The Wallflower Blooms
Penelope: Nicola Coughlan
Costume Designers: John Glaser, George Sayer & Dougie Hawkes
The third season of Netflix’s hit Regency Period show, Bridgerton, dropped on May 13, 2024. Based on Julia Quinn’s fourth book in the Bridgerton series, Romancing Minster Bridgerton, the season covers the love story between Colin and Penelope. Season three got a new show-runner, Jess Brownell, after the former show-runner, Chris Van Dusen, stepped down after season two.
Unlike previous seasons, the audience already knew these characters prior to the leading a season. So we already know who Penelope is, her home life, and her secrets.
However, there is still room for character growth and Penelope’s goal is to find a husband. She undergoes a make-over with a new wardrobe and hair styles. Gone of the citrus tones of the past and now she wears mainly blues and greens – mostly soft or muted tones.
This post is an overhaul of my article that was originally on hubpages which ranked Penelope’s season three costumes.
Penelope’s Best Costumes
Penelope has over 30 costumes this season with repeats. Much like in past seasons, the costume designers really pushed the envelope on “Regency Fashions” and pulled from a lot of different periods and eras to create a look for better or worse that is wholly Bridgerton.
For Penelope’s season three costumes, her looks were mainly inspired by the 1940s and 1950s—mostly taking inspiration from Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, and Jessica Rabbit. It was a bold choice and the costumes and styling skew more towards the “fantastical” rather than the semi-grounded looks of seasons one and two.
This page lists Penelope’s 11 best costumes from Bridgeton season three. The costumes were ranked on aesthetics, memorability and how they reflect Penelope as a character. There are 11 because she is the leading lady of the season. There are also two honorable mentions.
List is subject to change.
11. The Moonlight Kiss Dress
After the Full Moon Ball, Lady Whistledown reports that Colin is helping Penelope find a husband, which is rather scandalous. Penelope is dejected and withdraws to her room. Colin makes a late night call and the two share their first kiss.
Her costume is a pale metallic dress. The metallic color is somewhere between gold and silver with a floral pattern in a pale greenish hue. Her puffed sleeves are made from a pale shimmery metallic fabric. It’s a very ethereal dress.
This dress is seen again in episode 8 after Colin fails to reason with Cressida about blackmailing Penelope after learning that she is Lady Whistledown.
10. The Blue Day Dress
After it’s revealed that Penelope enlisted Colin’s help to find a husband she feels lower than low. She is still committed to her goal but feels defeated. And because she is feeling low, she doesn’t puts on airs and connects with Lord Dedling at a party.
She wears a rather pretty, dark blue, lace-like gown to a social gathering. The blue fabric has a touch of sparkle and is layered over white fabric. This blue gown is one Penelope’s most restrained and refined costumes. It’s not over-decorated, looks great on her, and can be seen again at the end of the final episode.
9. The Wedding Gown
Towards the end of the season Penelope and Colin get married. Though Penelope’s alter ego, Lady Whistledown, hangs between them, they get married with a big wedding and a grand wedding breakfast, complete with dancing. However the event is interrupted by the Queen.
Penelope’s gown is defiantly more “fantasy” than “Regency”—more old Hollywood than Jane Austen. The gown is blush pink as it suited Coughlan’s complex better than ivory. The soft v-neckline and short sleeve are gathered. Like many of Penelope’s costumes the silhouette has more of waistline that sits lower than empire waistlines of the Regency period.
The skirt is more A-line in shape with tulle rosettes at the lower third. She also has a white tulle bustle off the back forming a train that blended into the long veil adding a romantic sensibility that reflects Penelope’s character.
8. Green & Silver Floral Dress
By episode four, Lord Debling is ready to get the marriage ball rolling with Penelope. One thing he has to do is ask for permission to marriage her. As Penelope has no male family members this means he asks Portia, Penelope’s mother. Portia is pragmatic so she sees this as a great match and gives her blessing.
In this scene, Penelope wears a minty almost sea foam green dress. This very soft romantic color is her go-to color after the Danbury Ball. The sheer overlay has a silver floral pattern trailing up the dress and accented with white sequins. This is a very lovely dress and one her most refined and composed costumes of this season.
7. The Mirror Dress
Penelope wears a lot of minty seafoam green dresses throughout season three. However, it’s her dress that she wears during the confrontation with her mother after learning about the engagement, Colin defending her, the “mirror” scene, and learning about the Queen’s reward for information on Whistledown that stands out.
