8 Things We Learned About 'Bridgerton' Season 2 from Costume Designer Sophie Canale

Everyone’s favorite bodice-ripping romp through high-society Regency London is back! Premiering on Netflix this Friday, March 25, the second season of Bridgerton promises more gossip, more balls, and more lavish costumes than even its smash-hit first season.

We catch up with costume designer Sophie Canale for an exclusive sneak peek about what's to come this season—from over-the-top themed parties to the somewhat surprising trend Canale thinks might have off-screen legs. Oh, and she also tells us about the costume piece Phoebe Dynevor snuck off with.

Below, eight takeaways from the conversation in Canale's own words. Buckle up, dear reader, because if the costumes are any indication, this season, the ton promises to be nothing short of sensational.

Related article: Here’s Your First Look At ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2

1. The sheer number of costumes involved is staggering.

"There was a team of 120 people in house, and further-out workers as well. Just for costumes, we had milliners, two female cutters, they each have a team of patternmakers, a men's tailor, we have four assistant costume designers, we have a dyer, an embellishment team, and embroiderers. We averaged about 700 costumes, with about 160 'makes' every six weeks. There is no other production like it. And for the women, each one of those costumes has a hat or hairpieces, jewelry, embroidered gloves, and shoes that are dyed to match the dresses. So it's not only dresses—it's an entire collection with many thousands of items."

2. The clothes reveal more about the characters this season.

"Ellen Mirojnick and John Glaser built an amazing world in Season 1 when I was an assistant designer, so I had this brilliant foundation. But for Season 2, I felt like we were getting to know the characters a bit more. Benedict and the Bridgerton brothers, they're very different visually from one another this season. Benedict is on this artistic journey with tie pins and little details that give a sense of his own style. Anthony gets a lot darker this season too."

Related article: Bridgerton Has Been Renewed For Seasons 3 And 4

3. The Sharma family's Indian heritage is integrated into their costumes.

"We had a big discussion with the showrunner and producer about how to represent the Sharma family using Regency dresses. We ended up using Indian fabrics and Indian embroidery. The jewel-tone color palettes of Kate Sharma's costumes are important, and all the family's jewelry is Indian inspired. Even though they're in empire-line dresses, there are still elements of their heritage throughout."

4. The jewelry breaks new ground.

"The Bridgertons tend to be in silver. For the Featheringtons, it's gold. And for the Sharmas, it's rose gold. We did a lot of hairpieces, hair pins, hair decorations. And there are a few themed balls this season where the dresses are made with the same elements as the jewelry."

5. The level of precision is mind-blowing.

"The devil is in the details. Each character has their own certain color palette, down to the buttons—and I chose every single one."

Related article: Bridgerton Is Getting A Prequel Series About Young Queen Charlotte

6. Cast members competed over who had the best costume.

"On set, all the actors are in their warm coats between takes and you can't see their costumes. Then, we would go for a take and the coats would come off, the umbrellas would go down, the gloves would go on, we'd hand each actress her reticule. There was this competition—mine's better! It was this fun part of the show as we'd see the whole costume come together."

7. There might have been a thief on set, and her name might have been Phoebe.

"Each costume's jewelry becomes quite precious to people, so there might have been a few rings that sneaked into people's handbags, and a corset. Phoebe wanted to keep her corset as a bit of a keepsake. It's not every day you have a Mister Pearl corset!"

8. Don't be surprised if this season inspires new IRL trends.

"We did a lot with hair decoration this season. Hair pins, jewelry, flowers in your hair—I think Lady Featherington has interesting headwear this season, and maybe that's something we could see take off."

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.