Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour

The 4th season of Bridgerton will be streaming on Netflix soon! And how fitting it is to have a party to celebrate it. We were invited (and everyone else too) to a Masquerade Parlour at 362 Little Collins St. Here is the invitation, courtesy of Netflix: 

Netflix cordially invites fans in Melbourne to get masquerade ready for a new fairytale season

Join us from 31st January - 1st February at 362 Little Collins St

Dearest gentle reader, as anticipation swells for Bridgerton Season 4: Part 1 debuting on January 29 - with rising Aussie star Yerin Ha taking the lead as the masked Lady in Silver - Netflix is inviting Melbourne fans to unmask their own fairytale at The Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour. 

Open Saturday 31st January and Sunday 1st February, members of the Melbourne ton are invited to:

• Step into Regency-era opulence: Explore a luxurious Bridgerton-inspired space, filled with DIY and guided pampering stations to help esteemed guests perfect their masquerade look.

• Capture the moment: Pose for stunning photos throughout the Parlour and take home their own fairytale portrait in the Masquerade Ballroom set.

• Live the fantasy: Enjoy the company of fellow members of society and get ready for the new season in true Bridgerton style.

The Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour is located at 362 Little Collins St, entry is free and will operate on a first come, first serve basis. 

Yerin Ha makes her debut in this new season as determined and captivating Sophie Baek, opposite Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton. Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down - until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother's masquerade ball. Part 1 drops on 29 January, followed by Part 2 on 26 February. 

Isn't it lovely? There was a queue of about 50 people deep by the time we got there, 99% ladies dressed to the nines and 1% gentlemen who either loved their ladies a lot, or had been threatened to be there. The staff were dressed to their part in costumes of the era and they did a good job in keeping us entertained, providing instructions, helping us all the while keeping a pleasant and friendly demeanour.

After an hour of waiting in the queue, we were finally ushered into the parlour. It was beautifully decorated with wisteria (fake), large flower arrangements (real, beautiful!), costumes on mannequins, a dining table, and other props with things from the period. I think they have done such a great job. 

There were a few 'stations' in the space which were manned with ladies dressed in elaborate dresses to help the guests to choose the colours that look best for their skin, to choose a suitable mask for the 'masquerade ball', to choose gloves and jewellery. At the station where we chose a mask, we interacted with a man who wore a powdered wig and makeup with lip colour nicer than mine! He helped us 'choose' a blue mask and a mysterious mask for Gaz. The lady at the glove station was very kind and gave us instruction on what to expect. I put on a MJ glove, and made Gaz put on a 'napkin' with a brooch on for fun and pictures. After another half an hour of enjoying the experiences of the parlour, we were eventually invited to go upstairs to have our pictures taken. 

The Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour experience - the gossip papers, cards showing our choice of mask (mine was intellectual, so apt!), raspberry macaron

 A lady who had her portrait taken showed us what it looked like - one can choose whether or not to use AI to improve the portrait by superimposing a dress from the era, tiara, and even add hair in the case of a bald gentleman who accompanied his wife there. 

The queue for the portrait was another half hour as it took quite a while for the photographer to manipulate the pictures via AI, and people wanted to pose properly for their portrait. But when it came to our turn, we were quite rushed because it was already 6pm and the parlour was closing. We would have been the last one to take our portraits but for a middle aged lady who snuck in after closing time much to the chagrin of the staff but no one could dissuade her to leave. 

The end result was disappointing compared to the experience of the parlour. So I am glad that we took some time to browse around and take pictures on our own, but did not take too long as to miss our portraits taken by the official photographer. I would show our picture, but it looked nothing like us. Somehow AI managed to make us look much worse than unfiltered pictures!