There’s a lot about spring to be excited about: The rise in temperatures, sunnier days ahead, and beautiful blooms are just a few. Spring also means it’s time to show a little leg and perhaps throw on a sundress. Well, you’re in luck because the internet’s favorite nap dress got a groovy facelift just in time for the beginning of the long-awaited spring season. Hill House Home has just launched its new retro-inspired line, The Kaleidoscope Collection.
While the last few years have not been easy, little joys like the luxuriously comfy (and cute) nap dresses from Hill House Home have kept us going. Scroll on to shop this retro-inspired collection now. Expect the same flowy, swingy silhouettes that you’ve come to love from the brand over the last few years like The Ellie Nap dress and the Paz top and skirt combo served up in soft, yummy swirls of pastel pinks, baby blues, and powdery yellows. If there’s one thing about Hill House Home we can all agree on, the dresses are too good to be in stock for long. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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Dearest readers, it has come to our attention that a new era of Bridgerton is nigh (March 25) and while we prepare to watch Shonda Rhimes' new lead (played by Simone Ashley), many saucy sex scenes and (potentially) a Lady Whistledown reveal, it's also time we revisit the world of Regencycore.
Characterised by corsets, opera gloves, embroidery and OTT headwear, Regency-era fashion saw a spike in popularity after the Netflix period drama premiered in 2020. High street and designer styles flew into everyone's shopping baskets and Daphne Bridgerton herself, Phoebe Dynevor, scored a campaign with Self-Portrait promoting similar styles.
Now that season two is nearly here, we're seeing Bridgerton-inspired collections like Malone Souliers' collab with Netflix and Shondaland – featuring lace-embroidered mules and feathery pumps – while #regencycore pushes over 20 million views on TikTok.
Celebs are hopping on the extravagance, too. From Maya Jama to Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira to Squid Game's HoYeon Jung, our faves are proving it's still cool to dress like a Victorian goddess.
Keep reading for major Regency vibes from the 'gram, just in time for your viewing party this weekend.
Corsets
Corsets haven't gone anywhere between Bridgerton seasons. A corseted dress like Maya Jama's gives big rich auntie vibes, in the best way.Corset tops are a more casual option. You can easily pair them with jeans or trousers à la Barbie Ferreira. Bet you couldn't do that in the 1800s.
Opera Gloves
Another Euphoria star, Chloe Cherry, made a case for long, extravagant gloves while at London Fashion Week last month.Extra Bridgerton points to Jourdan Dunn for this gloves-slash-top combo and regal floral backdrop.
Sequins and Embroidery
HoYeon Jung's beaded gown was a sight for sore eyes at this year's Critics' Choice Awards and is reminiscent of Lady Bridgerton's most elaborate ballgowns.Who says you can't incorporate embroidery into your everyday wardrobe? Take note of how Vanessa Hudgens displays this modern take on the classic style.
Suiting
Try a three (or four!) piece suit when you want to lean into lord and viscount territory. Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones makes a regal statement with a pussy bow tie and lace shirt.Skirt suits count too, thanks to this reminder from Storm Reid.
Empire Waists
Regencycore couldn't exist without the empire waistline and Selena Gomez is here to prove that it's just as transferable to 2022 as it was to 1812.Maude Apatow in this empire waist dress can do no wrong.
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“We’ve really taken the time to make sure we’re offering the best solutions for our customers,” Kardashian, who first announced the new drop on Tuesday on Instagram, said in a press release. “Buying swimwear should be fun and easy, yet so many women feel daunted by it.”
The collection features a seven-color palette, that includes brown and royal blue, and styles ranging from bike shorts and crop tops to cut-out one-piece bathing suits and triangle bikini tops.
Launched in 2019, Skims has come a long way from a shapewear-focused company to a fashion powerhouse, boasting collaborations with Fendi and the United States Olympic team in the last year alone. After the latest round of funding, the brand is now valued at $3.2 billion.
