Yes, yes, we all have our faves of this legendary series. As I was doing a rewatch in honor of the late, great Maggie Smith, I made particular note of the fashionable episodes because, yeah, that’s what sucked me in originally, along with the Dowager Countess’ witty quips.
So let’s go chronologically through my top five Downton Abbey (2010-15) episodes FOR FASHION, darling! YMMV.
The One With Lady Sybil’s Harem Pants, S1:E4
Obviously! Showing she’s a rebel (well, not as much as Mary who fucked a guy before marriage only for him to die in bed). But hey, this was cutting edge for 1913.
The One With the Flower Show S1:E5 /
The One That Ends With WWI’s Announcement S1:E7
I mush these two together because they have the same cool fashion vibe — Edwardian whites! And this is the last we’ll see of 1910s finery in the series because season 2 is the drab war years and season 3 opens in 1920. I prefer ‘teens styles, and these daytime cream colors are so pretty and refined! Also great hats!
The One With Rose’s Royal Debut S4:E9
For the London season, Rose gets two very fashionable robe de style gowns that were made popular by the House of Lanvin. These combine the typically low-waisted 1920s gown with wide hip pads reminiscent of the 18th century. Rose has a pale robe de style for her court presentation and a hot pink one to dance with the Prince of Wales.
The One With the Dress Show S5:4
An actual 1924 fashion show in the show! Lady Mary and her aunt Rosamund look at dresses, and OMG are these fine frocks. I’ll take one of everything (and I don’t even like ’20s fashion, lol!).
The One With the Race Car Crash S6:7
While this isn’t as sartorially amazing as the others, I feel it’s worth mentioning because this episode shows such excellent 1920s sporty daytime outfits on both Edith and Mary. The print and color combo on Edith are especially fantastic, while the latticework and sunglasses on Mary are subdued elegance. Wonderful ensemble costuming.
What fashionable moments from Downton Abbey do you remember most?
Find this frock flick at:
So hard to narrow it down, but I think I really must comment on the polar opposite outfits worn by the Dowager and Mrs. Levinson, using fashion to show their outlook on life. I also really liked the color palette used by Edith throughout the series.
I wish we got to see white lace Lingerie gowns for all the girls before WW1 in announced! They’re so pretty! But they’re a lot of work! I’m excited by what 1930s fashions they’ll pull out in The Grand Finale!
Sybil’s WWI garden party dress and Edith’s 2 pc at the racetrack were vintage pieces as were some of Rose’s dresses.
I love the 1910s – so much change happening.
What is a weekEND?
I have to admit that half the fun of watching DOWNTON ABBEY is trying to decide which of the younger cast members will be showing up in future to queen it over the younger generation the way Dame Maggie (RIP) did in this show.
My money would be on Michelle Dockery, of course.
Ha! Being reminded of her moderately-scandalous career gives me an amusing mental image of a very, very elderly Lady Mary popping up in RIVALS territory to very casually under-react to all the shenanigans (“Darling, the reason they called them the Roaring Twenties is that I was a LIONESS”).
Cue Bea Arthur’s iconic monologue about Betty White in Golden Girls!
I have always enjoyed Lady Mary’s 1920s hunting suit that she wore alongside her former ex-fiance, Sir Richard Carlisle, and Matthew. I do not know the episode, but I felt in the moment I first saw that ensemble, that I wanted to wear it.
So many wonderful fashion moments in the overall series as well as the films. My former museum home hosted the Dressing Downton exhibition, so we had a number of costumes through Rose’s debut season, and had the best attendance ever because so many people wanted to see the clothes. The details, in person, are just stunning. It’s also great to see when they’ve used vintage garments, and had to effect repairs – you can see where newer beading will be very bright, and older beading is oxidized and somewhat dulled down. The gown that Cora wore accompanying Rose to the palace for her formal debut had vintage silver and cream beaded pieces on the bodice and shoulders with a beautiful lavender silk velvet. I loved the gown Mary wore the first time Matthew and Isobel went to Downton; it’s been featured in multiple films and series, and is also a vintage piece. The hand worked starburst embroidery on the netting overlay fabric looks different depending on the lighting, and it wasn’t until the mannequin was installed that I realized the dress had beautiful black beaded tassels at the end of each 3/4 sleeve. I think that the fashion show had to be one of my favorite scenes, as well as just about any scene involving formal clothes, weddings included. Sybil in her Paul Poirot inspired pyjamas was a clue that they were going to be going above and beyond with the costuming. I’m looking forward to the next film, but sad that we’ll be missing out on potential slinky 30s fashion.
Didn’t Mary only “f**k a guy before marriage” because he basically blackmailed her?
I recall that Lady Mary engaged in at least two out-of-wedlock amours (and I believe that the second, the only one I myself observed firsthand – having come late to the series and never really filled in the gaps – was quite enthusiastically participated in), so could you please specify which of these you mean?
The one I was thinking of was the encounter with Mr. Pamuk in episode 3 of season 1. By my recollection, he went into her room uninvited and said something along the lines of “well, I’m here, so it’s already a scandal, so you might as well bonk me, and I can make sure you’re still a virgin for your husband, ho ho ho”.
Sybil had some of my favourite outfits from the show, the absolutely fabulous harem pants(thank you Paul Poiret!!), the gorgeous Green/Grey velvet evening gown from S3, and lovely pale blue ensemble for Mary’s wedding(that hat!). She even made the nursing uniform look great!!
She did! Mostly because she is rail thin, with no breasts or hips to speak of, perfect for the period. Elizabeth McGovern, too. I always wanted that body type, but ended up more curvy. I did have a stunning pale peach silk nightgown (not for sleeping in) that I looked fabulous in because it was from the 30s and a bit more generous in the hips, nipping in at the waist but higher than usual, cut on the bias. I wore it too often and it fell apart eventually, but it was glorious. I managed to get a picture of me in it before then. It’s painful to have beautiful vintage pieces that you can’t really wear.