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Bridgerton Hats. Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in episode 204 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2022

Bridgerton hats – a starring role

Bridgerton hats – a starring role

The spectacular costumes in the smash Netflix show draw us in to the colourful world of the ‘ton’. We chat to the series’ hat designer about her creations

Theatrical Milliner Sophie Lambe, of Reel Millinery, was the head milliner on both series of Bridgerton and has created stunning hat designs for films including Emma and Ammonite. She tells us more…

“The hats and headdresses on Bridgerton 2 were an integral part of the costume, designed by Sophie Canale. Each household had a colour palette and this was also reflected in their particular costume styles. We were given a mood board for each family and had ideas as to what their characters might choose to wear. I think the main challenge this season was creating pieces that had an element of historical relevance, yet captured the modern twist of the designs that had worked so well in Bridgerton Season 1.

I love my job, the diversity of what is asked of you on a day-to-day basis. One might be asked to create a hairpiece and a matching reticule for the following day, or three top hats covered in different velvets, with extra made for the stunts! We were very much part of a large costume team. The millinery department grew with the months and the demand on us. I have a fabulous team of experienced milliners, and try to bring trainees in whenever possible to gain more experience. Millinery is becoming more in demand within the industry as part of the costume department, invaluable on large projects where the hats are so featured.

I worked on all  three Fantastic Beasts series, which spanned the 1930s, designed by Collen Attwood. “Emma” was also brilliant to work on, the colours and fabrics of Alex Byrne ’s designs were so gorgeous to work with and original to the period. The locations were also very beautiful and a privilege to work in as is so often the case. I hand sewed the large black straw worn in Ammonite by Sorcha Ronan, for designer Michael O’Connor. This was very much a labour of love. The high definition in films nowadays shows every stitch when an actors’ face fills the cinema screen, so it is imperative to remember this, particularly when you are creating period hats.

There are any number of things that inspire my work, old paintings /books/old newspapers/other films/ fashion. I do love looking through old dress patterns, so many are now accessible online as a download, we are very lucky in this respect, to have a wealth of resources at our fingertips.”

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