There were hidden symbols all over the Bridgerton costumes

(Image credit: Netflix)

Safe to say that Bridgerton-mania has swept the nation. We've all become obsessed with everything from the love triangles to the Duke of Hasting's spoon and those fabulous costumes (here's a shopping guide to those Bridgerton dresses here btw).

And speaking of costumes, it seems like they were chock full of hidden meanings, and we were too busy listening to gossip to realise.

In fact, each family in the show has its own special symbol which has been woven into dresses, shirts and sometimes even hair accessories. For the Bridgertons it's a bee, and for the Featheringtons, a butterfly.

Marc Pilcher, the show's head of hair & makeup, told Cosmoplitan UK, 'The Bridgertons have a bee which appears on certain parts of their costumes, and for the Featheringtons, it’s butterflies. We have a few little hair decorations that reflect this as well and we pop them in now and again'.

The bee appears on one of the Bridgerton brothers' collar at a party, while the butterfly can often be seen on Penelope Featherington's gowns.

A photo posted by on

The symbols have been hidden like Easter eggs everywhere in the show, with a bee even popping up in the last scene of the show, prompting many fans to speculate it's a hint at Season 2 of the show.

As for what the insects mean, it could be several things. The butterfly is a symbol of rebirth and growth and could be a metaphor for the Featheringtons' nouveau riche status, while the bee represents power and hard work, which could easily be attributed to the Bridgerton's standing in society, and their mother's efforts at match making.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.