A reason to watch more TV

Agood example that I recently encountered is the demand for costumes that are inspired by Bridgerton, a Netflix program that debuted in December 2020. The show has sparked consumer interest for costumes resembling clothing from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The programme is set in the early 1800s in London, but the clothing worn by the characters spans several styles, says Larry Docktor, owner of Broadway Costumes & Theatrical Supply in Sacramento, California.

I talked to Larry, who is a member of the National Costumers Association, at the Halloween & Party Expo in Las Vegas in January. When I followed up with him in a phone call a couple of weeks ago, he offered more details about the demand for Bridgerton-related wear.

“When customers come in and say they want something from Bridgerton, we have to educate them that we don’t have ‘official’ Bridgerton costumes, but usually we can steer them to something from those eras,” Larry says. “If you watch the show you can see that the clothing spans the decades and styles that traditional costume rental houses are used to.”

Larry says his store is well stocked with rentals that please Bridgerton fans. Broadway Costumes has been open since 1965 and has accumulated a great volume of quality costumes which resemble what’s worn on the show.

“We’ve been renting the fans a lot of Victorian and some Colonials and some fancy Renaissance-style stuff, like gowns that look like a queen,” he reports. “There are also some ‘70s style dresses that work. A longer, slender flowing gown from the ‘70s goes well because that’s what they use in the TV show.”

If you’re hoping to snag some rentals to Bridgerton fans, Larry recommends watching a few episodes of the show so that you’ll know how to direct them. He’s not aware of any officially licensed Bridgerton costumes, but if you have a decent selection of outfits from those early 1800s eras, you’ll do fine.

Naturally, Bridgerton is just one example of a TV programme inspiring costumes. Other recent shows that have pumped up sales include Wednesday, the coming-of-age program highlighting Wednesday Addams, the daughter of the Addams Family; Stranger Things, a Netflix show about weird stuff that happens to a group of teens; and Ted Lasso, a comedy about a soccer coach. None of these require complicated outfits – just watch a few episodes of each and make sure you stock something that looks right.

The bottom line is this: If you need an excuse to watch more TV, now you have it. It’s all about the business of costuming.

Born out of a competition prize of foil balloons, Folat founders Marc Mulckhuyse and Alex Adrichem have grown the company over the last three decades to become a leading supplier in the European party industry. Progressive Party gets together with Marc to hear about the journey so far.