones inspired by old Hollywood icons however, Francesca's look was also inspired by the Golden age of film, specifically by legends Grace Kelly and Katherine Hepburn. It is at this point we should note that all three of these characters are white, why is that important might you ask? Well it is to do with how John Glaser discusses the inspiration for Kate's looks in comparison to the inspiration for Penelope, Eloise and Francesca. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Whilst Kate was not discussed in the People article referenced above, in this interview with Vogue John Glaser does discuss the inspiration for Kate's costumes in season 3. As we have seen the costumes were heavily influenced by old Hollywood, which makes it rather jarring when we see that for Kate John Glaser says: "There were subtle Indian references in Season 2, but we were much more blatant about it this time." From some of the reactions I have seen online from Desi fans this comment about Kate's costumes was met with surprise - and disbelief, however, this is not the most egregious part of his response to the question about Kate's costumes in season 3, he went on to say: "...we went for earth tones, more natural colors, the colors of spice.". This may not seem to be overly harmful on the surface, but this language used by John Glaser when talking about Kate feeds into negative tropes, and the idea of 'exoticisation' of non-white, specifically Indian, women. To give the benefit of the doubt it is possible that John Glaser thought he was honouring and celebrating Kate's Indian heritage, however, the language used is the language of othering. While the looks for the white characters were described through well known Hollywood icons, Kate's look was described using exoticised imagery of flavours and colours.

Image Credit: Netflix

What is interesting is if we compare the language used by John Glaser in relation to Kate's costumes to that used by Sophie Canale, the costume designer in season 2. When discussing the costumes for the Sharma's in general (and Kate specifically) Sophie Canale emphasised the way she rooted their costumes in their Indian heritage through the colour, the fabrics, and the embroidery designs. Sophie discussed how she wanted to pay tribute to the Sharmas Indian heritage which she did through the fabrics and the use of Indian embroidery and jewellery, evoking and paying tribute whilst keeping the Regency silhouettes and not making the costumes a caricature of Indian attire. Colour was the other way that Sophie Canale honoured the Indian heritage of the Sharmas by using bright, bold colours that are often associated with Indian dress. 

The difference between season 2 and season 3 for Kate's costuming is more than just the aesthetics of the costumes, it is around the discourse and how the two different costume designers discussed the inspiration for the costumes. In season 2 Sophie Canale talked in terms of cullture and heritage, as well as talking about the narrative function of Kate's costumes, all done without leaning into tropes or exoticised imagery. John Glaser on the other hand discussed Kate's looks in a way that othered her, set her apart reinforcing that Kate is different to the white characters. This discussion, and the language used by John Glaser highlights an unconscious (or maybe conscious) bias, and it highlights how he saw Kate as being apart from the other Bridgerton women, not really part of the Bridgerton family, despite her being The Viscountess Bridgerton. 

John Glaser's comments about Penelope, Eloise and Francesca versus his comments about Kate demonstrate how it is not only the aesthetic that matters when it comes to representation, but also the discussion. 

Sources: 

https://people.com/bridgerton-season-3-costumes-inspired-by-real-people-exclusive-8659368

https://www.vogue.com/article/bridgerton-costume-designer-talks-season-3

https://people.com/style/bridgerton-costume-designer-sophie-canale-interview-exclusive 

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a39467332/bridgerton-season-two-costumes

Bridgerton Season 4: Release Date Speculation

Bridgerton season 4 is set down to release in early 2026, and as we come closer and closer to 2026 many in the fandom are turning their thoughts to when in 2026 season 4 may release, and - just as importantly – when might Netflix announce the release date.  There are some potential clues as to when the release date may be for season 4, clues that suggest the release date will be announced in the not too distance future – maybe even this week!

So what are the clues that hint at when the possible release date will be?  Below I will look at each of the signs, and then end with my prediction of both a release date and potential announcement date.  

Season of Love: Season 4 has been teased with the tagline ‘Season of Love’, hinting that the promotion will lean into the idea of a season of love. That is not to say that other seasons have not been seasons of love, but I this hints as to the idea of a season of love being the central theme of the promotion for the season, in the same way that spring was the central theme for season 3, including a play on the ship name Polin with a tie in to an allergy medication for 'Pollen' season. 

Valentine’s Day Fan Event: This year Netflix held an online Valentine’s Day fan event for season 4, this was streamed live from London. These fan events have been held for previous seasons, the first one being in 2022 for season 2 just over a month before its release in March. In 2023 a Valentine’s Day fan event was held for Queen Charlotte which released in May of that year, and another event was held in 2024 ahead of season 3’s release. It should be noted that the Valentine’s Day event for season 4 included the release of a number of stills as well as a behind the scenes video.

Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix

Netflix Upfronts: This is slightly different to previous seasons as this is the first year that content for Bridgerton has been released for the upfronts, meanwhile nothing was released for Tudum – in fact Bridgerton was not even represented at Tudum this year, the first time since the 2021 Tudum.  For the upfronts Netflix released a sneak peek and some more stills whilst confirming that Bridgerton had been renewed for season 5 and season 6. 

TV Tie in Book: The book with the cover to tie in to the series is currently slated for release in January. For previous seasons the book has been released within weeks of the series being released (note that it was delayed for both season 2 and season 3). If the release date remains as it is currently then that could be an indicator of the release date.  

These factors all suggest that the release of season 4 will be timed to capitalise on Valentine’s Day in February, however, there is a possibility that the window for the release of part could be mid-January – mid-February, but what are the most likely dates for a release?  Below are what I believe are the most likely dates for part 1 to be released. 

• 15 January 2026: Assuming Netflix releases on a Thursday as this is the closest Thursday to the currently listed release date for the book.  But is it too close to the release of the final of Stranger Things?  
  
  
• 12 February 2026: Again, making the assumption that Netflix will be releasing on a Thursday, then this date is possible as the Thursday before Valentine’s Day 

Thursday is the most common day recently for Netflix Originals to be released on, but we have seen a shift in this to other days, for example Wednesday season 2 released on a Wednesday, so what if Bridgerton season 4 was to release on a day other than a Thursday, what could be the most likely release dates? 

• 14 January or 11 February 2026: Either of these dates could be a possibility if Netflix chooses to release season 4 on a Wednesday as they are the the days before the possible Thursday release dates above. 
  
  
• 14 February 2026:  This is a long shot for the release date, however, it would fit in well for the ‘Season of Love’ theme, and create a great marketing opportunity.

In my opinion the most likely release date is 12 February 2026 (or 11 February 2026 if they choose to have it released on a Wednesday). This is the date I have believed to be the most likley release date since the Valentine's Day event earlier this year, and have previously mentioned it on my Tumblr Blog. If this is the release date when might it be announced? 

The release date for season 1 was announced approximately 10 weeks before the season released, this is the shortest period between announcing the release date and the season releasing. For season 2 the first anniversary of season 1 was chosen to announce the release date, which was 3 months later. The release date for season 3 was announced in December 2023, 5 months prior to the season releasing, though it is unknown if this was the planned announcement or not as it was inadvertantly posted - then hastily removed - on social media pages, but it is likely that it will be a similar time frame for season 4, thus having the season release date announced about 5 months prior to the release, or even as far out as 6 months. I have two theories as to when they could announce the release date for season 4. 

• 11 September (or a day either side of it): This date will mark the one year anniversary of the announcement of Yerin Ha as Sophie, and it will be 5 months before 12 (or 11) February 2026, and is also a week after part 2 of Wednesday is released, so the biggest release of the year won't distract from the news. 
  
  
• This week. I know, it seems unlikely, but we have seen an increase in Bridgerton posts on Shondaland's Instagram, including 3 in a row this week, so it is possible that they are dropping hints that something is coming, and will extend the timeframe from announcement to release to six months, and announce this week. 

It will be interesting to see if the announcement will come within hours of me posting this, or if it is still weeks - or months - away. Will it be a Valentine's Day release? Or will it be earlier (or later)? 

Bridgerton Fandom: The FYSEE Changing Narrative

This post was prompted by a tweet that came to my attention that claimed season 3 had no Emmy award promotion, but season 2 did, but how did this misinformation come about? The account holder used the fact that there was an FYSEE panel in 2022 and not one in 2025 as the ‘proof’ that season 3 was not promoted for consideration for an Emmy (despite season 3 being included in the 2025 FYSEE event by Netflix). The idea that the FYSEE panel in 2022 was Emmy promotion for season 2 was discounted by the season 3 lead, whether intentionally or unintentionally, when she described it as a 'handover the baton' event at the end of season 2 promotion in a comment on TikTok. This description of the event gained traction within a subset of the fandom and became the narrative they spread at the end of 2024, a narrative they now appear to discount as they make the claims that the event was in fact promotion for season 2 whilst saying that season 3 did not have the same promotion for the Emmy Awards season. 

