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WINTERTHUR’S “DOWNTON ABBEY” EXHIBIT THE DETAILS VINTAGE 1 2 ELEGANCE A new exhibit at Winterthur goes C behind the scenes to show how 3 period clothing is recreated A for the popular TV series F By Patricia Talorico The News Journal 4 E orward thinkers in fashion tend to look backward, and vintage clothing has become all the rage. Still, only a handful of the 40 outfits on display for B D Winterthur Museum’s “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit through Jan. 4 are true vintage apparel. Look closely and you might see what is original F from the time period – from 1912 to the early 1920s – and what has been made-for-TV. Many of the women’s “historically inspired” costumes made for the British PBS drama focusing on the aristocratic household of the fictional earl and countess of Grantham have been built around fragments of vintage fabrics. So why don’t designers simply use original clothes for the TV show? 5 “A lot of the real things have fallen apart,” says Linda S. Eaton, Winterthur’s direc- tor of museum collections and senior curator of textiles. “They are not going to use period things because of the fragility.” The “Downton Abbey” era was a century ago. Clothes for well-dressed, wealthy women were often made with delicate, sheer fabrics. “Not as much has survived in good condition,” Eaton says. Instead, designers take antique pieces of fabric, as well as beaded cloths and parts of dresses, and incorporate them into new designs. Winterthur visitors will see Lady Edith’s wedding dress has some period embroi- dery panels. But, up close, Eaton says they’ll also see where present-day embroidery 6 was added. The same goes with a harem outfit worn by Lady IF YOU GO Sybil. The fragile top is vintage, but the pants are made • WHAT: “Costumes of made with new fabrics. ‘Downton Abbey’” A dress worn by Cora, the countess of Grantham, is an example of vintage “bits and adaptations” combined • WHERE: Winterthur with new design. Eaton says the dress has a vintage Museum, Library and panel down the front. “It’s very believable,” she says. Gardens, 5105 Kennett And one of Cora’s coats also has beautiful embroi- Pike, near Greenville dery period. But upon closer examination, museum visi- • WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tors can see the designers have used a vintage table- Tuesdays through Sundays, 7 cloth. through Jan. 4, 2015 “It’s brilliant. It’s the right period. It’s very clever,” • TICKETS: Tickets are Eaton says, for a designer to have the imagination and timed and must be bought understanding to use other antique fabrics. On TV, the in advance. $20/adults; camera fools the eye and the clothing looks period ap- $18/students and seniors; propriate, with no modern-day additions, because peo- $5/ages 2-11. ple are moving. Not all the clothes are made exactly as they were a • INFO: (302) 888-4600; century ago. Costume designers and seamstresses only www.winterthur.org have seven weeks to create character wardrobes. 8 The costumes come from Cosprop, a company that rents to theater, film and televi- sion productions. It was founded by John Bright, who was at the forefront of histori- cal accuracy. Designers are “very careful” to not rip apart intact antique and vintage clothes to make the elaborate costumes. “They are not going to destroy an important period piece,” Eaton says. “They’re not killing history.” One of the vintage dresses in the exhibit is a flirty salmon pink velvet gown, from Season 4, worn by Lady Rose. The print of pinks and blacks actually looks like a pat- tern from the 1960s. “The design is very modern. You look at it and don’t think the 1920s,” Eaton says. 9 “It is so interesting, these designs go around and come around again.” About the costumes Most of the woman’s coats on display are original pieces. Eaton points to a printed velvet vintage coat with a white fur collar, worn by actress Shirley MacLaine. It was Downton Abbey” exhibit. So, too, is Ruth's 17-pound croc- A Evening dress worn by the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Maggie made by Fortuny, an Italian designer who was inspired by Renaissance design. American aristocrats not odile leather makeup case. Smith) in Season 1 (1912-14) – the design of this dress and the silk of the skirt is behind While the men’s clothing is all highly tailored, few pieces have vintage elements. Yet, for all the magnificence of Winterthur with its the fashions of the day, indicating that the character was conservative in her taste. But, the choice of fabrics is highly nuanced between the upstairs and downstairs nearly 90,000 objects, nothing from Ruth’s wardrobe is so clothes conscious as “Downton Abbey” residents and even the British classes. on display. The museum doesn’t own any of her outfits. B Dress worn by Lady Sybil Branson (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) in Season 3 to A suit on display worn by Sir Richard, a suitor of Lady Mary’s, is well-made but “We don’t know what happened to her clothes,” Eaton attend Lady Edith’s wedding. The top of the dress is vintage, and the lower skirt was has “the wrong kind of tweeds,” Eaton says – on purpose. It shows that his new money their English counterparts says, adding, “when she was younger, she had lovely, made to match to create a full dress. It is sheer cotton and is worn with an underdress. doesn’t fit in with old-school British aristocracy. “It’s a very subtle thing, but it has 1. Evening dress worn by Isobel Crawley lovely clothes.” (played by Penelope Wilton) tremendous meaning.” Coat and suit worn by Sir Richard Carlisle (played by Iain Glen) in Season 2 (1916-19). enry Francis du Pont was known as “a Henry, who always wore high-quality clothing, 2. Business suit worn by Matthew Crawley C Some clothes have been enhanced to look better on TV. very, very dapper dresser.” ordered his bespoke suits from the best tailors in London, (played by Dan Stevens) – pinstripes relative- His tweeds are too new, strengthening the idea of his character as being newly rich and For instance, some of the costumes worn by “Downton Abbey’s” downstairs staff H But his wife, Ruth Wales du Pont? Eaton says. A dark midnight blue tuxedo he wore in the ly new and very fashionable not from old money like the Grantham family. have much more texture and design than what someone in the same position would Not so much. 1960s, made by Savile Row’s Henry Poole & Co., is part 3. Day dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley have actually worn 100 years ago. Housekeeper Mrs. Hughes seems to be a dowdy- (played by Michelle Dockery). D Evening dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 2 “She was not a fashion plate,” says Linda S. of the exhibit. “It was ever so chic at the time,” Eaton dressed woman, but one of her black dresses in the exhibit is actually heavily beaded. 4. Harem pants worn by Lady Sybil Branson (1916-19). This is a highly fashionable dress for that period, showing that Lady Mary Eaton, Winterthur Museum’s director of collec- says. The texture is needed for TV, Eaton says, or “it would look like black holes of noth- (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) – very tions and senior curator of textiles. However, Ruth, who was raised in New York, was not could afford the best up-to-date fashions. ing.” avant garde and shocking. There are parallels between the history of particularly interested in clothes. 5. Footman’s livery worn by Thomas Barrow E Dress and coat worn by Cora, countess of Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern) the du Pont country estate and the fictional Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or [email protected]. (played by Robert James-Collier) While she could have afforded the best Parisian cou- in Season 1 (1912-14) – this dress was not based on a period source but made up from a British estate, “Downton Abbey.” The du Ponts ture, Eaton says, “she was not buying from Parisian cou- 6. Evening dress worn by Lady Rose married in 1916 and lived at Winterthur around MacClare (played by Lily James) vintage strip of pearls and jet that was found on a vintage dress in poor condition. ture houses.” Most of her clothes, particularly those the same time period the PBS series is set. worn later in life, were made locally or came from ONLINE QUIZ AND INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC 7. Coat, dress worn by Cora, countess of The couple were well-traveled, and a steam Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern) F Dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 3 (1920-21) Philadelphia. Test how much you’ve learned about THE DOWNTON ABBEY 8. Hat worn by Martha Levinson (played by to attend Lady Edith’s wedding. The body of the dress was a cream vintage dress of a trunk that would have been used to ferry more – Patricia Talorico Shirley MacLaine) than a dozen changes of clothes needed for a EXHIBIT at delawareonline.com/didyouknow slightly later date that was dyed blue – the sleeves and sash were added. Henry Francis du Pont and his wife Ruth Wales du Pont 9. Apron and working clothes worn by John weekend party is part of the “Costumes of Bates (played by Brendan Coyle) in a 1916 photo.

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