What's next for Simone Ashley, Bridgerton's rising fashion icon
After a short stint on Broadchurch, and a minor role in Pokémon: Detective Pikatchu, Simone Ashley entered into the realms of notability in Netflix’s Sex Education Olivia Hanan, a the quick-tongued social climber in the Moordale High version of the ‘plastics’.
But it's the long-awaited second series of Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton, the Netflix series based on the Julia Quinn romance novels of the same name, that has awarded Simone Ashley a starring role, and with it a meteoric rise to household name.
As her career has gone from strength to strength, so too has her fashion chops.
Simone Ashley’s Instagram reads like a “who’s who” of top designers: from Prada to Valentino, the actress has really been stretching her legs when it comes to big-name brands, both on her social media, and the front row.
As Bridgerton season 2 gets closer and closer, the press for Simone Ashley is heating up too. The 26-year-old actress has landed the front covers of Porter Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar India and Glamour Magazine, to name a few, and the buzz around Bridgerton’s young leading lady doesn’t end there.
Ashley has taken to red carpet dressing with aplomb: her appearance on the BAFTAs red carpet earlier this month saw her swap corsets of Clyveden House for a relaxed fitting bright pink Valentino look, straight from the autumn/winter 2022 catwalk in Paris barely a week prior; and her custom AZ Factory top and skirt she wore for the Fashion Awards in London last year were a masterclass in red carpet confidence.
Most recently, for the Bridgerton season two premiere, the star stepped out in a head-to-toe Gucci look complete with lace gloves, tights and high-waisted skirt. The lace look could have veered on the side of antiquated, but a poplin-style frilled top kept the look fresh and contemporary, whilst baring the midriff that is hidden behind a painful corset in season two of the regency drama.
Whether on the red carpet, front row, or taking snaps for her Instagram, with the help of stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray, a celebrity fashion stylist who has dressed the likes of Florence Pugh, Lily James and Gemma Chan, it seems Ashley and her ever expanding style repertoire is certainly in good hands. Watch this space.
Watch: Bridgerton returns to Netflix for Season 2
