More voluminous wigs, shinier hair, more punchy makeup: season 2 of Bridgerton, from March 25 on Netflix, wants to raise the bar and put a plus sign in front of each item on the list. In part, it is known, to compensate for the absence of the Duke of Hastings (the actor Regè-Jean Page who does not even appear in a frame of the eight new episodes).
The series, set in the period of the English Regency (early nineteenth century), is based on the novels of Julia Quinnpublished in Italy by Mondadori and just returned to the bookstore with a special boxed edition with two unpublished stories (Latest Chronicles of Lady Whistledown) and a Regency-style tarot deck. The story traces the love life of the offspring of the late Viscount Bridgerton (one for each book, starting with Daphne, to continue with the head of the family Anthony, to whom the upcoming episodes are dedicated).
The challenge to enhance and accentuate the style of the second chapter lies with Erika Ökvist, 49-year-old Swedish hair & marketing designer. The artist, who has already worked in successful costume series as Cursed And Downton Abbeythis time he tries his hand at the visionary world of Shonda Rhimes, already creator of cult series such as Grey’s Anatomy And Scandal. Here there are no Jane Austen beige lace and lace, but a riot of colors and patterns, especially on the new arrivals, the three women of the Sharma house, from India. Lady Mary (Shelley Conn), daughter Edwina (Charithra Chandran) and stepdaughter Kate (Simone Ashley).
The predominant color? The wisteria, of course, is the symbol of the Bridgerton family. «Each costume in the series – says showrunner Chris Van Dusen – is a true work of art because it has to tell a story, just like we did with make-up and hair. For example, when we meet Kate, she looks very stiff. She wears heavy fabrics and moves like a log, always tidy and disciplined, as the hairstyles also demonstrate. During the episodes she lets her guard down and becomes softer and freer. Her clothes begin to have a greater softness and you can see the difference in her, both in her and in Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). He too is set in the first episodes, he wants to be the viscount that her father has always encouraged him to become, with dark and serious colors. As the story progresses the tones become clearer. AND we removed the long sideburns, reminiscent of old Anthony, libertine and addicted to partying. Now he is ready to marry“. Here, then, other background revealed directly by Erika Ökvist.
How does makeup and hair instantly catapult the actors back in time?
«They are two very important aspects, indeed fundamental to make sure that the cast falls into the character. They not only serve to make the protagonists attractive, but they bring them to life, create and shape them. To do this, you don’t need major revolutions. Just change the shape of the eyebrows and it totally changes a face and the way it is perceived. My goal, in fact, is to make the actors feel enchanting when they get up from my chair. With one imperative: to remain faithful to the story, because we all contribute to telling it, with various aspects ».
What is the hallmark of this second season?
“After the global success of the first chapter, we had to be very careful. The looks are now so engraved in the imagination, so loved and known that it would have been unthinkable to go wrong. The idea was to take the style of the initial bets and make it mine, slightly shifting the trajectory, while still honoring the original work ».
How did you prepare for the challenge?
“I’ve done a lot of research. I looked and looked at every single historical reference I could find and then I transformed that work in a modern way, so that it would be appreciated and understood ».
Give me an example.
«Before the period of the English Regency there was the Georgian one, an era in which you went heavy with make-up: lots of powder, bright lipsticks, a massive dose of black for both the eyelashes and the eyebrows. The passage to the era of the Regency instead leads to a preference for a more natural style, we want to return to simplicity instead of focusing on bright tones. Simple, sure, but not sloppy and in fact my goal with Bridgerton was to blend historical references with a contemporary touch, as if the characters were on the cover of a glossy fashion magazine ».
What about wigs instead?
“In the Georgian period, powdered wigs were crucial in style. They were, in fact, a distinctive trait of social status. As we approached the Regency period this usage waned and people started to prefer more natural and less elaborate hairstyles. Moreover, not everyone has a lot of hair to allow for imaginative hairstyles as required in those days. Many ladies had fake locks, for example, and even gentlemen wore them. So somehow wigs were still in fashion, but in a different shape. But since Queen Charlotte is very theatrical, in her case they are always the most majestic in the room ».
How did you amalgamate the work in collaboration with the costume departments?
«For me the most rewarding part of the job is the collaboration. I love to take care of the audiovisual because you don’t just take a model, a style and put it aside. You have to create a perfect harmony between the aesthetics and the story, you have to adapt to the actors, you have to find a way to collaborate with the costume designers to make all the characters shine. We all create this visual world together, to achieve perfect balance ».
How?
“If you have a very high-necked dress you know that the hairstyle has to be backcombed to get a balance with the shoulders. In this case we also play with the color palettes, to make sure that the shade of lipstick is compatible with the color of the dress and everything seems harmonious ».
One of Bridgerton’s many strengths is that of bringing diversity and inclusiveness to light. How is this reflected in the style?
«We work on many different types and colors of skin and on many hair textures. For me it’s like having a floral bouquet in front of me. We want to enhance every single shade to make it shine in its uniqueness. The same goes for the color of the hair and for the texture to celebrate richness in diversity ».
Other stories of Vanity Fair that might interest you
Nicola Coughlan wearing makeup by Pat McGrath: she is really the same as Bridgerton?
It’s boom of regal skin: the Regency complexion that comes with the Bridgerton
Source: Vanity Fair
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