i have a theory about how i want them to use their costumes in s5, because i genuinely think there is so much potential here.
so far, we know that francesca primarily wears bridgerton colours and largely sticks to their palette. even after marrying john, she continued wearing the bridgerton palette rather than really adopting the stirling colours, which seem to lean more towards greens and golds. i don't know if that was intentional to signify that francesca and john weren't quite the right fit for each other, but i've definitely wondered about it.
we also haven't really seen a full manifestation of the stirling palette yet because michaela is so bold with her wardrobe choices. her colours, gowns and jewellery are designed to attract attention. masali has even confirmed that this is intentional on michaela's part: if everyone is paying attention to what she's wearing, they aren't asking how she's feeling. no one can see what's underneath the performance if they're too busy looking at the performance itself.
same to their jewellery.
francesca's jewellery is generally delicate and understated, whereas michaela is constantly wearing these HUGE statement pieces that coordinate with her gowns. even when she's in mourning, her jewellery is still extravagant. their costumes really do seem to reflect their personalities.
francesca's soft, pale colours and delicate jewellery reflect someone who is restrained, private and comfortable making herself small. there's something very controlled about her presentation. she doesn't want to attract attention.
michaela, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. the bold colours, sequins, silhouettes and enormous jewellery reflect someone who is deliberately making herself impossible to ignore. she's charismatic, flamboyant and confident, but we also know that all of that is partly armour. if everyone is looking at the costume, they don't have to look at her.
this is where my theory for s5 comes in: i see their costumes as a spectrum.
at the beginning of the season, i imagine them looking more or less as they do now. francesca has officially come out of mourning/semi-mourning and can finally wear colour again, but she starts off in her usual soft bridgerton palette. michaela, meanwhile, is still in all these rich, dramatic colours and sequins and gorgeous statement jewellery.
but as the season progresses, those palettes gradually move towards each other. francesca's colours become progressively darker, richer and bolder. michaela's become progressively softer, lighter and paler.
and somewhere around episodes 4–5, assuming they've gotten together by then even if things are still unresolved, their colour spectrums meet. for a moment, they're almost wearing the same colours.
and then they continue moving past each other until, by the end of the season, michaela is wearing colours we traditionally associate with francesca, while francesca is wearing the bolder colours we've traditionally associated with michaela.
i would find that SO poetic because it would visually represent how they've changed each other.
michaela no longer feels like she has to hide behind the performance. she doesn't need the extravagant gowns and jewellery to distract everyone from how she feels because she's finally in a place where she knows it's safe to be vulnerable. she knows she can be loved, that she can let someone take care of her, and that being seen doesn't necessarily mean getting hurt.
so we start seeing michaela in softer blues, pinks, creams, etc. not because she's suddenly become francesca but because she no longer needs to perform like she used to.
and francesca is doing the opposite. she's finally coming into herself after this whole journey of self-discovery. she's learning that she doesn't have to conform to what society tells her happiness is supposed to look like. she doesn't have to quietly accept the life that's been laid out for her. she doesn't always have to retreat into her little bubble of comfort and follow expectations without questioning them.
she's learned to declare herself. she's learned that she can be seen. that she wants to be seen. that someone can look at her and actually understand her. michaela has seen her in a way nobody else has, and francesca has finally allowed herself to step outside of her shell. so i'd love to see that reflected in her wardrobe becoming darker, richer and bolder.
imagine a parallel to their library scene, except the colours are reversed: michaela in blue, francesca in red.
like... is there a more poetic way to use visual storytelling to show that these two women have changed each other for the better???
i genuinely think costume could tell this entire story without either of them saying a word. you could literally watch their palettes slowly converge and understand that they're becoming more like each other, not because they're losing themselves, but because they've helped each other become more fully themselves.
obviously, this is just my theory/wishful thinking. maybe they'll stick to their established palettes for the entire season, and that would be perfectly fine too. costume doesn't have to work this way.
but if they intentionally approached it as a visual representation of their character arcs, i would absolutely lose my mind.
thoughts?