Image Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

Before examining the changing narrative within the fandom, I will revisit the event in question. Held in May 2022 the Netflix FYSEE event - For Your Consideration - for Emmy voters included a panel discussion for Bridgerton. On the panel were Simone Ashley, the season 2 female lead, Charithra Chandran and Nicola Coughlan, as well as Chris van Dusen, the creator of Bridgerton and season 2 showrunner, Kris Bowers, the composer, and Sophie Canale, the costume designer for season 2. Whilst there were discussions around season 2 with Kris Bowers, Sophie Canale and Chris van Dusen on the production of the season, and discussions with the actresses present, though the focus did not appear to be on the season 2 lead. Many of the questions directed to Simone Ashley were not focused on her as the lead, but her and Charithra Chandran as 'South Asian' representation, which contrasted with the way the host directed questions to Nicola to respond to solo, and how she defaulted to Nicola a number of times during the question and answer panel. The way the panel was conducted sent the message that Netflix's focus was not on promoting season 2 itself, but using it as a way to put the focus on Nicola Coughlan (something that in itself is problematic, but won't be addressed in this post), who used the event to announce herself as the season 3 lead. This announcement at an event that Netflix erroneously presented as being for season 2 led to many of the published articles in the week following being about season 3, not season 2 which Netflix were meant to be promoting for Emmy nomination. In contrast the FYC event for season 3, whilst not including a panel discussion, was focused fully on season 3 for Emmy consideration with many published articles in the months around the FYSEE event focused fully on season 3, and its lead. This disparity has led many to believe that instead of trying to promote season 2 for Emmy nominations Netflix were more interested in promoting season 3, and setting up a 3 year promotion cycle for Emmy consideration. It is the way that Netflix allowed the season 3 lead to take over season 2 promotion that has upset and angered many fans, despite, others in the fandom downplaying the impact of Nicola announcing season 3, and claiming it was about transitioning from season 2 to season 3, something that was reinforced in the latter part of 2024. 

In 2024 a TikTok content creator made a video discussing the season 3 announcement at the FYSEE event in 2022, providing an opinion that it was disrespectful to the season 2 leads generally, and Simone Ashley specifically as she was present at the event. Nicola Coughlan commented on the video with: "Hello! So the event which we announced season 3 was the final one for season 2 and it was a handover the baton moment as it was so lovely that Simone and I could be together for it".  The comment from Nicola confirms that Netflix did not consider the FYSEE event in 2022 as the beginning of Emmy promotion for season 2 (as they did for season 3 in 2025), but rather as the beginning of promotion for season 3, and confirming the view of many fans that Netflix were not interested in promoting season 2 at the event. This comment was picked up by others within the fandom, and became the narrative that they then promulgated, using the comment as an excuse to instigate a bullying campaign against the content creators that spread across platforms from TikTok, to X, to Reddit where the link to the TikTok was widely shared in an effort to instigate more bullying and harassment. This subsection of the fandom also used Nicola's words to shut down discussions from those that would criticise the actions of Netflix, and the failure of Netflix to properly promote season 2. However, this narrative that the FYSEE event in 2022 was a handover of the baton from season 2 to season 3 did not last long, when Netflix failed to hold a panel discussion at the 2025 FYSEE event for season 3. 

During the voting period for the Emmy awards this year a new narrative has emerged among this same subsection of the fandom that claims season 3 received no Emmy Awards promotion while season 2 had an FYSEE event - the same event that only months prior they were saying was a handover of the baton from season 2 to season 3 as per Nicola's comment. This new narrative from a section of the fandom is not confined to one platform, with users on both X and Reddit spreading it, many users being the same ones that were just months earlier saying that it was a handover the baton event. 

Subsections in the fandom changing their narrative to fit the argument du jour is not new, the idea that season 3 had no promotion for the awards season while season 2 had a lot of promotion but wasn't good enough for nominations is just the latest narrative of the day. But what is the narrative they believe? Is it the narrative the fans were pushing towards the end of 2024, or is it the narrative they have been promulgating recently? Most likely it is somewhere in the middle with a healthy dose of alternating narratives depending on what agenda they are wanting to promote, or who they are arguing with in the fandom, or what the majority view is on the day. 

 

IF the 2022 event was, (as is being claimed now), a season 2 Emmy promotion event why were all the articles directly after this about season 3 and Nicola? Why were the season 3 leads announced at this event? Why was the focus not kept on season 2 and the season 2 lead who was present? But IF this event was, (as Nicola said), an event to 'handover the baton' then why are a subset of the fandom trying to claim it was about season 2 promotion? Is it because their expectations on the Emmy nominations was higher for S3 so they now need an excuse to explain why the nominations they were wanting - and expecting - didn't happen? Or are they trying to dilute the terrible optics for Shondaland and Netflix, and for Nicola after she inserted herself in the discussion, around there being very little Emmy promotion for S2?