Style Profile: Bridgette Hungerford

Lemaire Dark Espresso Twisted Collared Dress, Dark Espresso Belted Pants, and Dark Chocolate Pearl Croissant Bag. Maison Margiela Brown Suede Tabi Boots.

From teenage magazine obsessions to styling in Paris and Berlin, Bridgette Hungerford has always moved through fashion with curiosity and an eye for detail. Now a Costume Buyer in Australia, they transform research, observation, and instinct into clothing that tells a story — where every jacket, watch, and shoe reveals something about the character wearing it. It’s an approach that sees fashion as more than style, but as a language that shapes identity and narrative.

Lemaire Black Embellished Metal Top and Black Soft Volume Pants. Sophie Buhai Sterling Silver Dream Collar.

What first drew you to fashion, and when did you begin to see it as something you could pursue professionally?

There wasn’t one specific moment that got me into fashion; it was always just there. As a teenager, I was obsessed with magazines, and there was no question in my mind that working at a fashion publication was something I wanted to pursue professionally. I was very hungry and wanted to start learning and getting my hands dirty as soon as I could. I took lots of courses in high school to start gaining practical skills and then started interning anywhere and everywhere I could.

At twenty, I landed an internship in Berlin with Novembre Magazine, which was an incredibly formative step in my early career. I then returned to Australia and studied Art History and Curating, which was an amazing education in critical analysis and has been a really helpful foundation of knowledge to pull from.

I’ve tried my hand at lots of different things, and my career path hasn’t been linear. I think I’ve always been very curious and thrown myself in the deep end which, in turn, has led me exactly where I want to be.

How has working and living across different cities shaped your aesthetic sensibility?

It definitely makes you into a bit of a sponge. I'm constantly taking mental notes on people and the way they dress themselves, and what drives those choices, conscious or otherwise. It’s so fascinating to observe people across different places and look for any peculiarities or connections.

I have a hyper fixation with watches. I love spying on what watches people are wearing across different cities and countries, or going hunting for weird old watches in markets, etc. I love the context that one object can provide. Moving around a lot trains your eye to look for connections between objects, people, and places, which is a huge advantage in what I do.

Lemaire Dark Espresso Twisted Collared Dress, Dark Espresso Belted Pants, and Dark Chocolate Pearl Croissant Bag. Maison Margiela Brown Suede Tabi Boots.

What kind of projects or work environments bring out your best ideas?

The projects that bring out my best ideas live at opposite extremes: either you've got enough time and money to source incredible options and be experimental, or you're working on the fly with a minimal budget and crazy deadlines, which forces you to get resourceful and creative. Both are great and equally challenging in their own ways.

Are there any fashion designers, films, or visual references you find yourself repeatedly drawn to, perhaps even ones that first sparked your interest in costume buying?

Absolutely, what I love about narrative costuming is creating believable characters; every choice serves the story. So I'm constantly studying real people and pulling from photography books, historical documents, or even old catalogues. What you need to reference depends on the brief, whether it's period or contemporary, etc.

However, Exactitudes by Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek is such a brilliant project that I constantly return to. It's basically field anthropology presented as a stunning visual catalogue of personal style.

Acne Studios Blue Stripe Asymmetric Shirt Dress and Black Multipocket Micro Bow Bag. Astier de Villatte Large Notebook.

What does collaboration typically look like for you when working with the Costume Designer, Directors and Actors to shape a character visually?

As a Costume Buyer, my collaboration starts with the Costume Designer. They're developing the overall vision with the Director, and I interpret their creative brief and produce tangible options for them to fit on the actors.

So much of the character actually emerges from fittings, too, and of course, the actors have a huge input. In a fitting, you can be cycling through different options, and suddenly they'll move differently in a particular jacket, or realize their character would never wear those shoes.
I love the whole process and responding to what the Costume Designer needs as the character materialises.

Is there a particular experience or project that has left a lasting impact on the way you work today?

There's no one experience in particular; you take something with you from every project. Each Designer has their own way of working and running the department, and honestly, you learn something new on each job.

Left: Acne Studios Black Satin Layered Scarf Blouse, Black Talea Crepe Camisole, Black Satin Lace Draped Skirt, and Black Beverly Kitten Lux Heels. Sophie Buhai Onyx Boule Collar. Right: Acne Studios Off-White Layered T-Shirt Blouse. Astier de Villatte Tucson Left Boot Vase.

In what ways does your background in fashion shape the way you approach Costume Buying today, and conversely, has your experience in Costuming shifted or deepened your relationship to fashion itself?

My background in Fashion has completely informed my approach to Costume Buying. My time working in Paris as a Stylist Assistant to Omaima Salem at MARFA Journal gave me a huge amount of insight and experience, and the skills I learnt there have been invaluable for my career as a Costume Buyer.

In Paris, we worked across a wide range of media, including editorial shoots, e-commerce, film clips, TVCs, etc. This provided me with a diverse education on the pre- and post-production processes for all of these jobs, as well as how to operate effectively in each of these spaces.
It trained me to have a sharp analytical eye for image creation and reinforced the importance of thorough and meaningful research when developing projects.
There is so much research and development that goes into every project, no matter the scale, so ensuring your references successfully communicate your vision is integral.
There was also a very practical element to my Fashion education, the importance of organisation, clear communication, time management, and even simply being able to read a call sheet correctly.

Acne Studios Hazel Beige Knit Cardigan. Rick Owens Fawn Dracca Drawstring Skirt.

What kinds of aesthetics or styles are you personally drawn to, and how much do you find yourself incorporating your own taste into your costume work? Do you ever find it challenging to set aside your personal taste to fully serve the character’s vision?

In my personal life, I tend to dress very boyish, especially for work or day-to-day. I generally wear men’s pants and a t-shirt. I love t-shirts, I think they’re the perfect clothing item. However, I do absorb whatever job I’m working on; it will just start to creep into how I dress myself or inform what I start gravitating towards in my own closet.

With sourcing for characters, my taste informs the initial direction I might take to find something, but generally, you have to view what is needed through the lens of the character. Where would they shop? What kind of money would they spend? What’s their socio-political alignment? What garments would make sense in their life?
So no, I don’t find it challenging to put aside my personal taste, it’s actually what makes my job so interesting!

Acne Studios Off-White Layered T-Shirt Blouse. Simone Rocha Black Embellished Puddle Jeans and Black Beaded Classic Bow Crossbody Bag. Astier de Villatte Tucson Left Boot Vase.

Learn more at bridgettehungerford.com

Photography: Tülay Dinçel. Styling: Emily Kate Cooper. Producer: Caeley Wesson.