If it seems like everyone has been talking about Bridgerton, that's probably because they are. According to Deadline, the show is now the biggest in Netflix's history, with over 82 million households having watched the show since it was released in December. That's an impressive stat, so it's no wonder it's already been renewed for a second season (and TBH, we wouldn't be surprised if there are many more to come after that, following Julia Quinn's series of novels).
Recently, BuzzFeed talked with costume designers, music composers, and set decorators who worked on the series about the elaborate undertaking that it required to make Bridgerton happen, from the dresses that Daphne wore in each scene to the music that played during different points of the show. There are so many secrets, tiny details, and fun facts about what it took to make this series what it is, and we never would have guessed many of these facts.
Read on to find out even more about everyone's new favorite Netflix series.
7,500 Articles of Clothing Were Made for the Show's 6,000 Costumes
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick told the site that the scale of the show was the team's biggest challenge — the sheer volume of costumes they were creating is insane! She also shared that for some of the main characters, like Daphne, creating one dress took a week or more. Impressive!
Lady Featherington Was the Biggest Challenge
When it came to costuming, Ellen said Lady Featherington was the most difficult character to design for, especially since they shifted her look from what they originally thought it would be in the beginning.
"At that time we had to determine, along with our corset maker, what the best way to achieve [the way we wanted her to feel] was," Ellen said.
The Tiffanys & The Versaces
There's a huge contrast between the Featheringtons and the Bridgertons, and Ellen wanted to make that obvious in the costumes she designed for them to wear. She thought of the Bridgertons as the Tiffany family and the Featheringtons as the Versace family, describing the Bridgertons as "very old money, traditional" and the Featheringtons as "refined pastry."
Simon's Brooch
Just to show how detailed every piece of costuming, including the accessories, was on Bridgerton, let's talk about Simon's brooch. According to the costumers, this was actually passed down by his late mother, which is why it's something he wears every single time he's on screen. Aw!
Daphne's Changing Colors
Daphne's costuming changed as her character did, especially in color. Ellen said that she started with blue, a sign of her innocence, and it got deeper as the show went on.
"Her colors changed as she evolved and as she became the duchess, a married woman with her own ideas," she said. "We actually deepened the palette a little bit, made it a little dustier, a bit richer and deeper. And that helped us kind of arc the story a bit without changing the silhouette."
Marina's Accessories Also Have Meaning
When we meet Marina on Bridgerton, we quickly find out that she has a love who has gone to war, and the necklace she wears symbolizes that relationship.
"That's just to symbolize that she has a lover that nobody knows. Usually, the miniatures were up to the person, so people knew who they were, but they wouldn't display them. She has an eye. So she's the only one who knows who her lover is," costume designer John Glaser said.
Simon & Daphne's Musical Theme Changes
Composer Kris Bowers said that while they initially had a hard time pinpointing what music fit for Daphne and Simon's theme, it was eventually inspired by piano music from Ravel and changed as their relationship evolved.
"The theme, the first time we hear it, it's really mysterious and very romantic, and sexy, and dark," he explained. "The only time early in the season that we hear it in a really optimistic form is that final dance scene at the end of Episode one. But from that point, the theme goes into all these twists and turns. Sometimes it's really unsure and kind of vague. There's a moment when they're at Hastings house, and they're really distant from one another emotionally, so the theme is played with that kind of feeling. But it doesn't appear in a bright, happy, optimistic way until the end of the whole season."
They Cut a Kanye West Song
Bridgerton includes many orchestral covers of modern songs, and a Kanye West song was one of them, but it ultimately ended up getting cut.
"There used to be a Kanye cover in there," Kris said. "We decided to have me approach composing something that felt similar and had a similar sound to it. But that was one we didn't [wind up using]."
They're Already Thinking About Season Two's Covers
Kris added that there's one artist they're hoping to borrow a song from for the covers that will be used in the next season, and that artist is Beyoncé. There are so many songs of hers that would be perfect to use, depending on what kinds of scenes they need it to fit. Hmm …
All the Music Was Composed Virtually
The musicians never played together — because of the health crisis — but still created a score this good. It is a true testament to their talent and hard work.
"For something like this, we would have had at least 30 musicians playing together," Kris said. "The musicians just show up, they play, and that's all they have to worry about. [With social distancing] each musician is recording themselves, they have to set up their own space, they're recording at home and dealing with whatever life is throwing at them in this crazy time, as well."
Over 293 Sets Were Used
Set decorator Gina Cromwell said that included every location, staircase, and corridor, with about 30% of the show being filmed on set and the rest being filmed on location in England. Considering how detailed the sets really are, it sounds like a massive undertaking!
The Featherington Women's Dressing Room Was Repurposed
The set that was created as the Featherington ladies' dressing room was incredibly elaborate … and it also happens to have been used twice. Later, it was redecorated to become Lord Featherington's bedroom, which was easy to do because those scenes were filmed after the dressing room scenes had been completed.
The Garden Party Scene Was a Huge Undertaking
Mostly because it was filmed in December, which isn't necessarily the best time for a garden party (or real blooming flowers).
"The entire garden had to be dressed with flowers, artificial flowers, in order to give it the feeling that it was the middle of the summer," Gina said. "Every single flower bed had to be dressed with roses. I mean, it was a massive job to get that done."
Simon's Residence Was Actually Several Different Locations
When Simon and Daphne arrive at Clyvedon, it seems like it's one big manor, when actually, the set designers had to string together a bunch of different locations to create it — six, to be exact. These locations were across London, Bath, and Yorkshire, with Simon's office on the South Coast.
The Courtyard Scene Took Place Inside
And yes, it was raining … but the set was built for that, with systems of pipes and tanks for the water.
"From my point of view, I was just involved with making sure that there were flowers, always flowers, and that there was food and pretty things like that," Gina said. "But I know that from the point of view of the audience, they were (hopefully) fooled into thinking that it was actually an outside set."
Lady Whistledown's Theme Music
Now that we know that Lady Whistledown is Penelope, that may change her music (and Penelope's) in the upcoming second season.
"I think that the creation of Penelope's theme came from this place of her being unseen," said Kris. "So it was much more of pining, almost sad theme. And I think keeping that as her theme throughout the season really helped us throw off the scent of her having the wit that Lady Whistledown has. I think it's going to be interesting to see how, in future seasons, we can try to either meld the two of those things, or how much we keep those things separate, or how much we play with the idea of playing a little of Lady Whistledown's theme under Penelope's now that we do know that it's her."
Different Instruments Are Used for Different Scenes
"The boxing sequences have a very different sound, like there's a solo violinist, which isn't really heard [anywhere else] and some of the more militant and metallic sounding percussion was used for battle sequences or action moments in the show," Kris said. And when it came to Simon and Daphne's scenes, it was all about the piano.
Daphne's Pianoforte Scene Is Accurate
When Daphne's playing, the music is actually Kris playing piano, but her fingers are in the right places for it to be accurate.
"I'm not sure if it's her hands and someone taught her, or if there's a stunt double, but the notes that are playing are correct," he said. "We sent sheet music so the actors could get familiar with it. I'm not actually sure how they shot those scenes, but it looks really incredible, especially being a musician, it was really great to see them pay so much attention to detail."
