Fashion mad teen looks like Bridgerton star as she models her handcrafted period costumes

Eleanor Shendery, 16, models some of her favourite outfits - all of which she has painstakingly crafted since lockdown. The A-Level student said: "People used to say I dressed like something out of Pride and Prejudice - but since Bridgerton came out, everyone thinks my style is really cool.”

Upcycling from old curtains

She wears the floor-length gowns while visiting castles, stately homes and on historical reenactments - and has over 300 in her collection! Eleanor's grandmother, Ann Gill, 79, taught her to sew eight years ago. In an inspiring video, Eleanor recalls how her first costume was a ‘Tudor gown made from some curtains my parents were throwing away’.

Outfits are as sustainable as possible

Eleanor spends days on her designs and reuses pieces of material she finds in charity shops to be as sustainable as possible. She said: "My parents were throwing old clothes and I wanted to see what I could make of it. It doesn't have to be an expensive hobby”.

Bridgerton makes costumes fashionable

When she finds time, Eleanor attends many historical reenactments, meet ups and events where she has had the opportunity to meet others who share her love of history and period fashion.

With the latest season of Bridgerton just around the corner, Eleanor is a big fan of the show and loves that it has brought historical costuming to the forefront. She said: "Historical costuming has always been around, but Bridgerton has definitely blown it up on social media."

You can see more of Eleanor's designs on her TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eleanor.costumes