The Countess of Kilmartin
Francesca: Hannah Dodd
Costume Designers: John Glaser, George Sayer & Dougie Hawkes
Season four of Netflix’s hit Regency Romance dropped in two parts on January 29th and February 26th 2026. Season four follows the third book in the series “An Offer from a Gentleman” by Julia Quinn which focuses on Benedict‘s romance with Sophie, a maid.
While Bridgerton has seasonal leads the show takes a lot of liberties with book narratives to create an ensemble piece with side-plots for many of the characters as well as setting-up leads for the future seasons. One of these characters who gets a big a major sub-plot in season four leading up to her season is Francesca
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Spoilers for Season 4
Maintaining Her Bridgerton Patels
Season four opens with Francesca Stirling, now The Countess of Kilmartin returning to London from Scotland with her husband, John, and older sister, Eloise. Francesca and John plan to stay in London for the season as well as trying for a child.
While John and Francesca do enjoy a pleasant married life there are a few complications. One being Francesca’s lack of satisfaction in the bedroom which they as couple do discuss and John assures her that there is nothing wrong with her. The other issue being John’s cousin Michaela. While in Scotland the ladies didn’t really get on well but after an honest discussion both Francesca and Michaela become friends.
Unlike the other Bridgerton leading ladies, Francesca maintains her Bridgerton style during her marriage with John. She doesn’t blend his family aesthetics with her own familial style like Daphne, Kate, and Penelope have all done so far. This is due her not yet being a “Leading Lady” despite being married. So she keeps to her softer pastels tones mostly blues, pinks, and whites. That is until tragedy strikes as John passes away mid-season forcing Francesca into full-mourning meaning she has to wear black dresses.
Francesca has around 20 costumes in season four but given some of her black looks it hard to tell how much gets repeated other than her black coat which she wears a few times.
How I Ranked Her Top 10 Costumes
This is a ranking of Francesca’s 10 best costumes from season 4 of Bridgerton. The costumes were ranked on aesthetics, memorability and how well they reflect Francesca’s character and sense of style.
List is Subject to change
Spoilers for Season 4.
10. Wedding Guest Look
Season four ends with the nuptials of Sophie and Benedict. Francesca attends dressed in a full black look because her period of mourning is still in effect which is a year and a day.
Despite the black attire it’s a very pretty dress as it’s embellished with sequined floral appliqués which add dimensionality to the dress. The sheer puffed sleeves also have some appliqués adding interest. The fabric also has a subtle floral weave patten.
For the accessories she wears she double stranded beaded necklace and black stud earrings both which she wears throughout season four. She also has a black velvet stole which adds even more texture to the look.
Shout-out to her black evening gown she worn to John’s Memorial which is hard to see details due low-lighting
9. Gray Soiree Gown
Francesca is thrown for a loop when Michaela arrives at Kilmartin house unannounced. Her arrival throws Francesca off her routine which puts her on edge as well as Michaela’s mischievous “chaotic” energy.
As part as Michaela’s arrival to town, John and Francesca host a soiree for her. This also upset Francesca as it conflicts with a Bridgerton event which at first puts her at odds with her cousin-in-law before they eventually come to terms with each other and become friends.
The gown that Francesca wears to this impromptu party is a textured silver-gray with lighter gray beaded embellished overlay. Most of the beading is on the lower skirt with a few clutters of sequins at the neckline, sleeve, and trailing down the bodice.
The overall effect of this gown looks a little more understated for a Bridgerton gown. This reflects Francesca’s mood of hosting when she didn’t want to as well as being honest with Michaela’s for the first time which is the first step in their relationship moving forward.
8. Family Dinner Evening Gown
At the end of season three Francesca meets John’s cousin, Michaela. Despite her ease and comfort she feels with John there is something that Francesca feels for Michaela the moment they met that Francesca could not identify. Thus Francesca’s feelings toward Michaela make her feel a little uneasy which isn’t help by Michaela’s extroverted bubbly personality. So when Michaela arrives at their London home unannounced interrupting a family dinner Francesca is made uncomfortable.
Francesca was already a little on edge having been forced into hosting a family dinner at her mother, Violet’s insistence only for her mother not to show because the dinner was a cover so Violet could entertain Lord Anderson.
Her evening gown that she wears as hostess for her family dinner at her London home is a grayish blue gown. The main fabric of the gown as silver scale-like pattern,
The overlay fabric is glittery and is used to for the puffed sleeves and gathered at the bodice. For the skirt this glittery sheer overlay fabric is embellished three dimensional floral appliqués, trim, and sequins. These appliqués are also sparingly applied at the sides of the neckline unifying the look together.
7. Blue Flower Dress
After a discussion with Penelope, Francesca tries to initiate some spontaneous intimacy with John but the moment is more awkward than romantic. At least Francesca’s dress is charming.
Her dress is a light blue with light blue sheer puffed sleeves. The entirely of the dress is embellished with a matching blue tulle overly that is covered in small three dimensional lace flower appliqués with beaded centers. At the neckline the flowers have flat sequins.
