If you’ve been watching Cressida Cowper closely in Bridgerton season three, the first thing you’ll have noticed is that she and Eloise just HAVE to be in love. But the second thing you’ll have noticed is just her MASSIVE sleeves that take up your whole screen this season. And it turns out, this wasn’t just a fashion choice on Cressida’s behalf and actually has hidden symbolism about her character development in season three.

Posting on TikTok and quoting Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell and costume designer John Glacer, @catquinn said: “I know the real reason Cressida’s sleeves are so big in Bridgerton season three. As showrunner Jess Brownell told Vanity Fair: ‘Mean girls are not born they are made’ and this season we are gonna get to know more of Cressida’s story and why she behaves the way that she does. And her fashion is hugely important in telling that story.”

She continued: “Costume designer John Glaser said that they wanted Cressida to look a bit like a caged bird. We see her in these over-the-top sleeves, juxtaposed with her home, making her look incredibly vulnerable like a caged bird inside a mausoleum.”

“My absolute favourite sleeves are the ones she wears to the Queen’s ball [below]. This ball is Grecian inspired, and her sleeves are actually based on real Grecian columns, specifically ionic columns.”

“Knowing the way that Cressida has been a bully to Penelope through these seasons, it really feels like the costume department is working overtime to take her from this frosty, untouchable ice queen, to this fragile bird who wants to break free.”

Someone also commented on the TikTok: “I believe that the sleeves also serve to distance her from other characters, physically it’s hard to get close, with would serve to symbolise her distance emotionally as well.”

The way I’m loving Cressida Cowper even more right now!