The Ultimate Gift Guide for 'Bridgerton' Lovers
Live like you belong in the hit Netflix Regency-era romance romp.
Dearest readers, the time has come for another season—of Bridgerton. In honor of the highly anticipated return of the Regency-era romp, we’re digging up all the sex, scandals, and secrets of the Netflix show. Sorry Lady Whistledown, Marie Claire’s “Bridgerton Week” is about to be the hottest read in town.
As Lady Whistledown would say—or rather write, as she did in her missive alerting us to the second season of Bridgerton—“It’s time to break out that stored bottle of ratafia.”
Based on The Viscount Who Loved Me—the second book in Julia Quinn's series—the new season of our favorite Netflix Regency-era rom-com follows eldest son Anthony's love travails. And we couldn’t be more excited. So much so, we want to make over our entire lives to be like a Bridgerton. So, for all your Regencycore cosplay needs, allow us to present: gifts for you and other like-minded wannabe denizens of the ton.
Know someone who likes to get busy in the kitchen? They'll love “The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook” by Lex Taylor. Recipes include tea-friendly treats like Penelope’s Yellow Cake, of course, as well as "High Society Scones." There's also something called "Boxer’s Best Sausage Doughnuts." Color us intrigued.
In season 1, Simon (Regé-Jean Page) made pulses race with his appreciation of a silver teaspoon (which now stars on its own Insta). Have a pretty spoon engraved with your fave pillow talk for a stan of that saucy scene.
Pick from seven ravishing colors with a dewy-satin finish. Swipe it on for a devastating pout that's also royally moisturized thanks to botanical collagen and passionfruit oil.
For those who can't (won't?) stop thinking about the Duke of Hastings—even if season 2's heartthrob is Daphne's brother, Anthony—here's something to keep them warm: an "I burn for you" sweatshirt from the company founded by Meena Harris. Note: They're on sale.
All the better to promenade with: This new capsule shoe collection ranges from bright Featherington-esque floral heels to demure flats, such as these lacy and velvet-bowed cuties.
For someone born to wear the tiara: Gift them this sparkly yet understated headband that combines pearls with Swarovski crystals.
Marina’s lover’s eye necklace was based on an actual flirty trend of the period. Donning a tiny painting of just a mysterious eye told everyone (wink, wink) that you had a secret admirer. We love that this one comes in three different skin and eye shades.
When it's tea-spilling time, they'll want to do so by the light of a candelabra with just the right pre-electricity vibe. The item's name refers to Napoleon's Parisian home and the palm and lotus embellishments are typically Empire.
Even more outdoor fun: Kate and Anthony go riding, leading to her remark, "Your character is as deficient as your horsemanship." She has a way with a riding crop, but will she whip this viscount into shape?
What's better than sipping wine while watching "KAnthony" spar and spark? Answer: Sipping wine from a tumbler bearing a portrait of your favorite Regency rake.
Pat's first-ever body shimmer is a light-reflective powder containing a light floral scent and hydrating squalene to achieve that melt-into-your-skin glow. You'll look like the "diamond of the season." It comes in two shades: "Golden Majesty" or "Pale Moon."
There's nothing this social media-beloved brand likes more than romance...and plenty of flounces, like this midi dress with a silhouette that's pretty convincingly Regency.
This is the tiara you can wear every single day. It comes in dainty rose gold-plated sterling silver with a cubic zirconia gem.
TV heartthrobs Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) and now Anthony Bridgerton show off how great these look after a sudden dunking. But we think the big pirate-shirt trend is fun for all. Here’s a historically-accurate option for all your drip-dry puffy-shirt needs.
Remember that "easter egg" from the very first episode? Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) held what looked an awful lot like a quill pen (hint, hint). Pick up an ostrich feather pen for your own sharp-tongued Lady (or Lord) W.
The Bridgertons aren’t the only ones hung up on bees. The industrious insects are also a Gucci emblem from the 1970s, re-popularized by Alessandro Michele in his 2015 collection. These gold-tone studs combine crystals and faux pearls.
Shiftless corsets? No way. Fashion historians online bemoan corset inaccuracy. The laced torture devices were rarely if ever worn over bare skin. Women wore slip-like undergarments called shifts or chemises, usually made of cotton like this version, to protect the corset from skin oils and perspiration (and the wearer's bod from gouges and scrapes).
If she loves gloves, pick up these short and lacy ones—because god forbid any rando sees your lady’s bare hands.
Georgian homes weren’t especially well-heated so women would wrap up in paisley shawls, like this incredibly soft, fringed throw.
Pearly beads and glittery faux stones combine in this bold necklace that’s so Lady Danbury. Watch it add sparkle to any ballroom.
Free the belly: That season one scene where a Featherington sister is trussed up like a roasting chicken isn’t necessarily historically accurate. For a brief time (around 1800 to 1830), the empire waist spared women from the confines of tight-laced stays—as corsets (like this custom version) became smaller and more like modern-day bras, according to Valerie Steele, author of The Corset: A Cultural History.
Romance novelist Donna Hatch calls it “Regency sunscreen,” a.k.a. the parasol. It's a must-have accessory for properly flirtatious promenading.
Who doesn't swoon when the Regency beaux on the show flash glitzy, gilt-y, brocade vests under their frock coats?
Those Sharma girls love themselves some flower ornaments and the Featheringtons love color. These hand-painted stunners might just start a fight.
The British and Dutch East India companies made fortunes importing tea, spices, and textiles. By the Regency era, tea was trendy. And no tea party is complete without a suitably flowery teapot and accessories such as this porcelain seven-piece service for two, including teapot, sugar bowl, creamer, and a pair of cups with saucers.
