Ahead of Bridgerton’s return, series star Claudia Jessie reflects on Eloise’s Audrey Hepburn-leaning wardrobe, her own minimalist jewellery habits, and Pandora’s pastel-hued take on Regency romance
It’s unusual to hear fashion references to Homer Simpson and Audrey Hepburn in the same sentence, but for Birmingham-born actor Claudia Jessie, best known for her role as the spirited Eloise Bridgerton in Shondaland’s Regency-era smash hit Bridgerton, the polarising references both find a place in her wardrobe.
She professes a fond affiliation with Springfield’s most-beloved patriarch, due to his penchant for an infinite outfit repeat. “I’ll basically wear the same thing every day,” she laughs via Zoom call when discussing her jewellery. “A staple chunky gold necklace, rings and earrings.” But when it comes to Jessie reprising her role as Eloise in the fourth series of Bridgerton, which lands on Netflix on 29 January, the actor is more aligned with Old Hollywood than cartoons. “There’s always been an Audrey Hepburn thing, quite classic and simplistic,” says Jessie, regarding Eloise’s wardrobe – no mean feat considering the plethora of plumes, petticoats and powdered (and sometimes even motorised!) wigs that vie for screen time in the show.
Whether subtle or show-stopping, flamboyant or finessed, the jewellery in Bridgerton has received something of a modern update for its latest instalment. When the second of its two parts hits Netflix on 26 February, no clandestine carriage liaison or pamphlet writing by candlelight will be complete without a peppering of pastel-hued Pandora jewels. These sparkling scene-stealers form part of the Danish brand’s Rules To Love By collection – a romantic 14-piece offering, brimming with symbolic bees, blooms, bows and butterflies, crafted in recycled silver and 14-carat plated gold. On and off screen, Jessie has had plenty of time to become accustomed to the pieces, also starring in the accompanying collection campaign with co-star Hannah Dodd, who plays Francesca Stirling, Eloise’s Scotland-bound sister in the show.
'“The pieces with bows really excite me,” enthuses Jessie, who is quick to call out the sugared-almond blue pieces in Rules To Love By, which mirror her on-screen persona’s wardrobe. “There are also unbelievably cute charms,” she adds, referencing the pieces integral to Pandora’s brand DNA: charms dangling with a Regency-era dance card and pencil, plus a crystal-studded teabag brewing with gossip worthy of Lady Whistledown.
Trailing wisteria and buzzing bees aside (it was a bee that caused the demise of the show’s late patriarch Edmund Bridgerton), when quizzed on the jewellery pieces which carry symbolic meaning in her own life, Jessie calls out a thick gold band with three bezel-set diamonds, once owned by her grandmother, and bestowed upon her by her own mum several years ago. “The most important thing about the design is that it has the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter mark engraved inside it,” she says (this fellow Brummie jewellery editor agrees!) And while stalwart in her love of rings, earrings and necklaces, one classic piece in Pandora’s collection might just see her abandon her jewellery-repeating ways. “There’s a green tennis bracelet that could really turn me into a bracelet girl,” she laughs. Audrey Hepburn, eat your heart out.
The Pandora and Bridgerton collection will be available online and in Pandora stores worldwide on 15 January
Originally published by British Vogue.