Her sheer puffed sleeve dress is quite lovely and well designed, embellished with floral embroidery overlay that comes ever so slightly over the neckline. The flowers on the skirt are a very light pink, almost white. It’s a very soft romantic look that suits her very well.
6. The Green Garden Dress
At the end of episode one, Penelope puts Colin in his place about what he said at the end of season two. As a way to make amends, Colin offers her lessons on charm in order to help her find a husband.
Her dress is silky green with sheer white overlay over the bodice. The puffed sleeves are made with the same overlay fabric, but inside is blue ruffle that adds an intriguing bit of interest. The waistband is three tiers of green tulle. The skirt has a blue overlay that is heavily beaded in a lace-like pattern.
5. Full Moon Ball Gown
During the Full Moon Ball, Penelope comes into her own a bit when conversing with a gentleman. However, it all goes south when it gets out about Colin helping her. This causes her self-esteem to plummet.
Her muted blue gown is perfect for the ambience of the ball, which is celestial-themed. Her beading is in star shapes, iridescent sequins, moon-shaped crystals, and glitter. The lower third of the skirt has a scroll-like pattern ascending in tulle. Her star jewelry also matches the theme and is lovely.
4. The Library Dress
As Penelope is being courted by Lord Debling she entertains him at her family home as well as society gathering at library.
Her dress in these scenes makes her look like a mermaid who got her legs. The library dress is an ethereal combination of teals, blues and purples. The puffed sleeves are quite voluminous adding a sense of lightness and visual interest.
The skirt is dyed from teal to white to purple. It’s embellished with tulle appliqués with some subtle embroidery.
3. The Queen’s Ball Gown
At a ball hosted by the Queen, Penelope is about to secure a marriage proposal from Lord Debling. However, it all goes awry when Colin makes a scene seemingly ruining Penelope’s prospects. But by the end of the episode, Colin proposes to her.
Her ballgown is made from a slippery silky soft, minty seafoam green color with puffed sleeves. The sheer overlay is decorated with silver sequins. The sequins have a higher concentration around the center and at the hemline.
Penelope wears this gown during the famous “carriage scene” and at the start of episode 5. This gown is very similar to the gown she wears towards the end of the season at the Butterfly Ball, but that costume has more saturated color.
2. The Green Promenade Flirting Dress
In Penelope’s quest to find a husband, she enlists the help of Colin Bridgerton, one of the most eligible bachelors in the Ton and a pseudo-rake. As means to gauge what he is working with, he has Penelope show her flirting skills on some gentlemen as they walk together.
Her costume is a soft blue-green, symbolic of her family’s color (yellow) and the Bridgerton’s color (blue). Black floral appliqués accent this dress, adding a charming bit of constant along a matching blue-green velvet sleeveless spencer that has tulle pleating at the back. It’s always nice to see some velvet in the show.
1. The Purple Gown
After learning she is being blackmailed for a considerable sum and having it out with her mother, Penelope attends the wedding of her new sister-in-law Francesca.
The look that she wears to Francesca’s wedding is a very beautiful of shade of purple that is slight muted and slightly pinkish gown. This color is not new for Penelope as some of her best looks from season two were pink but purple is one her new colors in season three that gives her a mermaid vibe.
The gown has structured puffed sleeves. The sihoutte is more like she mother with a false empire waist and cinched in at her natural waistline which is pretty standard for season three costume.
The dress has a floral overlay that is embellished with sequins.
The effect of this purple gown is dreamy, romantic, and refined. It’s less embellished than some of her other gowns but it sticks a great balance between Penelope’s sense of glamour and lets Penelope’s natural beauty shine.
Honorable Mentions
Emeralda Ball Gown
Season three is kickstarted by Penelope’s glow-up. She displays her new look for the entire Ton to witness at the Danbury Ball. Her costume is deep dark emerald color layered over a metallic bronze. It decorated with feathers, sequins, and appliqués.
While this costume had the desired effect of getting people to notice her but her confidence didn’t match the drama of the costume. It was too much for her and after this, she wears softer romantic shades for the rest of the season.
However, it was one of the most memorable costume moments of season three and was heavily used in the promotion.
Green & Purple Dress
Prior to the wedding, Colin finds out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. Penelope tries to ask Eloise for advice while out on a walk. Eloise says she can not help. When Penelope goes through darker or lower periods she wears darker muted tones.
The bodice is sheer purple layered over muted green to create a mermaid-like effect. The skirt has a overlay of pink floral lace. It’s an interesting combination of the Featherington fashions mixed with her own sense of style. It makes a great hybrid between the costume designs of the seasons.