Bridgerton Costume Designers Break Down the Real-Life Figures Who Inspired Season 3 Looks (Exclusive)

Bridgerton is giving Regency era attire a modern update this season. 

The Netflix series has become known for its extravagant costumes, and season 3 is no exception. While the show has previously drawn from historical references with the period-accurate silhouettes and corsets, this season they’re including a few more contemporary references. 

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively, Bridgerton costume designers John Glaser, George Sayer and Dougie Hawkes gave insight into all the real-life figures and time periods they looked at when creating each character’s look.

For Penelope’s big transformation, in particular, they wanted to pay tribute to Old Hollywood icons, from her soft curls to her “sexier” gowns. Additionally, they softened her color palette as she moved away from bright Featherington yellows to layers of green and blue, which was a clever nod to her family's color and Colin’s Bridgerton blue. 

“A little bit of that coloring also comes from [what] Dougie did for Colin when he comes back from Paris — he has a little bit of mint green in his cravat,” Glaser points out. “And she's picked up on that. That's why some of her coloring is influenced by him, because he's come back from Paris, we know that she's in love with him, so she's absorbed that a little bit.” 

Read ahead for all the real-life figures who inspired the Bridgerton looks this season — from Jessica Rabbit to Audrey Hepburn.

Penelope’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by Lauren Bacall and Jessica Rabbit 

For Penelope’s (Nicola Coughlan) big season, the costume designers wanted to push her into a more mature look. To do that, they drew inspiration from the 1950s. 

Specifically, with her hair and makeup, they looked at Old Hollywood icons, including Lauren Bacall. “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,” Glaser explains. “That's what we tried to do. We gave her a silhouette that looked great on her body, that helped mature her, make her look a little sexier than she has, and her hair is based on Lauren Bacall.” 

Additionally, they drew inspiration from the cartoon bombshell Jessica Rabbit. This can definitely be seen in Penelope’s “glow-up” moment as she wears a bold emerald green dress at the first ball of the season. However, the costume designers note that after her big debut is a failure, she retreats to a soften color palette.

“She's the center of attention [at the ball] and it all goes wrong, [so] she retreats and suffers her palette right back so she can once again be back to being the wallflower to an extent,” Sayer says. “The clothes aren't telling the story, she is.”

Colin’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by the Marlboro Man and ‘80s Rockers

In contrast to the baby blues he wore in earlier seasons, this season shows a much more rugged side of Colin (Luke Newton), which was inspired by everything from cowboys to rockers. 

“Of the three major brothers, he's the youngest. He's the baby, apart from Gregory. We deliberately kept him youthful [in earlier seasons],” Hawkes explains. 

As Colin returns from his travels at the beginning of season 3, Hawkes adds that his look further showcases how he’s grown up and learned about the world, from wearing a leather belt that wasn’t seen in Regency London at the time to open shirts to show his sex appeal. 

Glaser notes that one reference they looked at was the Marlboro Man from the 1970s TV commercials, while Hawkes adds he was inspired by ‘80s rockers. “My growing up in costume history is really the '80s, so I was very much hooked up with the '80s pop culture scene and worked with a lot of bands at that time,” Hawkes notes. “So I wanted to bring that back in personally for me, and I thought Colin was the ideal person to do that with.” 

“There's a bit of heavy metal in him if you like, and there's a bit of new romanticism in him,” Hawkes continues. “But I think we saw that long overcoat look come in with Armani in the early '90s. I wanted to get a bit of that in, because it's a very strong silhouette. So we worked on those little nuances and then presented it to Luke in the fitting room. I think a little smile came on his face when he saw himself grow up.” 

Eloise’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by Audrey Hepburn

This season, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) also goes through a dramatic transformation as she ditches her practical wardrobe for more feminine looks. As the costume designers put together her outfits, they looked specifically at the 1960s, including old films from that era. 

As many fans have pointed out, many of her looks parallel Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, which Glaser says simply comes down to the fact that Eloise and Hepburn look very similar. 

“We say Audrey Hepburn and we think of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady in the ascot scene, just because she looks like Eloise, and just elegant and simple,” he notes. “Some of that, I hate to say it, is just a natural thing. She has a certain body type, a certain face, a certain look, and certain things work well on certain people. She's like Audrey Hepburn.” 

Francesca’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly

As Francesca (Hannah Dodd) makes her debut into society this season, the costume designers looked at notable figures ranging from the 1930s to the 1950s, including Grace Kelly and Katharine Hepburn.

Specifically referencing the latter, Glaser notes that they looked at Hepburn’s translucent shirts in Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant. In the same way that Colin’s looks were inspired by his travels, they wanted to do the same with Francesca this season as she makes her grand return to the screen.

“She's been away just like Colin [and] she's come back,” Glaser explains. “We didn't want her to follow the pattern of the rest of the family. So a sheer blouse is a little off and a little mysterious.” 

John Stirling’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by Cary Grant

A big surprise for book fans this season is the introduction of Francesca’s love interest John Stirling (Victor Alli). Though the costume designers note that they didn’t include any big Easter eggs about their romance in Francesca’s attire, his look does perfectly complement hers. 

“We keep them quite classic and quite simple,” Hawkes says of the couple’s looks this season. “I think the word classic is really good to describe both of them. We know he's a member of Parliament or he's in that world.” 

“He's Cary Grant in a gray flannel suit, and she's Katharine Hepburn,” Glaser perfectly adds. 

Cressida’s Bridgerton Season 3 Look Inspired by the 1970s and Couture Fashion 

Aside from perhaps Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), Cressida (Jessica Madsen) has some of the most dramatic looks this season, which Glaser teases has a deeper meaning. 

“It's part of her armor,” Sayer notes. “She is on the marriage market for the third year, she's got loads of pressure. She's like a butterfly in a mausoleum. She's desperate to escape. She's a lot of fun as a character to work with and we can push things with her because of that.” 

While the costume designers note they didn’t look at specific figures for Cressida’s attire, they did reference the ‘50s and ‘70s, as well as more modern-day runway looks. 

“Some of her fabrics were right from the runway of last season or probably two seasons ago,” Glaser reveals. 

“John's got a good source for fabric, so we're finding dead stock or fabrics that we can't name the fashion houses, but a couple of her spencers are made with couture fabrics,” Sayer adds.