Kim Kardashian is a huge Bridgerton fan. She's also a savvy businesswoman. Following the runaway success of Netflix's Regency-era romp, she did what any self-starter would do and slid into leading lady Nicola Coughlan's DMs. But as well as discussing the will-they-won't-they plotlines, we now know that Kardashian was booking the actor to sttar as the face – and body – of SKIMS's Soft Lounge collection. Lady Whistledown would have a lot to say about this.
Shot by Elizaveta Porodina, chosen for her “conceptual and ethereal aesthetic,” the photographs of a glowing Coughlan draping herself over wildflower displays chime with the mood of the Bridgerton season three press tour, which saw Nicola round off 68 looks with a Botticelli-inspired Rodarte gown that riffed off the naked dress – the perfect wink-wink from an actor experiencing the media throes of her first sex scene.
“When it’s my leading lady moment, like Pen to speak, I wanted to step up to the bar and deliver some really fun looks,” Coughlan told British Vogue of her promo wardrobe, which followed the theme of “love bleeding out," according to her stylist Aimée Croysdill.
The SKIMS campaign – all stretch-jersey dresses in shades of “bone,” “lemonade,” and “sugar plum” that could only have come from a Kardashian’s brain – must have been a breeze for Nicola, who lives in Kim's loungewear when not corsetted and uttering phrases like “you do not know me, and rest assured, you never shall” on set.
Indeed, the discerning fashion fan – who always sends every designer thank you notes for custom commissions (not, sadly, a prerequisite in this industry) – has nothing but positive things to say about the SKIMS founder and “true artist.”
“I’m an actor and not a model, it’s not my comfort zone, but when you’re wearing beautiful things, and it feels creative and exciting and empowering, it’s just a really wonderful experience,” shares Coughlan, who boasts lots of the “fluffy stuff” and notes that SKIMS hoodies are the only hoodies that “really hoodie properly.”
For Kardashian’s part, Kim – or Kim’s PR – adds: “Nicola is such an inspiration on screen and beyond, and she really brought the campaign to life with her undeniable beauty and energy.”
Although SKIMS is keen to point out the brand’s ability to tap into the zeitgeist at key moments, such as dressing Usher in SKIMS Mens around the Super Bowl, it is Coughlan who has played this partnership well.
While the Bridgerton tour was a celebration of whimsical fashion laded with Easter eggs about Featherington’s fate, Coughlan spent much of the junkets batting away questions about that aforementioned love scene with quips about her “perfect breasts.” Clad in slinky SKIMS tube and tank dresses, Coughlan, the new face of the biggest shapewear brand in the world, is having the last laugh. “I always feel incredible in SKIMS,” says this smart actor, a woman in complete control of her image.
