An introductory description for the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”
Bridgerton takes place in a fanciful recreation of Regency London and its surrounding environs - or, at least, the upper crust members of the city, also known as the ton. Everyone is dressed to the nines, sparkling in empire-waist dresses, and frockcoats with tails. In this London, the weather is generally - perhaps a touch improbably - clear and sunny, highlighting the lush green grass and trees in the city parks, and the countryside beyond the city. For a period piece, the cast is notable for having several actors of color, which adds to the texture of this bright and bubbly show.
In Grosvenor Square, the perfectionistic Bridgertons and the ambitious Featheringtons live in large townhouses, across the street from each other. The Bridgerton’s abode is a two-story red-brick structure, with white trim around the windows and the front door painted forest-green. Green ivy grows along the edges of the facade. On the first storey, a climbing vine covers the brick with weeping cones of lavender blooms, like wisteria. Climbing rosebushes festoon the iron gate outside, and a pair of small trees covered in white blossoms flank the door.
The inside of the Bridgertons’ house echoes the outside: full of light and life, thanks to the extensive Bridgerton brood. The Bridgertons, a white family known for their good looks, consists of mother Violet and her eight children - named in alphabetical order. They spend much of their time in the airy drawing room, with multiple sofas and a pianoforte. The palette is light and breezy and cool - oodles of light blue, with white and pastel accents, and plenty of fresh flowers tastefully arranged. Mama Violet is a youthful-looking fifty-something, with brown hair, blue-green eyes, and refined features. Her thin lips get even thinner when she’s concerned, upset, or just at a loss for words. Eldest son and heir Anthony (pronounced Antony) is tall, lean, and handsome, similar to his brothers. He has dark brown hair and eyes, with a rakish smile that reveals a pair of dimples in his cheeks. He moves forcefully and confidently; as the eldest son, secure in who he is and what he wants. His brother Benedict has a somewhat softer demeanor, with similar tall-dark-and-handsome vibes, grey-blue eyes and an easier, more friendly smile. Colin has a babyface, with rounder cheeks and cupids-bow lips that curl up at the corners. All three brothers have dark brown hair in different variations on a pompadour, and different lengths of sideburns, with Anthony having the longest - they point toward the corners of his mouth. The next Bridgerton in line, our protagonist Daphne, is a very slender, slight young woman, who moves with graceful purpose. She has an oval face, full lips, blue-green eyes and long, thick light-brown hair with short bangs that she sometimes wears down, but often brushes back or styles in two symmetrical curls when she’s headed to a ball. Her sister Eloise is also quite thin, but moves with more jerky, flapping movements, as though uncomfortable in her array of fine dresses. She has dark brown hair with bangs and light blue eyes, and is constantly consulting the small notebook she carries with her. Francesca, Hyacinth and Gregory carry their respective family resemblances, and generally spend their time causing mischief in the background.
The house of the Featheringtons (another white family), by contrast, has a stark white stone facade with a black front door, and carved decorations between the windows - not a plant to be found. Lady Portia Featherington favors somewhat gaudier colors; her drawing-room is a deep chartreuse green, and her daughters are often dressed in saturated yellows, greens and pinks. The Baron Featherington is the head of the house, though mainly in name. He’s a middle aged man of short stature and can often be found at the margins, reading his paper and smoking his pipe as his wife plots and plans. Portia herself is a buxom middle-aged woman with vivid red tresses piled atop her head. Her taste in dress fabric tends toward busy floral patterns. The daughters share their mother’s red hair, in different shades. Philipa and Prudence are tall and lean, with darker auburn hair. Prudence has a more square-shaped face with a stern, pragmatic demeanor. Philipa often has a dreamy smile and wandering gaze. Penelope is significantly shorter and more plump than her sisters, with ice-blue eyes and a shy, hesitant bearing. She usually wears her lighter, strawberry tresses in tight curls on the crown of her head, and the rest of her long hair either loose down her back, or in a long curl over one shoulder. Penelope - Pen to her friends - is quick to smile with her good friend Eloise Bridgerton, and the first to make friends with her country cousin Marina. Marina is a slender young light-skinned Black woman with a wealth of dark hair in tight coils. She has an oval face, wide dark eyes, and high cheekbones. Her dress is somewhat plainer than the Featheringtons’ favored colors and frippery, but no less flattering on such a beautiful young woman.
The Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset, is a strikingly handsome, light-skinned Black man. He’s lean and tall, with full lips, sparkling dark-brown eyes, and his black hair cut short. Simon often has a bit of a smirk playing around his lips, and knows how to arch an eyebrow with the best of them. He stands straight and tall and moves confidently. Hastings house, his townhouse in London, is a huge, multistory stone affair, fronted by a large open yard with a fountain surrounded by trees. The fine furnishings filling its many rooms are shrouded in white cloths following the death of his father - the event which brings Simon to London.
One of his first visits is to Lady Danbury, a petite, middle-aged Black gentlewoman who uses a cane. Lady Danbury has a lean frame and a warm, medium-brown complexion. She walks with a regal bearing - her chin is often tilted upward. She has lively brown eyes under highly arched brows, and sleek dark hair pulled back from her face, revealing a stripe of white hair above her right temple. She favors clothing in deep red shades, and the occasional standup collar with lacy, jeweled details framing her striking features.
Our most regal resident, Queen Charlotte, is a light-skinned Black woman. She has a heart-shaped face, thin eyebrows, and dark eyes that are somewhat small - or perhaps it just seems that way since she’s constantly narrowing them in such an intimidatingly queenly fashion. She wears a succession of fantastical wigs, mostly in lighter colors like white and gray, often elaborately curled. Sometimes they are classical-looking, what you might expect in a period painting - smooth white curls piled into a tall tower, for example. But others make use of Afro-textured hair. One features tight white curls around the Queen’s hairline, with microbraids fashioned into larger plaits, spiraling upward. Another has thick white locs twisted together and adorned with sparkling ornaments. Perhaps the most striking is a high, fluffy Afro that radiates perhaps a foot in all directions, which the Queen wears when introducing the Prince at a ball.
The colors in this world are bright and vivid. The men wear tightly fitted coats, often worn open over a waistcoat and a shirt with a stand-up collar. The women, especially the younger ones, wear dresses with tight low-cut bodices, and a skirt that hangs freely below the bust. Sleeves are often short or sheer, though gloves are always worn out in society. The balls are lavish, with champagne towers, circus performers, and scads of flowers. The ton is gossipy, sunny, and diverse. The food is plentiful and impeccably styled on dishes and towers. Lift your pinky as you sip your tea, and enjoy the high-society goings-on in 1813 London.