“If I Feel Good, Everything Else Is Irrelevant”: Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan On Learning to Love Fashion

Nicola Coughlan is a rare gem. Magnetic in front of the camera (watch that woman smize!) and super smart, yet refreshingly normal, the Bridgerton star caught up with Vogue at the Kate Spade Cabana pop-up in London’s Covent Garden. Swinging by to cut the ribbon in a deckchair-striped summer dress with excellent sleeves, Coughlan is all pink lipped smiles and professionalism. This year, she shares, will be the one she finally embraces summer style.

She’s off to a good start. Coughlan’s color-pop handbag reminds her of the first designer bag she bought when she finished shooting season one of the bodice-ripping period drama that catapulted her to global fame. The pink quilted style detailed with a red heart spawned a Coughlan tradition, whereby she marks the end of each project with a great handbag. “When you work hard for something, it’s a real sense of achievement,” shares Nicola, adding that she has since built a shelf for all her “babies”.

Bumper sunglasses also define Coughlan’s style. “I’m still in the Rachel Zoe and Nicole Richie-era of sunglasses,” she laughs. “My stylist [Aimée Croysdill] always tries to get me in small ones, but I’m not Kendall Jenner enough to pull them off!”

Her collaboration with Croysdill works because they challenge each other. They met when Coughlan’s star as Penelope Featherington was ascending and her relationship with fashion had begun to change, thanks to all those hours watching garments come to life in the Bridgerton costume department. “I think I used to be quite intimidated by [the industry], it sort of robbed me of confidence,” explains Coughlan, who has previously spoken out about the internet having opinions on the way she looks. “I thought, I really enjoy this, so why am I not bringing it into my real life?”