Did we see Nicola wearing these retro trainers under her ballgown in a photo shoot? The fold-down heels are easy to slip in and out of when it's showtime.
Don't happen to have any ratafia to bust open? Maybe you don't even know what it is (we had to look it up). Turns out it’s an almond liqueur. At your next watch party, why not sub in a bottle of sweet almond-y Amaretto goodness?
By the Regency era the custom of afternoon tea—with little sammies, tiny cupcake-like sweets, and sometimes scones—had caught on.
Flaunt your pretty finger foods on this pleasingly mismatched stand and coordinating cups. The brand is known for upcycling the kind of crockery that’s gathering dust in grannies' cupboards.
Almost every woman on the show at one point wears a necklace that’s sparkly and dinky and dainty and flowery—just like this one. Understandably so, because these delicate chains look great against those Empire push-up necklines.
Historians say that in the 1700s, many people wrote about tea’s health benefits. One reason it was relatively healthy was because it required water to be boiled, a plus in an era when contaminated drinking water was common.
But loose tea can be tricky for Lipton-accustomed Americans. Try this lovely silver-plated brass infuser to keep your leaves together.
For someone who wants to dip even further into the history behind the fiction, pick up Mad & Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch, an owner of the L.A. romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice. She examines some real-life women of the period who broke rules and made their way. Learn about women like Caroline Herschel, who assisted her astronomer brother and discovered eight comets on her own, and Dido Elizabeth Belle, whose mother was a slave but whose white father’s family raised her in England.
This downloadable game inspired by Bridgerton and other Regency-era books (Jane Austen!) is perfect for that friend for whom plain old Netflix binging just isn’t enough.
This might not fly in one of the fine homes of the London society, but you could zhuzh up your tea party with a set of cutely mismatched floral plates.
For that fan friend who’s a fashion historian and still likes to play with dolls.
As for the tea itself, loose is the Brit way. Try this set of three classic flavors: Irish Breakfast, Earl Gray, and English Breakfast—in vintage-looking tins.
In the Bridgerton era, dresses softened up and women traded unwieldy hoops and panniers for loose, flowing fabrics. Print out and frame these full-size PDFs that show off the fashions of the time.
To recreate that season 1 Peneloise-lounging-in-the-drawing-room-eating-sweets moment, snap up a vintage English toffee tin and fill it with some major butter-y goodness.
For that place in the Venn Diagram where Bridgerton fan meets scrapbook-er. Enough said.
In season 2, Newton the corgi plays a crucial role. So are you Team Corgi or Team Pom (Queen Charlotte’s chien of choice)? Show your corgi cred with this charm for your Crocs.
Just like on The Great British Baking Show, B'ton is filled with desserts unfamiliar to American palates—syllabub or blancmange, anyone? And then there are biscuits and puddings that aren't. These delish digestive biscuits (a.k.a. cookies) weren't invented until 1839, but pick them up for the tea table anyway.
Regé-Jean Page won’t be back in the ton this season. So consider extinguishing that candle that smells like your vagina and instead burn one that smells like Simon. For those who have never been up close and personal with the Duke, that turns out to be notes of fig, sandalwood, tobacco, and musk in an eco-friendly, hand-poured soy wax. Yummy.
This brand has introduced soaps wrapped in Lady Whistledown’s Society Columns and tied up in a ribbon meant to evoke a corset of the period. The scent: bright notes of bergamot zest and Meyer lemon, enhanced with sweet floral notes of jasmine petals and gardenia, warmed with creamy vanilla essence and golden amber, sandalwood, musk, and rose.
For total immersion into all things Regency, pick up this unofficial tome that's full of the era’s celebs and scandals, as well as a helpful glossary of phrases. (“A bit of muslin” is an attractive female!) It's also a guide to the secret language of fan flirting. *Drops fan meaningfully.*
Of course, you’ll need a fan for that. Here’s one perfect for discreetly checking out the eligible beaux and belles at the ball. This handmade paper fan is dripping with roses, inspired by Britain's historic palace gardens.
They'll be grateful for all the tidbits of goss they can discreetly note down in this pretty bound journal. Customize it with your pen name of choice.
Bath is the historic city founded by the Romans for its natural hot springs. In the 18th century, it flowered into a beautiful, fashionable spot. Now it's a Unesco World Heritage site, and it's also, more importantly to some, the site of major show locations such as Gunter’s Sweets Shop, the Featherington home, and Modiste Couturier. The Francis Hotel in Bath offers a luxe “Step into Bridgerton” package including tea, tours of shooting locations, and all the ton vibes you could ask for.
Show your love of this impudent and short-legged breed (we mean corgis) with this regal ornament.
"Underneath every ball gown on every period drama ever," posted Nicola Coughlan on Instagram with a photo of her battered and comfy Uggs under her dress. Wear these soft-as-down ones in her honor. They're made of low-impact and plant-based stuff like sugar cane, natural rubber, and responsibly-harvested trees.
Love the show's somewhat anachronistic view of the 19th century? Then read some classics by actual women writers of the era—Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, and George Eliot—in this gorgeously bound set.
Her Majesty requires your attendance! You too can go to the ball and, just maybe, be the diamond of the season at this immersive Bridgerton experience in Chicago, L.A., Montreal, and D.C. Prepare for an evening of music, dance, cocktails, performances, and interaction with actors dressed in exquisite period costumes. (It's not the Renaissance Faire with turkey legs, but bodices will be overflowing, nonetheless.)
Show your Bridgerton love between the sheets. Get them in queen-size, of course.
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Maria Ricapito is a writer who lives in the Hudson Valley.
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