Ditching their corsets. The Bridgerton cast traded their period costumes from the Netflix drama for some designer duds at the Met Gala 2022 in New York City on Monday, May 2.
Nicola Coughlan embraced the Featherington family name with her dress. She traded Lady Whistledown’s quill for a feathered pale pink gown with puffy princess sleeves designed by Richard Quinn. The black bustier peeking out from Coughlan’s dress matched her dark gloves and dramatic cape.
The Irish actress, 35, wasn’t the only one with a cape. Simone Ashley also had a dramatic black piece trailing behind her, but the look was very different. The Kate Sharma actress, 27 — who was part of the primary love story in season 2 of Bridgerton — wore a high-waisted black pencil skirt with a bronze bustier, showing a few inches of midriff. She topped off the look with a diamond necklace and a slick ponytail.
Though onlookers probably wouldn’t guess from the way she confidently struck a pose at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ashley admitted to Vogue in December 2021 that fashion is new to her.
“There was a massive learning curve for me,” she explained. “Just learning all the designers, exploring their oeuvres, and understanding what makes them unique. Once you know more about their voice, you think, ‘Well, what can be my voice, how am I going to use this [knowledge] to express myself?’”
She was able to look to her costars for help. While Ashley joined in the second season, stars like Phoebe Dynevor shot to the best dressed list after Bridgerton debuted in December 2020.
Dynevor — who stars as Daphne, the ingenue of the first season — wore a sheer black Louis Vuitton gown on Monday night. The French fashion house dressed several stars (including Gemma Chan, Sophie Turner and Emma Stone) in vintage or previously worn looks “with a twist” for the Met Gala.
Black was a theme for the Bridgerton beauties, all of whom made their Met Gala debuts on Monday night. “Fashion’s biggest night is an event I have followed for years (haven’t we all?), so it feels quite surreal, especially post-pandemic and all these events returning,” Dynevor, 27, told Harper’s Bazaar on Sunday, May 1. “It’s one of fashion’s biggest nights that really celebrates the industry and champions creativity and self-expression. I haven’t been before, so I’m super excited and intrigued, also nervous, it’s a big carpet!”
Scroll down to see the Bridgerton cast strutting their stuff: