Downton Glamour
If you can't bear the thought of waiting till Christmas for another Downton fix then never fear. We spoke to Caroline McCall; costume designer for the series, who gave us her top tips on how to give your wardrobe a touch of Downton glamour. So even if you can't enjoy Downton delights on TV till Christmas you will be able to enjoy them every day through your outfit choices.
Although series 4 of Downton is set in the twenties, Caroline tells me that we haven't quite reached the time when flappers and jazz were all the rage.
However, despite the fact that it may not be tassled dresses and strings of pearls just yet (in the early part of the decade, change was slow, as many were reluctant to adopt new styles. It wasn't until 1925 that the public fully embraced the styles associated with the era), it was the start of the decade in which women waved goodbye to corsets and adopted less restricting clothes such as shorter skirts and trousers.
"It's a really lovely period in history to do, 1922-23, because it's not really done in drama, the early twenties gets lost when you hit the mid-twenties," she tells me.
Talking to McCall it's clear that the early part of the era, when it comes to clothing, is a tad misunderstood.
"French designer Madeline Vionnet pioneered the bias cut dress and so many people think the style is more associated with the thirties but it's not it absolutely starts in the early 20s."
"There were dress styles which are similar to Dior's new look and that was really interesting to explore because it's a style people don't think of for that time."
Since the era has been largely ignored when it comes to costume dramas, I wonder how much she had to go on when deciding what to dress the Downton ladies in.
"I looked at lots of original magazines that had patterns in [The Lady has frequently featured in the show]. It was a time when photographs were taken a lot more so there are lots of photographs around, and paintings. Obviously with the internet it makes it much easier to find lots of pictures and show reels."
Working with some original materials (such as Edith's dress wore to the Criterion, in episode one) meant that, although beautiful, some of the dresses were incredible fragile.
"With some of the dressed I had my fingers crossed that they would last a day's filming. I have worried about dressed disintegrating but luckily it hasn't happened yet!"
Dressing the younger ladies such as Lady Mary and Edith, one would imagine that finding clothes of the era was easy. But how does one go about dressing the older member of the family, such as the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), an Edwardian woman very much set in her way.
"She's got a lot less busty in this series," she laughs.
" She is never going to lose that shape or style because she is an Edwardian lady and she is the same generation as Queen Alexandra would have been and I look a lot at Queen Alexandra and she didn't change she kept the same silhouette
You just have to try and find fabrics which are more twenties or softer, materials that drape, and the trim is less heavy. It was more about finding elements that give it a more up to date look, using the new fabrics but not the shape."
So why does she think the era has seen a renaissance when it comes to fashion today?
"When times are hard and people want to make best of themselves rather than be more casual, I think it's going back to how people felt back then [in the twenties] and today."
Recreating the look of Downton, when it comes to your wardrobe, isn't as hard as all that. Just make sure to pop these items on your shopping list
T-bar shoes
Head bands
Little handbags
Grecian style dress
Although series 4 of Downton is set in the twenties, Caroline tells me that we haven't quite reached the time when flappers and jazz were all the rage.
However, despite the fact that it may not be tassled dresses and strings of pearls just yet (in the early part of the decade, change was slow, as many were reluctant to adopt new styles. It wasn't until 1925 that the public fully embraced the styles associated with the era), it was the start of the decade in which women waved goodbye to corsets and adopted less restricting clothes such as shorter skirts and trousers.
"It's a really lovely period in history to do, 1922-23, because it's not really done in drama, the early twenties gets lost when you hit the mid-twenties," she tells me.
Talking to McCall it's clear that the early part of the era, when it comes to clothing, is a tad misunderstood.
"French designer Madeline Vionnet pioneered the bias cut dress and so many people think the style is more associated with the thirties but it's not it absolutely starts in the early 20s."
"There were dress styles which are similar to Dior's new look and that was really interesting to explore because it's a style people don't think of for that time."
Since the era has been largely ignored when it comes to costume dramas, I wonder how much she had to go on when deciding what to dress the Downton ladies in.
"I looked at lots of original magazines that had patterns in [The Lady has frequently featured in the show]. It was a time when photographs were taken a lot more so there are lots of photographs around, and paintings. Obviously with the internet it makes it much easier to find lots of pictures and show reels."
Working with some original materials (such as Edith's dress wore to the Criterion, in episode one) meant that, although beautiful, some of the dresses were incredible fragile.
"With some of the dressed I had my fingers crossed that they would last a day's filming. I have worried about dressed disintegrating but luckily it hasn't happened yet!"
Dressing the younger ladies such as Lady Mary and Edith, one would imagine that finding clothes of the era was easy. But how does one go about dressing the older member of the family, such as the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), an Edwardian woman very much set in her way.
"She's got a lot less busty in this series," she laughs.
" She is never going to lose that shape or style because she is an Edwardian lady and she is the same generation as Queen Alexandra would have been and I look a lot at Queen Alexandra and she didn't change she kept the same silhouette
You just have to try and find fabrics which are more twenties or softer, materials that drape, and the trim is less heavy. It was more about finding elements that give it a more up to date look, using the new fabrics but not the shape."
So why does she think the era has seen a renaissance when it comes to fashion today?
"When times are hard and people want to make best of themselves rather than be more casual, I think it's going back to how people felt back then [in the twenties] and today."
Key items to have in your wardrobe
Recreating the look of Downton, when it comes to your wardrobe, isn't as hard as all that. Just make sure to pop these items on your shopping list
T-bar shoes
Head bands
Little handbags
Grecian style dress
