The ladies of Bridgerton are out in force at the 2022 Met Gala. Nicola Coughlan and Phoebe Dynevor have already walked the carpet, and protagonist of the show’s sophomore season Simone Ashley is also expected to make an appearance on Monday, May 2.
And Nicola Coughlan is not one to waste a fashion opportunity. She generally makes it a policy to look like a vision at major events, and her first Met Gala appearance was not an exception. She arrived at the star-strewn event in an outfit sure to grab the admiring attention that her Bridgerton character Penelope Featherington never receives. The 35-year-old wore a pink and black Richard Quinn gown with massive puffed sleeves, black formal gloves, and a train like an oil spill. Her ears dripped in Swarovski jewels, and the Swarovski crystals studded her gown.
We’re seeing Queen of Hearts. We’re seeing the feathers as a reference both to “Featherington” and to being a scribe of missives written with a feather quill. We’re seeing the lightness of youth with an obviously regal silhouette—not princessy, not daughter-of-gentry, but queen-like. The outfit is already attracting praise on social media, with critics noting that the Richard Quinn look captures the theme of “Gilded Glamour” without being as literal as many of the shiny, gold-flecked looks on the carpet.
Coughlan also shared her and her team’s getting-ready process on Instagram:
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Coughlan often goes with a lighter fabric for her formalwear—organza and lace, girlish textures, and cuts that shimmer and float around her body. Her Met Gala look is an exciting moment for her to lean into her power as an emerging style leader. Her breakthrough roles on Bridgerton and Derry Girls have involved playing characters who are much younger than she is. At the Met Gala, she looks fabulous in a new way. Her look is that of a woman who knows how much power she wields.
But if you still need proof that Coughlan never misses, consider the evidence:
