• COMING NEXT WEEK: SHAKESPEARE TURNS 450 YEARS OLD ELEGANCE A new exhibit at Winterthur goes behind the scenes to show how period clothing is recreated for the popular TV series By Patricia Talorico The News Journal 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 Winterthur Museum’s “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit through Jan. 4 are true vintage apparel. Look closely and you might see what is original 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? “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 was added. The same goes with a harem outfit worn by Lady Sybil. The fragile top is vintage, but the pants are made made with new fabrics. A dress worn by Cora, the countess of Grantham, is an example of vintage “bits and adaptations” combined with new design. Eaton says the dress has a vintage panel down the front. “It’s very believable,” she says. And one of Cora’s coats also has beautiful embroi- dery period. But upon closer examination, museum visi- tors can see the designers have used a vintage table- cloth. “It’s brilliant. It’s the right period. It’s very clever,” Eaton says, for a designer to have the imagination and understanding to use other antique fabrics. On TV, the camera fools the eye and the clothing looks period ap- propriate, with no modern-day additions, because peo- ple are moving. Not all the clothes are made exactly as they were a century ago. Costume designers and seamstresses only have seven weeks to create character wardrobes. 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. “It is so interesting, these designs go around and come around again.” 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 made by Fortuny, an Italian designer who was inspired by Renaissance design. While the men’s clothing is all highly tailored, few pieces have vintage elements. But, the choice of fabrics is highly nuanced between the upstairs and downstairs “Downton Abbey” residents and even the British classes. A suit on display worn by Sir Richard, a suitor of Lady Mary’s, is well-made but has “the wrong kind of tweeds,” Eaton says – on purpose. It shows that his new money doesn’t fit in with old-school British aristocracy. “It’s a very subtle thing, but it has tremendous meaning.” Some clothes have been enhanced to look better on TV. For instance, some of the costumes worn by “Downton Abbey’s” downstairs staff have much more texture and design than what someone in the same position would have actually worn 100 years ago. Housekeeper Mrs. Hughes seems to be a dowdy- dressed woman, but one of her black dresses in the exhibit is actually heavily beaded. The texture is needed for TV, Eaton says, or “it would look like black holes of noth- ing.” Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or [email protected]. enry Francis du Pont was known as “a very, very dapper dresser.” But his wife, Ruth Wales du Pont? Not so much. “She was not a fashion plate,” says Linda S. Eaton, Winterthur Museum’s director of collec- tions and senior curator of textiles. There are parallels between the history of the du Pont country estate and the fictional British estate, “Downton Abbey.” The du Ponts married in 1916 and lived at Winterthur around the same time period the PBS series is set. The couple were well-traveled, and a steam trunk that would have been used to ferry more than a dozen changes of clothes needed for a weekend party is part of the “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit. So, too, is Ruth's 17-pound croc- odile leather makeup case. Yet, for all the magnificence of Winterthur with its nearly 90,000 objects, nothing from Ruth’s wardrobe is on display. The museum doesn’t own any of her outfits. “We don’t know what happened to her clothes,” Eaton says, adding, “when she was younger, she had lovely, lovely clothes.” Henry, who always wore high-quality clothing, ordered his bespoke suits from the best tailors in London, Eaton says. A dark midnight blue tuxedo he wore in the 1960s, made by Savile Row’s Henry Poole & Co., is part of the exhibit. “It was ever so chic at the time,” Eaton says. However, Ruth, who was raised in New York, was not particularly interested in clothes. While she could have afforded the best Parisian cou- ture, Eaton says, “she was not buying from Parisian cou- ture houses.” Most of her clothes, particularly those worn later in life, were made locally or came from Philadelphia. – Patricia Talorico THE DETAILS ONLINE QUIZ AND INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC Test how much you’ve learned about THE DOWNTON ABBEY EXHIBIT at delawareonline.com/didyouknow F VINTAGE 1. Evening dress worn by Isobel Crawley (played by Penelope Wilton) 2. Business suit worn by Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens) – pinstripes relative- ly new and very fashionable 3. Day dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery). 4. Harem pants worn by Lady Sybil Branson (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) – very avant garde and shocking. 5. Footman’s livery worn by Thomas Barrow (played by Robert James-Collier) 6. Evening dress worn by Lady Rose MacClare (played by Lily James) 7. Coat, dress worn by Cora, countess of Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern) 8. Hat worn by Martha Levinson (played by Shirley MacLaine) 9. Apron and working clothes worn by John Bates (played by Brendan Coyle) American aristocrats not so clothes conscious as their English counterparts WINTERTHUR’S “DOWNTON ABBEY” EXHIBIT IF YOU GO • WHAT: “Costumes of ‘Downton Abbey’” • WHERE: Winterthur Museum, Library and Gardens, 5105 Kennett Pike, near Greenville • WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, through Jan. 4, 2015 • TICKETS: Tickets are timed and must be bought in advance. $20/adults; $18/students and seniors; $5/ages 2-11. • INFO: (302) 888-4600; www.winterthur.org A B C D E F About the costumes A Evening dress worn by the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Maggie Smith) in Season 1 (1912-14) – the design of this dress and the silk of the skirt is behind the fashions of the day, indicating that the character was conservative in her taste. B Dress worn by Lady Sybil Branson (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) in Season 3 to attend Lady Edith’s wedding. The top of the dress is vintage, and the lower skirt was made to match to create a full dress. It is sheer cotton and is worn with an underdress. C Coat and suit worn by Sir Richard Carlisle (played by Iain Glen) in Season 2 (1916-19). His tweeds are too new, strengthening the idea of his character as being newly rich and not from old money like the Grantham family. D Evening dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 2 (1916-19). This is a highly fashionable dress for that period, showing that Lady Mary could afford the best up-to-date fashions. E Dress and coat worn by Cora, countess of Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern) in Season 1 (1912-14) – this dress was not based on a period source but made up from a vintage strip of pearls and jet that was found on a vintage dress in poor condition. F Dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 3 (1920-21) to attend Lady Edith’s wedding. The body of the dress was a cream vintage dress of a slightly later date that was dyed blue – the sleeves and sash were added. Henry Francis du Pont and his wife Ruth Wales du Pont in a 1916 photo. COURTESY OF WINTERTHUR MUSEUM H 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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• COMING NEXT WEEK: SHAKESPEARE TURNS 450 YEARS OLD
ELEGANCEA new exhibit at Winterthur goesbehind the scenes to show how period clothing is recreated for the popular TV series
By Patricia TaloricoThe News Journal
orward thinkers in fashion tend to look backward, and vintage clothing hasbecome all the rage. Still, only a handful of the 40 outfits on display forWinterthur Museum’s “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit through Jan. 4are true vintage apparel. Look closely and you might see what is originalfrom 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 PBSdrama focusing on the aristocratic household of the fictional earl and countess ofGrantham have been built around fragments of vintage fabrics.
So why don’t designers simply use original clothes for the TV show?“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 useperiod things because of the fragility.”
The “Downton Abbey” era was a century ago. Clothes for well-dressed, wealthywomen were often made with delicate, sheer fabrics. “Not as much has survived ingood condition,” Eaton says.
Instead, designers take antique pieces of fabric, as well as beaded cloths and partsof 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 embroiderywas added.
The same goes with a harem outfit worn by LadySybil. The fragile top is vintage, but the pants are mademade with new fabrics.
A dress worn by Cora, the countess of Grantham, isan example of vintage “bits and adaptations” combinedwith new design. Eaton says the dress has a vintagepanel down the front. “It’s very believable,” she says.
And one of Cora’s coats also has beautiful embroi-dery period. But upon closer examination, museum visi-tors can see the designers have used a vintage table-cloth.
“It’s brilliant. It’s the right period. It’s very clever,”Eaton says, for a designer to have the imagination andunderstanding to use other antique fabrics. On TV, thecamera fools the eye and the clothing looks period ap-propriate, with no modern-day additions, because peo-ple are moving.
Not all the clothes are made exactly as they were acentury ago. Costume designers and seamstresses onlyhave seven weeks to create character wardrobes.
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 vintageclothes to make the elaborate costumes.
“They are not going to destroy an important period piece,” Eaton says. “They’renot killing history.”
One of the vintage dresses in the exhibit is a flirty salmon pink velvet gown, fromSeason 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.“It is so interesting, these designs go around and come around again.”
Most of the woman’s coats on display are original pieces. Eaton points to a printedvelvet vintage coat with a white fur collar, worn by actress Shirley MacLaine. It wasmade by Fortuny, an Italian designer who was inspired by Renaissance design.
While the men’s clothing is all highly tailored, few pieces have vintage elements.But, the choice of fabrics is highly nuanced between the upstairs and downstairs“Downton Abbey” residents and even the British classes.
A suit on display worn by Sir Richard, a suitor of Lady Mary’s, is well-made buthas “the wrong kind of tweeds,” Eaton says – on purpose. It shows that his new moneydoesn’t fit in with old-school British aristocracy. “It’s a very subtle thing, but it hastremendous meaning.”
Some clothes have been enhanced to look better on TV.For instance, some of the costumes worn by “Downton Abbey’s” downstairs staff
have much more texture and design than what someone in the same position wouldhave actually worn 100 years ago. Housekeeper Mrs. Hughes seems to be a dowdy-dressed woman, but one of her black dresses in the exhibit is actually heavily beaded.
