Meet the Modistes: The Makers Behind Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton
From intricate corsetry to dramatic puffed sleeves: discover how our team of creators brought the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collection to life
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Meet the Modistes: The Makers Behind Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton
From intricate corsetry to dramatic puffed sleeves, and even a mysterious cape: discover how our team of creators brought the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collection to life
Amid the swirling romance, whispers and scandal of Netflix and Shondaland’s hit series Bridgerton, there’s one elegant element that captures the imagination like no other: the clothes.
Equal parts dramatic and whimsical, the bodices, corsetry and extravagance of Regency attire is thrillingly playful. When it came to the creation of the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton pop-up, Regency attire was, naturally, at the top of the list for bringing the botanical fabrics collaboration to life.
As you step off Regent Street and into the Regency world of Bridgerton, you’ll spot a series of garments, both in the windows and on the Forth Floor: each intricately crafted to evoke Bridgerton’s contemporary take on history.
To create these showpiece items, the Liberty team called on its network of talented craftspeople, seamstresses and costumiers.
Here, they share the inspirations behind their creations.
See the garments in real life at the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton pop-up.
Meet the Modistes
The Writing Room, featuring the Lady Whistledown cloak
Sasha Denham, Final Year Costume Design Student at the London College of Fashion
"As a final year costume design student at London College of Fashion, my course occasionally provides opportunities to get involved in the industry. I first heard about this project from my course leader, Louise Chapman, and as a fan of Bridgerton since the first season, I jumped at the chance to work with Liberty's renowned fabrics. I created the Lady Whistledown cloak featured in Lady Whistledown’s writing room.
When starting this project, I was particularly excited to experience Liberty’s iconic Tana Lawn™ Cotton. I love the print of the Posy Corsage, the small bouquet of flowers are perfect for spring! Despite being tricky to work with, the green velvet was the perfect colour to symbolise Lady Whistledown, green being Penelope’s iconic colour throughout the season, with the darker shade highlighting her incognito alter ego.
Naturally, Bridgerton was the main source of inspiration for the garments. I have always admired how Bridgeton blends the past and the present, creating its own whimsical era. In my own work, I often take inspiration from period garments and use modern techniques to create contemporary costumes."
Hannah Edgar, Creative Stylist and Senior Production Co-ordinator at Liberty
"For the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton project, I mainly focussed on sleeves! I made three pairs for the windows and the exhibition and then a single sleeve that was used in the close up shot with Hannah Dodd on the campaign shoot. I also covered one of the bustles that was featured in the shoot.
The pieces were discussed with the Liberty VM team, to keep in line with the exhibition's general feel, so we selected a few general sleeve ideas and then I worked out how each fabric would sit, for example, where to gather.
With the piece for the shoot, we knew we wanted to add a sheer fabric to it so that Hannah [Dodd] could almost peer through the garment, so I found a soft blue silk organza that matched the tones of the floral print.
Throughout the garments we concentrated on trying to add volume in places that felt "Bridgerton", so there were lots of channels built into the pieces to add elastic and gather.
My favourite prints were the green and white, and blue and white larger floral, Regency Trail, as it reminded me of a vintage Laura Ashley dress that my mum had in the ‘90s. I think it's a beautiful, soft and delicate print that still managed to be really striking. I can see this used for so many things clothing and interiors-wise!"
Mathilde Weihrich, Final Year Costume Design Student at the London College of Fashion
I am from the South of France, the French Riviera, and I moved to London to study costume design at London College of Fashion. I am in my last year of the degree, and when I graduate I’m really excited to work for the stage industry. I love designing and making, but I also like to challenge myself with fabric, techniques and sustainability.
I was so lucky to get involved in this project. My course leader sent an email saying that Liberty was looking for two people to create garments for their collaboration with Bridgerton. I jumped on the occasion!
Outside of this project, my other work is more performance related. Recently, I made costumes for a collaboration between The Wallace Collection and the English National Ballet School.
For the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collaboration, I made a puff sleeve jacket which is in one of the windows displays. I would have loved to sew even more: like a corset, petticoat or crinoline.
When I receive a brief, I always talk a lot with the client. For example, if they have a message, a certain aesthetic etc... Anything that could help me create and know my limits. Then, I go on Pinterest and do a nice little mood board, some museum visits and a bit or drawing.
Liberty provided the pattern for the jacket, which was quite easy to make as it did not involve a lot of techniques. The trickiest part of the garment might be the sleeve. Obviously, the sleeves need to be puffy, and the silk cannot stand by itself. So, I added some tulle to help it hold its shape. I also added have some gathering to give a nice volume and create the puffiness, there are also three pleats at the front.
Seiko Fujino, Dressmaker Based in Walthamstow
I’m a dressmaker based in Walthamstow, London. I specialise retro fashion and I often use vintage fabrics and recycled material to make new clothes for my clients.
I became involved in making garments for the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collection when one of my clients, who I make dresses for, recommended me to the visual merchandising team at Liberty – that’s how the project started!
I helped create one of the Regency outfits in the window display, some of the display table clothes. I also made 50 sets of cuff pieces for Hannah’s [Edgar] project.
The window outfit I created was Regency era dress with wired petticoat underneath. I made sure these were full of fabric to give the high volumes and richness characteristic of Bridgerton.
When I’m making dresses, my favourite fabric is Liberty’s Tana Lawn™ Cotton. I use Liberty Tana Lawn™ cotton when creating items for my clients, as it is easy to sew and feels so good to wear.
