Penelope Featherington's yellow dresses aren't going anywhere in "Bridgerton [1]" season two, but now more than ever, the details are worth honing in on. Season one costume designer [2] Ellen Mirojnick originally chose yellow for Penelope — whose alter ego is gossip columnist Lady Whistledown [3] — because it represents her deceitful nature and also ties back to the Regency era, when yellow was one of the more fashionable colours. Her mother, Portia, who is incredibly concerned with the family's social standing, has chosen the shade for her daughters as she works tirelessly to find them husbands.
In season two, Penelope's distaste for yellow is highlighted when Edwina Sharma [4] compliments her dress at the ball and she interprets the remark as sarcasm. "Oh, you have a sense of humour," Penelope says, going on to admit to Edwina she's grown weary of the colour. "I can understand," Edwina replies. "Though, I suppose in truth it is not a matter of the colour but rather how one wears it. You wear it well."
The exchange is brief, but acknowledges the significance behind Penelope's wardrobe on the show, which expands to incorporate more pinks as Sophie Canale takes the reins as the series' costume designer in season two. Canale explained in an interview with Fashionista [5] that this shift happens for Penelope because she is getting older, and surely more mature as she gleans more and more information about the secrets of the ton [6] — all of which she'll shed light on as Lady Whistledown in her newsletter.
"However they may be sticking to the rules, the Featheringtons' fabric choices and embellishments are not like anyone in town," Canale teased in a Shondaland [7] article about this season's screen style [8], speaking to the luxurious brocade finishes, intricate embroideries, and matching accessories Penelope wears. Click through the slideshow ahead to find out how her looks are reflective of her evolving story arc.
When Penelope is writing as Lady Whistledown, we often see her in a relaxed state, wearing nightgowns that don't have much colour and are more mature than her yellow party frocks, which err on the youthful side.
This season, Penelope tries on light shades of pink and peach as she gradually makes her transition to debutante age. In episode one, we see her in this pouf-sleeved day dress, complete with subtly playful details, from the bow to the speckles of yellow in the delicate floral print.
The Featheringtons stick to their yellow-toned colour palette throughout season two, with each look getting darker and more regal by age.
Penelope's bright yellow day dresses are all carefully coordinated, down to the gloves, purse, and butterfly clip that matches with the embroidery on her skirt.
Midway through season two, we recognise the Featheringtons experimenting more with rosy tones, though as a family, they are usually wearing gowns and coordinating headpieces on the warmer side of the colour wheel.
In episode six, we see Penelope wear her signature canary yellow outside of the wedding. It was during a moment where she's meant to appear particularly naive, trading gossip with Elosie about a secretive love interest.
In episode seven, Penelope contrasts her friend Eloise in daisies from head to toe. As per usual, her hair clip reflects the same pattern on her dress and the adorable matching heart-shaped bag.
Penelope's look in episode eight, the final episode of season two, tends toward a more golden palette. Her gloves coordinate with Colin's own brocade shirting, which is suggestive of their relationship to come.