She stylizes this look with pearl earrings, a necklace, and a matching hair ornament.
6. Pink Lace Outfit
As Penelope and Colin are her nearest married relations, Francesca and John spend a lot of time with them. During one their visits to Featherington House, Francesca takes tea while watching John play with Penelope’s baby son, Elliot.
Francesca wears her soft muted shade of pink, her signature Bridgerton color. The outfit is essentially a pelisse in a lightweight fabric with long sleeves and lapel. The pelisse is embellished with lace floral appliqués with sequins. Some of the appliqués are layered gives them more depth. The front closure is gold with white crystals.
The under dress looks to be made from a metallic or at least shiny textured pink fabric with some lace along the trim though her hands are conveniently blocking the neckline from view but you can see just enough to to see some trim. This dress is also sleeveless to accommodate the long sleeves of the pelisse.
She styles with off-white pearl jewelry.
While this outfit is only briefly scene and only from the waist up it’s still very elegant and beautiful.
5. Masquerade Gown
One of the biggest costume moments of Bridgerton is Violet’s Masquerade Ball where the whole of London’s Society dons costumes and masks for an evening. However the costume designer decided that some of the partygoers would just wear a mask with evening attire and forgo a costume all together. Francesca is one such partygoer.
To the masquerade Francesca wears a light lustrous pink gown with silver beaded floral appliqués and sheer puffed sleeves. The tulle overlay is pleated at the neckline.
She pairs it with angular white lace mask making it look like she was dress as something but it’s just a pretty mask with a lovely soft and dream-like gown. It’s ashamed that it didn’t get that much screen time or wasn’t a canonical costume for the ball. Still beautiful though.
4. Gray-Blue Dress
As an enjoyable way to pass the time the Stirlings all do a puzzle together, a new hobby of Francesca’s introduced this season. As the three do scene of land and sky Francesca wears a gray blue day dress.
Her dress is intriguing as the main part is made with muted sequined fabric that is a grid-like pattern that is under a sheer overlay that has blue floral appliqués which are furthered embellished with silver sequin. The puffed sleeves are made from gray semi-sheer fabric which has some of the appliqués trailing over.
At the neckline you can see a sheer gathered under-layer which a few of Francesca’s other costume in season four feature as well.
Overall this a very chic and elegant day look for Francesca.
3. Light Blue Evening Gown
Part of Francesca’s plot-line of the first part of season four is issue of bedroom intimacy. Part of that is she thinks that the achieving of a “pinnacle” would be helpful is having a child so she tries to figure out what is a “pinnacle.” So Francesca asks the person who should have been prepared her, her mother. Despite having eight children Violet is none too good at having these conversations and only serves at confusing Francesca even more.
Despite her mother’s lack of help Francesca’s evening gown is beautiful and really feels more akin to the costumes of the first two seasons. It’s a light yet bright blue gown with a sheer floral embroidered overlay. Unlike many, many other costumes in Bridgerton this gown doesn’t have puffed sleeves and instead they are short and slightly flared with the overlay having a scalloped edge. There are also some appliqués on the sleeves as well as at the squared neckline.
The gown is embellished with silver sequins as well as a beaded trim at the waistline.
2. Blue Floral Dress
After her time in Scotland, Francesca has new appreciation for spending time with her family and often visits them. As she spending time with her two unmarried sisters and mother she is privy to the machinations of her mother’s to get Eloise back to the marriage mart or else she’ll have to chaperone her youngest sister Hyacinth’s finishing lessons. This dynamic amuses Francesca.
Her dress while taking tea and the family drama is a very pretty, relaxed and effortless. It’s her classic soft pastel blue color with a sheer light muted blue overlay. Tulle fabric flowers are sewn along the sides of the squared neckline and on the lower skirt. The sheer puffed sleeves look like they attached underneath the main dress.
It’s a very minimal yet chic look for Francesca which suits her.
1. The Lady Danbury’s Soiree Gown
Lady Danbury likes to host ladies’ nights and while she hasn’t hosted her “Den of Iniquity” since season one she does host a very exclusive ladies’ only soiree with the Bridgerton ladies and Alice Mondrirch. But seriously Bridgerton needs another round of the “Den of Inquiry” for the married ladies’ of the ton especially since there are more characters who fit the requirements.
While season’s four ladies’ night is more genteel than the previous “Den of Inquiry” the ladies are still all well-dressed, none more so than Francesca.
Francesca wears a white evening gown that is quite dramatic for her. The white fabric looks like it has floral woven pattern. It has sheer overlay that makes up the high neckline with a pleated collar. The sheer overall is also used for the larger than average puffed sleeves. The overlay is heavily embellished with floral appliqués, sequins and beads. The high neckline and the larger sleeve work together to balance each other along with the white opera gloves.
While we only see the bottom of the skirt briefly from behind in the scene as she remain seated at a table there is a behind the scene full length picture where the is shows the skirt have same embellished flower appliqués as the top of the gown. There also a tulle bow at the back.
Despite only seeing this gown briefly and most from the chest up it made a quite the impression. It’s beautiful.