The texture is needed for TV, Eaton says, or “it would look like black holes of noth-ing.”Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or [email protected].
enry Francis du Pont was known as “avery, very dapper dresser.”
But his wife, Ruth Wales du Pont?Not so much.
“She was not a fashion plate,” says Linda S.Eaton, Winterthur Museum’s director of collec-tions and senior curator of textiles.
There are parallels between the history ofthe du Pont country estate and the fictionalBritish estate, “Downton Abbey.” The du Pontsmarried in 1916 and lived at Winterthur aroundthe same time period the PBS series is set.
The couple were well-traveled, and a steamtrunk that would have been used to ferry morethan a dozen changes of clothes needed for aweekend party is part of the “Costumes of
Downton Abbey” exhibit. So, too, is Ruth's 17-pound croc-odile leather makeup case.
Yet, for all the magnificence of Winterthur with itsnearly 90,000 objects, nothing from Ruth’s wardrobe ison display. The museum doesn’t own any of her outfits.
“We don’t know what happened to her clothes,” Eatonsays, adding, “when she was younger, she had lovely,lovely clothes.”
Henry, who always wore high-quality clothing,ordered his bespoke suits from the best tailors in London,Eaton says. A dark midnight blue tuxedo he wore in the1960s, made by Savile Row’s Henry Poole & Co., is partof the exhibit. “It was ever so chic at the time,” Eatonsays.
However, Ruth, who was raised in New York, was notparticularly interested in clothes.
While she could have afforded the best Parisian cou-ture, Eaton says, “she was not buying from Parisian cou-ture houses.” Most of her clothes, particularly thoseworn later in life, were made locally or came fromPhiladelphia.
– Patricia Talorico
THE DETAILS
ONLINE QUIZ AND INTERACTIVE GRAPHICTest how much you’ve learned about THE DOWNTON ABBEY EXHIBIT at delawareonline.com/didyouknow
F
VINTAGE
1. Evening dress worn by Isobel Crawley(played by Penelope Wilton) 2. Business suit worn by Matthew Crawley(played by Dan Stevens) – pinstripes relative-ly new and very fashionable3. Day dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley(played by Michelle Dockery).4. Harem pants worn by Lady Sybil Branson(played by Jessica Brown Findlay) – veryavant garde and shocking.5. Footman’s livery worn by Thomas Barrow(played by Robert James-Collier)6. Evening dress worn by Lady RoseMacClare (played by Lily James) 7. Coat, dress worn by Cora, countess ofGrantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern)8. Hat worn by Martha Levinson (played byShirley MacLaine)9. Apron and working clothes worn by JohnBates (played by Brendan Coyle)
American aristocrats notso clothes conscious astheir English counterparts
W I N T E R T H U R ’ S “ D O W N T O N A B B E Y ” E X H I B I T
IF YOU GO• WHAT: “Costumes of‘Downton Abbey’”• WHERE: WinterthurMuseum, Library andGardens, 5105 KennettPike, near Greenville• WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Tuesdays through Sundays,through Jan. 4, 2015• TICKETS: Tickets aretimed and must be boughtin advance. $20/adults;$18/students and seniors;$5/ages 2-11.• INFO: (302) 888-4600;www.winterthur.org
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About the costumes A Evening dress worn by the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by MaggieSmith) in Season 1 (1912-14) – the design of this dress and the silk of the skirt is behindthe fashions of the day, indicating that the character was conservative in her taste.
B Dress worn by Lady Sybil Branson (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) in Season 3 toattend Lady Edith’s wedding. The top of the dress is vintage, and the lower skirt wasmade to match to create a full dress. It is sheer cotton and is worn with an underdress.
C Coat and suit worn by Sir Richard Carlisle (played by Iain Glen) in Season 2 (1916-19).His tweeds are too new, strengthening the idea of his character as being newly rich andnot from old money like the Grantham family.
D Evening dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 2(1916-19). This is a highly fashionable dress for that period, showing that Lady Marycould afford the best up-to-date fashions.
E Dress and coat worn by Cora, countess of Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern)in Season 1 (1912-14) – this dress was not based on a period source but made up from avintage strip of pearls and jet that was found on a vintage dress in poor condition.
F Dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) in Season 3 (1920-21)to attend Lady Edith’s wedding. The body of the dress was a cream vintage dress of aslightly later date that was dyed blue – the sleeves and sash were added. Henry Francis du Pont and his wife Ruth Wales du Pont
in a 1916 photo. COURTESY OF WINTERTHUR MUSEUM
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