Available exclusively on Skims.com, all swimwear pieces retail between $32 to $108 and are available in sizes XXS to 4X. Shop the styles, ahead.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.Available atSkims.com
Skims Cheeky Tanga Bottoms, $, available at SkimsPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.comPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.comPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.comPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.comPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.comPhoto: courtesy of SKIMS.Available atSkims.com
Brittny Brewer had a strong sense of style before becoming pregnant for the first time in 2017. But throughout her first two pregnancies, Brewer says she ended up “losing” herself fashion-wise. Instead of wearing streetwear-minded, trendy outfits, she found herself living in stretchy leggings and maternity clothes that had little in common with her pre-pregnancy aesthetic: “It took away who I was as a woman before.”
Now, seven months pregnant with her third child, Brewer is taking a different approach to how she dresses. Instead of spending money on clothes for mothers-to-be, she’s “going a size up” at regular fashion brands and retaining her personal style. “There’s a lot of ways you can still be comfortable and still be able to dress and feel sexy like you want to be,” she says.
Brewer is just one of the many expecting and new mothers rethinking their relationship with fashion throughout their pregnancy, opting for crop tops, low-rise pants, and mesh bodysuits that highlight, rather than hide, their bumps. See: Rihanna, whose style throughout her pregnancy has remained true to her bold aesthetic.
“When women get pregnant, society tends to make it feel like you hide, hide your sexy, and that you’re not sexy right now [but] you’ll get back there and I don’t believe in that sh*t,” she told Refinery29’s Venesa Coger. “So I’m trying stuff that I might not have even had the confidence to try before I was pregnant. The strappiest, the thinnest, and the more cut-outs the better for me.” Over the past few weeks, the world has witnessed exactly that with looks ranging from a see-through black baby doll dress with matching lingerie to a blue cut-out catsuit and a diamond bra-and-leather micro mini skirt combo. “It’s very inspiring and it’s empowering [to see Rihanna’s looks],” says Brewer. “But why aren’t all women doing this?”
Maybe because society as a whole isn’t past dated notions of what’s acceptable to wear when dressing with a bump. Valerie Rodriguez, who was pregnant in 2020, experienced this firsthand. She recounts a moment when a stranger approached her while on vacation in Las Vegas to point out her outfit was not appropriate for an expecting woman: “I was at a sneakers store, and I was wearing a dress that was super sexy, when some girl looked at me and said, ‘Oh, you’re pregnant and you’re wearing that?”
This type of response also came from her family members, who were stunned by her maternity photoshoot, in which Rodriguez wore a see-through dress with rhinestones. “Their comments were very straightforward and like, ‘You’re naked, please don’t post something like this,’” she says. “And I’m like, ‘So what? I love my body, and I feel really good about what I’m wearing.’” Jessica Gonzalez, who was also pregnant in 2020, experienced similar reactions from her family, particularly from her grandmother. “She’d be like, ‘Why do you have to have your boobs out?’ Because they’re new and they’re awesome,” says Gonzalez, adding that her family members tried to gift her “mom-appropriate” clothing in an attempt to encourage her to cover up.
While maternity clothing is often presented as a comfortable solution for pregnant women, with adjustable waistlines and lactation features meant to serve a changing body, many expecting women see its baggy, shapeless designs as society’s way of suggesting that they need to change their looks for a more conservative style once they start this journey. “I remember people were so cruel to Kim [Kardashian], and she was actually just dressing in bodycon dresses with heels the way that she would normally dress,” Brooks Miller, who is currently expecting her first child, says of Kardashian’s style in 2013.
Yet, maternity wear is a modern invention. Throughout history, women wore their everyday clothing while pregnant, loosening their corsets to accommodate for the bump and wearing shawls around their bodies to cover the loosened ties on their dresses. It wasn’t until the Victorian era that women began wearing maternity corsets made to reduce the appearance of a belly. This evolution continued throughout the 20th and 21st century as pregnant women adopted more maternal-looking, conservative dresses that hid their bodies and whole maternity brands were introduced encouraging shoppers to embrace a new style.
Miller says that she is most excited to sport bikinis during her upcoming babymoon vacation. Rodriguez felt a similar security in her own skin while pregnant: “I felt sexy and powerful because this is such a beautiful experience.” Meanwhile, Brewer is continuing to learn how to keep her style personality intact throughout her pregnancy: “We’re still the same person, we just happen to be a mom now.”
