The Beautiful Costumes on Downton Abbey

The costumes used in Downton Abbey are extremely authentic and beautiful! The research which must have gone into these costumes must have taken hours, maybe even days. The fact that some of the costumes were real dresses that had been actually worn in the 1900’s - 1920’s, fascinates me.

The lead costume designers were Susannah Buxton, Rosalind Ebutt, Caroline McCall and Anna Robbins. These ladies made sure that the characters both “Upstairs” and “Downstairs” were dressed impeccably in the 1910 and 1920 styles. In season one, Lord Grantham and Matthew Crawley were dressed in white tie for the dinner scenes, however, in season two both were dressed in uniform, showing the effect the First World War had on everyone, even if they weren't ‘fighting at the front.’ Also, Ladies Mary, Edith and Cora wore plainer and more ‘pared down’ dresses in the same season, showing the real life impact the Great War had on fashion itself.

Women’s fashion changed almost overnight during World War One. Gowns were much looser fitting, becoming more practical and along with this, the hemline rose to above the ankle. The younger ladies ‘embraced’ this fashion change, whereas the older generation (for example, Violet, the Dowager Countess) continued to wear Edwardian dresses with the corset (possibly up to 1927!). Cora, who is mother and daughter-in-law, dropped the corset and wore dresses with a dropped waist but kept the draping and embroidery. Anna Robbins explains: “She (Cora) follows trends, but she’s never been a slave to them.”

Interestingly, the ‘style’ of the dress showed “one’s place.” “Upstairs” ladies would change their clothes several times in the same day, adhering to a very strict dress code --- there were dresses for the morning, the afternoon, dinner and the evenings. However, “Downstairs” ladies wore mostly their uniforms and only changed into their ‘Sunday best’ for church and special occasions. The actresses mentioned that whilst Anna, the maid, had only 2 or 3 dresses, 2 of them being uniform, Lady Mary had a wardrobe full of exquisite Edwardian and Art Deco dresses! This also shows the “Class” system which was very real back then.

“What the footman wore.” The livery worn by the footmen had so much detail on them. For example. Although made up. The Grantham crest was on the buttons --- a tiny detail that would (possibly) be missed when watching Downton Abbey but nevertheless making the ‘costumes’ even more authentic.

The costumes used in the movies were a particular challenge because King George V and Queen Mary were ‘guests’ of Lord and Lady Grantham. The level of accuracy had to be much higher and Anna Robbins referenced real-life photographs of the Royal couple, from 1927, for the designs of the costumes. The King was dressed in a particular uniform for one of the scenes, and this included certain decorations and medals which had to be correct, and these were either originals or replicas. Queen Mary wore a beautiful dress of metallic lace with replicas of jewellery from the Queen’s collection. The Vladimir tiara was one such piece of jewellery which is a favourite of our present Queen Elizabeth II.

The level of accuracy, even in the smallest detail, is seriously impressive. Anna Robbins and the team she worked with, were nominated for a Costume Designer’s Guild Award in the category of Excellence In Period Film Award for their work on the costumes for Downton Abbey. Anyone watching the program can see how much they deserved this nomination. Fabric from the actual Era was used which made “the look” even more authentic. Even some of the men’s suits were tailor-made from Soho! Anna tells us: “Authenticity is really important across the board in lots of different departments. I costume design in lots of different genres, lots of different periods and Downton is head and shoulders above in terms of how far I’ll go to make things accurate.” (Evening Standard)

Many of these costumes have been put in exhibitions now that the show has finished, which is why Anna wanted them to be as accurate as possible, because now the general public can look closely at these beautiful works of art --- including many Fashion students. Research was a “must”, looking over archive photographs from Fashion magazines of the times (including Vogue) and studying the amazing ‘repertoire’ of historical dresses in the Victoria and Albert museum. The team visited vintage shops, as well as going over to Paris and as Anna said: “It’s always worth going that extra mile because you might find one gem --- if you uncover that gem, it’s worth the travel.”

There were several wedding dresses designed for Downton Abbey. Lady Mary’s first wedding dress was an ivory, long-sleeved column dress with a drop waist and semi-sheer sleeves. The chapel-length train was beaded with rice pearls and Swarovski crystals. Lady Edith’s first wedding gown was cream and long-sleeved with silk and satin. It featured flower-embroidery gathered at the hip and the gown was finished with an embellished silk cape. Lady Rose’s ‘reception dress’ was exquisite. The ecru silk featured a sleeveless column silhouette and a beaded tulle overlay with sparkly gold accents. Lady Edith’s second wedding gown was an ivory, short-sleeved lace dress featuring an embroidered sheer neckline and sleeves. She also had a beaded headband and a tiered veil.

Violet, the Dowager, wore some beautiful dresses, her ‘fashion’ changing, very slowly, through the 8 series. Violet’s ‘style’ remained Edwardian even though the younger ladies changed with the moving times. The high necklines, accentuated waist and floor-length skirts showed Violet’s high regard for the traditions and ‘propriety’ of a bygone age. The Dowager’s gowns were custom made as was the custom of the aristocracy, and these dresses clashed with her cousin’s, Isobel Crawley, who wore more practical tailored suits that suited her work at the village hospital. Back then, the S-bend corset, swan-line or straight-line corset would have been worn, however, Maggie Smith (who played Violet) did not wear a corset but maintained the silhouette by sitting bolt upright and maintaining excellent posture. Violet’s “look” was inspired by Queen Alexandra, who always wore high necklines, usually with pearls, to hide a childhood scar. Queen Alexandra was a ‘trendsetter’ for the aristocratic women back then.

I can’t do an article on Downton Abbey costumes without mentioning the jewellery that was worn. Andrew Prince designed much of the jewellery used on Downton Abbey and knew how to coordinate the different pieces. For example, Violet wore Victorian and Edwardian pieces whereas Lady Mary wore Art Deco pieces. Andrew managed to match the jewellery, not just with the dress, but also to the character. Pieces of jewellery that were used for Rose’s presentation at Court were made specially for the scenes to give it that very real authentic ‘look.’

The tiaras worn were exquisite! Lady Mary wore a Georgian wedding diamond tiara when she married Matthew Crawley (Mary’s first wedding). This tiara followed a naturalistic design, being made up of lifelike leaves with little flowers blooming all along, and was set with old-cut diamonds which total 45 carats, and was set in silver and mounted in yellow gold --- as was the style at that time. The Dowager's tiara, which she wore in the film, had a central diamond which weighed 2.25 carats, surrounded by openword foliate and a scroll design, set with old brilliant-cut diamonds which weighed in total 16.5 carats. In the film, Lady Edith’s tiara was worn as a bandeau, according to the latest fashion of the day. The diadem had 9 diamond-set fleur-de-lys motifs with old brilliant-cut diamond tops, set in silver to a yellow gold mount. The diamonds estimated weight was a total of 15 carats.

The ‘gentlemen’s’ fashion is just as interesting. For example, the shooting scenes brought out the ‘tweed shooting attire’ which every gentleman would have in his wardrobe. Lord Grantham was always in a waistcoat and suit, even in the hot summers of yesteryear. The heritage style of shoes were worn according to the ‘Season’ and no gentleman went out without the correct hat, tipping it every time he passed a lady. The uniforms that were worn during the Great War were either originals or replicas, along with the ‘correct’ medals worn.

When watching Downton Abbey, even the costumes are equivalent to a history lesson for me personally. Anyone studying Fashion can learn so much from this time-piece. To be honest, I have just scratched the surface where the costumes are concerned, if you want to learn more --- watch Downton Abbey!

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Thanks for reading folks x