Cressida's Red 'Revenge' Dress In 'Bridgerton' Was Full Of Hidden Meaning

Warning: This article contains Bridgerton season three spoilers.

Bridgerton's third season has been a long time coming (more than two years, to be exact), and while certain fans have been waiting on the edge of their seats for the next instalment, here on the ELLE UK fashion team, it's the costumes that we've been looking forward to above all.

Having already binged the entire season in one sitting (well, two), we can confirm that it was well worth the wait. From Kate's endlessly fabulous Regencycore looks to the sartorial Bridgerton-ification of Penelope – that reached its pinnacle with her elegant pink wedding dress – the show's costume designers have nailed it once again in the fashion department.

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We'd venture to say, however, that the strongest look of the season was a certain 'revenge' dress worn by Miss Cressida Cowper – and particularly since new details about it have emerged courtesy of costume designer John Glaser.

Speaking with Variety, Glaser revealed that a red dress was dictated in the show's script, but he 'felt the need to make the gown into an entrance dress.'

'It's like an F-U dress when she walks in,' he explained, which is particularly fitting, given the plot-line and Cressida entering into her (albeit false) villain role.

bridgerton cressida red dress season 3

'It’s translucent, so it’s not giant, heavy. It still has mystery to it. You’re not really sure where it stops, where it starts and you’re not really sure if it’s a red dress...' continued Glaser. Indeed, the designer created the clever colour ambiguity with a variety of layers: the under fabrics of the gown were in a shade of hot pink, overlaid with a deep burgundy fabric to create a dynamic and bold red.

Eagle-eyed viewers may also have noticed that Cressida's looks throughout the season all featured dramatic, heightened sleeves – to 'give her some armour' in facing her shifting storylines, explained Glaser.

bridgerton season 3 penelope and cressida filming still

And while the red dress in question did not feature the same, Glaser added a huge bow to the back that 'added to her protection'. Not that it helped her much in the end...

Let the countdown to Bridgerton season four begin.

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