The Viscountess
Kate – Simone Ashley
Costume Designers: John Glaser, George Sayer & Dougie Hawkes
This post is going to be a little different in tone from my other Bridgerton ones.
One of the major pitfalls of Bridgerton is that after a Bridgerton sibling has their leading season their roles in the show are is diminished -this also extends to their love interest as well. This comes at the expense of characters having to their development stagnant while waiting for their season, this mostly has only really impacted Eloise.
(Post contain affiliate links)
Side-Lining The Viscountess
While this side-lining of past beloved characters could work it doesn’t work as well when the show is suppose to about a close-knit loving family, a family in which the series is named after. Don’t sell the impression of a large affection family when numerous members skip out on major family events. One can make excuses for the lack but it’s adding to the strain of the already very suspend suspension of disbelief. People will also site the books but again that excuse doesn’t pass muster either when the show features many show-only characters, has some prominent stories to supporting characters and only vaguely follows book each season.
Since leading season two, Kate and Anthony should be the heads family and should be getting good story lines. But they don’t, they just pop in and out of the over-all story. As such Kate, the Viscountess only has three costumes in season four. Two dresses and one nightwear, though there might be a bonus look too. It wasn’t seen in the show but is seen in behind the scene pictures so three in the show but maybe four actual costume changes.
This is a ranking of Kate’s three costumes from season four. This ranking is based more on my own subjective vibes and feelings. Had Kate been given more than five costumes this ranking would have been more objective. Here’s to hoping that Kate gets more dresses and gowns in season five along with a more summative story line. Maybe she can host a ball though that is seeming unlikely, we’ll have to wait and see what future seasons yield. I suppose hosting Colin and Penelope engagement party will have to be enough.
Season four of Bridgeton was based on the third book in Bridgerton series. Skipping the order and timelines are a discussions for another day… maybe.
Spoilers for Season 4
3. The Wedding Guest Look
The epilogue of season four is Sophie and Benedict’s rustic country manor wedding. Thankfully Kate and Anthony do attend even if Daphne and Simon do not, just cause the show rarely mentions them doesn’t make their absent less apparent especially at weddings. But at least Kate and Anthony are there.
In the sea of puffed sleeves it is nice to see long sleeves on Kate. Her dress is made a heavily patterned tan and dark burgundy velvet. The velvet is pretty but the pattern of this fabric is too much like upholstery fabric.
I get the sense that the costume designer has an affinity for weird fabrics and thinks he is making them work but it’s not successful. It looks a little too matronly for Kate. It is shame because velvet is beautiful and look lush and gorgeous on camera but the overall affect of this dress just looks out of place and doesn’t suit Kate. It seems like this a fabric remnants that the production had on hand and just used for Kate for a quick costume. It just doesn’t seem like her sense of style it seems like it was another character. .
The velvet shawl and gold jewelry are pretty. The Jewelry does track with her sense style so at least there is that for this look. I also have a soft spot for velvet as textile.
2. The Draped Dress
To be honest I’m not sure what Simone Ashley’s color season is. If had to guess I would say she’s a neutral meaning she can wear both warms and cool tones, I mean she looks good in both orange and blues. I would say the part that really matters for her is chroma, how bright vs muted a color appears. She looks amazing in jewel tones, saturated, bright, and rich colors. Whereas muted colors are not as flattering.
This muted gray-blue dress is not the color for her. The idea of the dress having an Indian-inspired draping influence like a pallu, draped over her shoulder is very lovely and is very her sense of style. It’s always nice to see a change of pace to different details and silhouettes in a Bridgerton costume for one of the leads. But the muted blue-gray color brought overall impression of this dress down. Had it been in a blue-teal or a purple, or medium blue, or a brighter lighter colored fabric it would have been more successful. The brighter metallic florals do help a little breaking up the muted color of the dress especially in wider shots but mostly it reads as too dull for her.
I think the reason the production puts Simone Ashley in muted tones is because she is not the lead anymore thus they don’t want pull focus but other side characters get to stand-out and wear flattering colors. Had this fabric been used for a character who can handle muted tone it would be better it’s just a mis-match for Kate. And since she has such limited screen-time all her costumes should have been 100% flattering for her features. But that is idealistic notion that more than likely didn’t suit the budget.
This dress also has sequins at the sleeves which is very Bridgerton seasons three and four. Personally I don’t mind the sequins as much as some people I just accept them as part of the show’s world but I don’t know it they were really needed for this dress. It’s a lesser issue though. I want to like this dress more, it’s good in theory.
1. The Dressing Gown plus a Nightgown (Unused in the show)
Kate and Anthony return to Aubrey Hall from India at the beginning of episode six, chilling in bed with their baby boy Edmund. As they relax Kate wears a blue floral dressing gown. This dressing gown is slightly muted but it’s more of medium tone therefore it suits her better than a more grayed blue. However the best costume Kate wears is a nightgown that she wears in a behind the scenes images.
The nightgown is light blue with silver flower clutters. It has a gathered bodice with gathered short puffed sleeve. I do wonder if this was an unused season one Daphne costume that was embellished for season four. Even the dressing looks similar to Daphne’s season one dressing gown, however they are not the same article of clothing. Could be wrong but these blues suit her better than upholstery fabric of the epilogue dress or the muted gray-blue of the draped gown. Perhaps I’m just more partial the costume aesthetics of seasons one and two so maybe that is what I like about relaxing sleepwear looks.
