Love the Bridgerton Aesthetic? Meet Ophelia

If you love the romantic, slightly dreamy world of Bridgerton, chances are you’ll have a soft spot for Regency fashion too, with it's high waists, delicate lace, beautiful fabrics, soft colours and of course the beautifully structured underpinnings.

That was very much in my mind when I created Ophelia, the newest Pip & Pantalaimon collection. Ophelia is vintage-inspired lingerie with a definite Regency-era and Bridgerton aesthetic, but with one very important difference: this is lingerie designed for modern life.

A little Regency history

The world of Bridgerton is inspired by the Regency period, broadly associated with the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the formal British Regency dating from 1811 to 1820. 

Regency stays and corsets were generally quite different from the later Victorian corset. Both short and long styles existed, and many were designed primarily to support and shape the bust rather than dramatically cinch the waist.

This is one of the reasons the lingerie and undergarments in Bridgerton are so fascinating. The show's costume designers have taken inspiration from these historical shapes and turned the dial up, creating a romantic, glamorous version of Regency fashion that has helped make Regencycore a modern fashion trend.

And that's exactly the kind of thing I love to do at Pip & Pantalaimon: take inspiration from beautiful vintage shapes and construction, then make something that actually works for the way we dress and live today.

Enter Ophelia

Ophelia is the long awaited successor to our much loved Odette collection, and she has that same slightly nostalgic, romantic quality but with a softer, more Regency inspired feel. Which is why she was front and centre of our summer shoot at Kelmarsh Hall. 

The collection combines a beautiful sage satin base with vintage beige lace, which is laminated directly to the satin. This gives the lace a lovely softly textured, almost antique appearance. It's delicate, feminine and a little bit dreamy. But don't let the prettiness fool you.

Underneath that romantic exterior are the modern shapewear fabrics and construction techniques that I use throughout Pip & Pantalaimon. Ophelia is designed to look like something you might discover in an old dressing room, but it's made to be worn now.

Vintage inspiration, modern materials

One of my favourite things about making lingerie is finding fabrics that already have a little bit of history to them.

The fabrics I use aren't mass-produced specifically for P&P. I source deadstock and surplus fabrics, often from the sample rooms of larger lingerie fabric manufacturers. These can be odd rolls, discontinued colours or fabrics left over from previous production.

That means beautiful fabrics that might otherwise go unused can be turned into something completely new.

For Ophelia, I've combined these modern lingerie fabrics with vintage inspired pattern cutting, traditional lingerie making techniques and proper garment construction.

So while the finished pieces might give you visions of Regency ballrooms, country houses and Bridgerton, they're still made to cope with modern life.

 

There are several pieces in the collection, so you can build your own combination. From the bralette and longline bra to the six strap suspender belt, girdlette, longline girdle and knicker styles.

And if you find yourself wanting the whole collection, there's the Ophelia Collection Box, which includes every piece and represents a 15% saving compared with buying them individually.

 

Regency-inspired. Vintage in spirit. Modern in construction. And made slowly and carefully by me here in the UK.

If you've been searching for Bridgerton inspired lingerie, Regency lingerie, Regencycore fashion or vintage inspired lingerie, I think you may have just found your new favourite collection.

SHOP THE OPHELIA COLLECTION