The Bridgerton Chronicle: Why is trend exploding on social networks?

Instagram and TikTok are overflowing with content inspired by the Bridgerton Chronicle series. What's all the fuss about? The answer can be summed up in 2 words: fashion and music, the social networks' favorite ingredients.

Bridgerton season 3 was unveiled on Netflix in early May 2024, and unsurprisingly it's a hit. While its fans love the series' romanticism and sumptuous settings, they also love the stunning fashion pieces inspired by the Regency era and the baroque revisited pop songs that get London's high society dancing.

The series is a sensation on TikTok. According to data from Visibrain, a social network monitoring tool, the #Bridgerton hashtag has accumulated over 2.4 million publications, twice as many as the Game Of Thrones series (and 118 times more than DowntownAbbey). Penelope, Colin and Daphne are the most popular characters, ahead of Eloise, Bénédicte and Simon. Among the most popular videos are those in which Internet users draw inspiration from the series to dress in outfits similar to the Bridgerton atmosphere.

The Bridgerton Chronicle goes viral on social networks

Velvet dresses, Mary Janes, puffed sleeves, corsets and headbands are all over social networks. No doubt about it, The Bridgerton Chronicle is back and influencing fashion trends. Costume director Ellen Mirojnick told The Hollywood Reporter: "Our intention was to do the exact opposite of Jane Austen (The Bridgerton Chronicle is largely inspired by Jane Austen's novels), so the costumes had to have a folie de grandeur dimension. That was all it took for social networks to go wild.

As social networks go wild, so do sales. According to Stylight, between the 17th and 19th (the first weekend of season 3), searches for clothing associated with the keyword "puffed sleeves" soared by 20%. There's no doubt that Penelope Featherington's new style - she's swapped her frilly dresses for more chic outfits adorned with puffed sleeves and pretty embroidery - is the envy of many.

Since the launch of the series, the number of clicks on velvet dresses has reportedly risen by 69%. Another must-have is the corset. Brought up to date by fashion brands surfing on the Bridgerton style, the characteristic piece of Victorian romanticism is reviving the "Coquettecor" trend, meaning coquettish aesthetics. To complete their wardrobe, instagrammers are also flocking to Babydoll dresses (+63%) in white or pastel colors, close-fitting but not too tight. And last but not least, for a total look, many of them opt for capes and ponchos, very much in vogue this season.

But don't be fooled, as social network fashionistas are well aware: to win the Miss Regency trophy, you can't do without certain accessories. Gold, pearls, veils... The very trendy bows of the time were quickly adopted by fans (+42% of searches). The same goes for Mary Janes, also known as babies, flat shoes or shoes with a slight heel and a strap at the front of the foot (+36% of searches on Stylight).

A Bridgerton-style playlist that's a hit on social networks

But if the series is such a success on social networks, it's also thanks to its playlist, which revisits pop songs in baroque style. Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay... These are just some of the songs that get London's socialites up and dancing, and give the series its distinctive flavor. A whimsical juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern that has won over a younger, more diverse audience. According to showrunner Chris Van Dusen, the use of classic pop covers was a way of reflecting the series' new take on the genre of period romance."Whether it's the music or the world of the show, the scripts, the sets, the costumes; it all goes back to infusing things through our own unique modern lens and making things seem accessible to whoever's watching," Dusen told Oprah Magazine . Bridgerton is certainly not the first series to mix old and new in its soundtrack (in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, rapper Jay-Z's music plays a prominent role). But by using acoustic instruments typical of Georgian England, Bridgerton maintains the illusion of the period and captures the romance of the plot in a way that only classical instruments can achieve.

In this latest season, we saw the guests at a ball dance to BTS's Dynamite, as well as Cressida Cowper's stunning entrance to Demi Lovato's Confident. And what can we say about the already cult carriage scene between Colin and Penelope, accompanied by Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" featuring Afrojack and Ne-Yorevisité? A cover that the rapper was delighted with on social networks:"This shows the world once again how music is an international language that transcends borders, and how a hit song can remain timeless. Thank you @bridgertonnetflix and @netflix for this opportunity, Dale! @neyo @afrojack".

‍

‍

Music is clearly one of the keys to the success of The Bridgerton Chronicle. Two fans of the series, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, even won a Grammy in 2022 for best "musical theater" album. The two young women began creating their own social networking content based on the series, under the name Barlow and Bear. Netflix, which initially saw their success on social networks as beneficial for the series, eventually lodged a complaint when the two young women tried to monetize their success by creating a musical."Netflix supports fan-generated content, but Barlow and Bear went even further, seeking to create multiple revenue streams for themselves without formal permission to use Bridgerton's intellectual property," said the streaming platform.

Finally, we couldn't resist sharing a few bonus videos, because that's what social networking is all about.