Bloomers and opera gloves are getting a sexy update just in time for summer
Bloomers and opera gloves are this season’s must-have items, but we’re not talking about stiff crinoline skirts and gut-wrenching corset, this is officially the sexy cousin of Regency core. The vibe is Bridgerton has met the 00s Madonna hot pant age, with a touch of 90s ladette and 2014 twee. Kendall Jenner, Julia Fox and Bell Hadid are big fans of the accessories, whilst the more feminine luxury brands like Prada, Jacquemus and Dolce & Gabbana are some of the best at adopting Regency styles.
The inspiration for this trend spans far and wide, in fashion, film, and, of course, TikTok. In March on the last day of Paris Fashion Week, the Miu Miu show was the first luxury glimpse into this glamorously blooming trend. Emma Corrin closed the event wearing a beige turtleneck, bright blonde ladette-style pixie ‘do, and a pair of sparkling gold bloomers. Model Amelia Gray, known for her thin brows and sculpted cheekbones, also adopted a blush pink pair of glittering jewelled bloomers at the same show, immediately cementing the shorts as ultimate ‘it’ girl wear.
As for opera gloves, we call it the Bridgerton effect. Since its release in 2020, fashion has been figuring out how to adopt the statement accessory into casual wear for quite some time. Dolce & Gabbana did it best with a full black mesh and lace dress with sheer opera gloves look for SS23, closely followed by Jacquemus’ monochrome canary yellow (a bit like the style of Bridgerton’s Featherington girls), and then Louis Vuitton’s masculine take in baby blue quilt. Quite frankly, the opera gloves have their mitts all over the runway, but paired with bloomers and a cropped ‘do, the modern Regency lady is all the rage. Even better, the translation of the pieces between menswear and womenswear means that these staples can be interpreted with any style for everyone.
This week also saw the release of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which was a prequel to the popular TV show following the story of the elusive Queen. This series provided all sorts of inspiration, with the fashionable protagonist well known for her OTT glamorous dress draped in jewels and finery. The raunchiness of the spin-off only reflected this summer season’s hottest trend of mixing these Regency-era styles with a modern sexy update.
What’s more, a huge criticism of a lot of TikTok’s ‘cores’ are the exclusivity of the aesthetics to mainly white men and women. Regency core was decidedly one of them, but Queen Charlotte’s story explores the fight it took for the Ton (society) to get to a place of inclusivity and diversity. This introduces a whole new wave of inspiration and acceptance for different races and skin colours, which were previously neglected in these aesthetics. Thanks to creator Shonda Rhimes, Regency core has been rewritten – sexy bloomers for everyone!
This regal trend has been bubbling in the depths of fashion TikTok for quite some time now, albeit more daring than the Bridgerton iteration. Head of the fondly dubbed ‘unhinged fashion girlies’ of the platform, Clara Perlmutter, better known by her online moniker Tiny Jewish Girl, has been styling her summer bloomers for years now. In a double gold piece, a hot pink frilly pair, and the classic white tiered style, she introduced TikTok to the daring style – and was met with dismay and “is this satire?” comments. But the style pioneer was way ahead of her times, and now many are taking bloomers and opera gloves into their everyday wear thanks to her initial venture into sexy Regency wear.
Opting for a classic style of mini-bloomer, this summer is looking uber tiny and frilly. Cowboy boots or knee-high riding boots seem to be the perfect match, followed by a graphic tee or floaty vintage vest. It’s all about the exposed legs and covered arms – short bloomers and long opera gloves are reigning this summer. The only question that remains is, how will you get your bloomers out?
