Downton Abbey Fashion Analysis

Downton Abbey,  one of my favorite mini series is about to start on Jan 6.  Many of you who are PBS fans like me must have been watching this from the start.  I have watched both the series and their re- runs religiously on PBS and  apart from the drama I am big fan of the  fashion and have done quite a research on this. The onset of season 3 inspired me to write this article and share with you what I have learned about the inspirations and facts of Downton Abbey Fashion.




I love the research and detail that is shown even in the wardrobe of these characters.  In a Vogue issue one of the Downton Abbey cast  told that they used minimal make up and did not use mascara because at that time mascara was not introduced.  Also in season 2 I liked the part where  first curling irons were introduced and Anna was trying it to curl her own hair before applying it on Lady Mary.  Who off-course  looked lovely with those curls.

In an article in entertainment time .com Susannah Buxton, Downton Abbey's costume designer say"Real-life people frequently inspire designs for on-screen characters". She thought of Britain's Queen Mary while designing costumes for Maggie Smith, who plays the acerbic Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley.  The above picture of both Queen Mary and  Violet Crawley when compared, a resemblance of style can be seen. The queen, Buxton says, was extremely dominant and had a strong shape that translated well for Violet. The Dowager Countess is seen wearing a lot of black and dark color garments with heavy beaded work. Most of her ensemble are always complete with a hat.

Even Her Ladyship Cora Crawley’s character, who is an American and Lord Grantham married her for the dowry (money she brought with her) to help maintain his estate was a common trend then. From late-Victorian times onwards, such transatlantic transactions became commonplace as hundreds of socially ambitious 'dollar princesses' like Cora - drawn from the US's millionaire families - bought themselves prime positions in the upper echelons of the British aristocracy.
One of the first was Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie. Daughter of a hugely rich Wall Street speculator, Leonard Jerome, she married Lord Randolph, the Duke of Marlborough's younger son, in 1874. Lady Cora is an american and her modern fashion reflects her mind. She wore more of lace and chiffon rather than the more traditional beaded work dresses worn by women of her age.

The season one started in 1912 which is the Edwardian Era and Season two started in 1916 with World War I which with everything else also took a toll on the fashion.  Women became more independent as most men of the house were away.  The war had a major effect on fashion in fabric restrictions, style changed due to women taking over men’s jobs. Dresses became shorter (6 inches shorter, exposing the ankle) and many women adopted military-ish sweaters and trench coats. Hats, gloves, and parasols were exchanged for simply buns and functional gloves with modest hats. Most of the Men were at war and when home too they were in uniform, which was again why His Lordship was wearing the war uniform. There was a remarkable change seen in the fashion  of season 1 to season 2 in clothes to hats.

Particularly if we follow  Lady Mary Crawley's fashion we can see her  dresses took on a whole new dimension.  The first season was about glamorous evening gowns with large hats and broad hats having face shadowing brims, her costumes made her stand out  among the show’s three sisters. In the second season gone was the corseted waist and in its place was the hobble skirt and smaller hats with flat brims.

Lady Edith, who with Lady Mary had a visibly strong sibling rivalry looked odd from time to time and her more regal sister Mary was seen making scathing remarks on her. During the second season, Edith proved her mettle and compassion as Downton transformed into a convalescent home. Her style improved to reflect her new-found confidence.

Sybil the youngest , slightly rebellion for her time, falls in love with Branson, the family chauffeur. Her clothes showcased that freedom of spirit specially when she wore the Harem dress with turkish trousers as no women would even think of wearing trousers then.

Season 2 introduced the character of Lavinia Swire as Mathew Crawley’s fiance. Lavinia’s dresses are believed to be inspired by the late Edwardian King of Fashion, Paul Poiret. Poiret’s  contributions to twentieth-century fashion have been likened to Picasso's contributions to twentieth-century art. Bejeweled rope headband Lavinia wears for her introduction to the Grantham’s at Downton is alluring. Lavinia is daughter of a middle class soliciter and the headband  shows her desire to be seen as fashionable and most importantly as affluent enough to marry Matthew. Above I compared Lavinia’s  introductory costume to two of Paul Poiret's creations which looks similar.

I personally like the character and outfits of Mary Crawley.  My next project is to make a blouse inspired by a dress worn by her.  Hope I succeed in my project. Until then Happy Stitching!