If you haven’t been on Instagram or TikTok in the past six months, let me fill you in on the main takeaway: Corset tops are trending. Though, I have a feeling demand for the piece is going to reach its peak over the next few days. Why? Because of Bridgerton, dear reader.
The second season of the hit series has just begun streaming on Netflix, and if you’re one of the 63 million who succumbed to the first—which aired almost a year and a half ago, if you can believe it—will know that the show’s return is a pretty big deal. While Rége-Jean Page might not be resuming his role as the duke (something I’m still coming to terms with), there is one thing I know I can count on being the same: the fashion.
Bridgerton is having a serious effect on our wardrobes.
I’m always here for a period drama, mostly for the outfits, and the Bridgerton costume department hasn’t disappointed with its fashionable take on bustles and empire gowns. Perhaps, however, the corset top is the most malleable Bridgerton-inspired piece you can add to your wardrobe.
If you doubt the show’s influence on our outfits, let me enlighten you. Intel from Depop shows that corset tops are currently number three on the most-searched-for items on the fashion resale platform. Furthermore, in the last three months, there has been a 155% increase in searches for the term “Regency core,” also on Depop. I feel seen.
So whether you’re fully subscribing to the Regency-core aesthetic or are looking for a subtler way to bestow your looks with Bridgerton flair, I have the solution. Scroll below to see 11 cool and chic corset-top outfits you’ll want to try for yourself.
Style Notes: Switch up your going-out outfit with a satin corset and wide-leg trousers, preferably in a bold colour-block like Jeannine Roxas’s.
Style Notes: Another thing there’s a lot of in Bridgerton? Pearls! Be it earrings or necklaces, pearls are a recurring jewellery theme in the series and just so happen to look their bougie best with a corset top.
Style Notes: Your corset top needn’t be satin—lean into the Y2K sensibility of the piece with a denim iteration. Square sunglasses and oversize hoop earrings complete the ’90s aesthetic.
Style Notes: Soften the overall look of a corset top by layering it with a billowing linen shirt for a beautiful fusion of sartorial opposites.
Style Notes: Monochrome dressing—wearing one hue from top to toe—was huge on the S/S 22 runways. Earn extra points if you do so in on-trend hot pink.
Style Notes: It’s springtime, and flowers are cropping up everywhere we look—including new-in sections. Make like Michelle Li and seek out a floral corset top. Then, clash it with a pair of floral strides.
Style Notes: Though it’s largely considered lingerie, the corset top needn’t be risqué—worn with a long-sleeve top underneath, it’s transformed into a chic layering piece. I also love the addition of a blazer worn around the shoulders—kudos, Maria Alia Al-sadek.
Style Notes: Show me a more classic combination than jeans and a nice top. The satin fabrication of Javi’s fancy corset is the perfect contrast to her ’90s bleached jeans.
Style Notes: All-white outfits never fail to impress me, and I love how Danielle Oreoluwa Jinadu has created hers with an ecru corset top layered over the waistband of white wide-leg trousers.
Style Notes: As we’ve established, one of the easiest ways to style a corset top is by matching it to whatever you’re wearing on your lower half. Emna Sellimi’s skirt set comes from cool, independent, made-to-order brand Immoral London, where you can create the corset co-ord of your dreams. If you’re in a rush, try mixing and matching pieces from different brands.
Style Notes: Wave and squiggle prints are proving just as popular as corset tops right now. Wear them together for a look that practically defines 2022.
