I wrote two long posts about the first two episodes of The Other Bennet Sister (2026), the Jane Austen-inspired “sequel” to Pride and Prejudice focusing on Mary. But now that the entire series has aired in the US, I thought it would be good to do a quick run-down on costumes in the later episodes! I’m not going to be as methodical or include any research, just impressionistic, so check out my previous posts if you want something more organized and researched. Once again, the costumes were designed by Sian Jenkins, whose only other notable historical credit is the very boy-riffic The Lighthouse. FYI, the series is going to get a three-part Christmas special, so we have more to look forward to!
First, several of the series’s costumes went on display at a Welsh historic property called Dyffryn House, including two of Mary’s evening dresses, so let’s start there. The green one is from her “still finding her style” period, hence it’s a bit more garish, while the white is very classic Regency and pretty, especially with the floral accent:
At one point we see Mary’s stays, and they’re much more 1790s than 1810s given their lack of cups/boob separation, but I like the high-waisted cut:
However, a reader on Patreon had me howling at the term “fried egg boob,” which she’s right, runs rampant in this series. I wonder if it’s those conical corsets, which don’t play well with an underbust seam?
And finally, while I liked that Mary’s mountain-climbing ensemble had strong colors that were actually nice together, why is she wearing a silk dress to climb a mountain??
Mrs. Gardiner continued to get probably the best wardrobe, in that it was flattering, chic, and suited her character — AND THE HATS! Were great!
But did we all catch the rewear of Caroline Bingley’s dress from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice?
Caroline Bingley COULD have had the best wardrobe, if not for this evening number, which hits you over the head with its Indian-ness:
BUT THE BACK. WHYYYYYYYY??? I know they were going for one of those 1790s remade-from-a-1770s-robe-à -la-française-gowns, but come on, THEY DIDN’T DO BACKLESS (see my previous posts for more about that!):
Caroline also has serious fried egg boob:
But she gets some great outwear and hats:
Side note, Mrs. Hurst’s hat is recycled from Death Comes to Pemberley I think:
Mrs. Bennet continued to irritate; her nightgown? lounging gown? was initially a “maybe okay” for me, and then I realized it was one of those Indian dresses we all wore in our hippie phase:
And she continued to dress post-1825, which, again, hey a psychic Mrs. Bennet could maybe improve things?
Ann Baxter’s pelisse was clearly made by whoever in the British costume making business loves those waterfall collars:
She also got a VERY 1840s (very pretty! Just not 1810s, imho) bonnet:
A Patreon reader rightly pointed out the hair, including the rampant side parts:
But what annoyed me more were Mrs. Bennet’s giant ratted, hairsprayed ‘dos:
Which she obviously forced on Mary in this scene. Sorry, as a child of the 80s, I can report that this only comes from a curling iron and a lot of Aquanet:
And even Mrs. Gardiner got in on the big hair, although her’s was more Regency by way of Barbra Streisand:
What was your take on the costumes in The Other Bennet Sister (2026)?
I’m afraid I couldn’t watch it. Got about 10 mins in and just cringed all the way off. The hair, the ‘acting’. Ohhhh god no. Not for me sadly.
It really is a wonderful series if you can get past the costume issues, which are relatively minor (for me). I was able to do it with this series and it’s soooooooooooooooo good. But I do understand if the costumes are a roadblock, because there are films I can’t do because the costumes are horrid.
Excellent break down. Good call on the 1840s style bonnet. You are right. The fried egg boob was EVERYWHERE!
It tickles me that Indira Varma is wearing a costume originally created for Caroline Bingley, given she played the Caroline character in Bride and Prejudice. I quite enjoyed the show though (especially Donal Finn), although the costumes could have been better (but certainly not as egregious as something like The Buccaneers).
Welp, I have mixed feelings. Once I invested 90 minutes in the first three episodes, I felt as if I had to watch the whole thing to see how it played out. The more I watched, the more I got annoyed with the borderline Bridgerton costuming. I felt the exact same way about Mary wearing a silk dress to climb a mountain. As much as the character prided herself on her knowledge on a variety of topics, you would think she would have had the sense of knowing about tweeds and other practical fabrics for outdoors in the Peaks. I thought the Caroline Bingley ensemble looked familiar. They didn’t just add the guipure lace to the edging, they also put that frog closure like a big fat double bullseye splat in the center of the waistband. Wouldn’t have been so obvious if it had been toned to match the velvet, but it was black. Why did so many of the bonnets look Victorian, rather than Georgian/Regency? Did they just pull from stock without thinking of the actual period reference? My costume design professor made the hats for the Emma Thompson S&S, the ’95 P&P, as well as the ’95 Persuasion. She made the most fantastic gold top hat style for Elizabeth Elliott, the silhouette of which would have suited these costumes much better, especially with Mrs Gardener being somewhat fashion forward – ah London life. Most of the costuming struck me as cheap afterthoughts, instead of what we saw in the 90s when the English costume houses were really doing their best work in these Austen adaptations. Some of the dresses seemed like polyester prom fabric from Joann’s. There was just so much wrong with the fit, fabrics, and trims, and the awful grooming as far as hair and makeup. Mary’s ratted and sprayed do reminded me of 80s wedding photos. I long for John Bright, Jenny Bevan, and others from Cosprop or Angels to just step in and slap some sense into the powers that be. I won’t be watching this on repeat. There was just too much I hated, especially Mrs B.
As I said on FB: I just watched the series this week, and it was absolutely delightful, storywise. I was so focused on the narrative that I didn’t pay as much attention to the clothes as I might. Which probably says a lot about how much I enjoyed the narrative.
Indira Varma definitely had the best wardrobe out of everyone. I’m not a Regency wardrobe scholar other than knowing the bodices were all wrong (I blame Bridgerton) hence the fried eggs 😂 and some of the fabrics looked modern (the green dress with the trim felt more Bridgerton esp Featheringtons than period).
I didn’t notice Mary’s climbing dress was silk. Definitely not a smart thing for such a clever woman.
Great discourse on the costumes, some of which made me cringe.
It’s was fun to watch even though story has a very modern perspective.