Costume Design of Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey costumes are eye candy for a costume lover like me. It’s the British drama TV series follows the lives of the Crawley family during 1920s. This show has brought the vintage elegant fashion back to the modern shops.

Downton Abbey Costumes

The story starts with the legacy issue of the Crawley family in 1912. The sudden death of the Earl of Grantham’s heir leads the main threshold and the drama begins. The costume designer Susannah Buxton recreated the 1920s fashion with lacy frocks and elbow-length gloves for the upper class Crawley family. The early 1920s style is very extravagant as their dresses are often made of silk fabrics and decorated with intricate embroidery, beading, lace and fringe. The costume completed characters and demonstrated how the British elite look.

In addition to the Crawley family, servants is also an important threshold in this drama. The household help of Downton Abbey has distinct level. From aprons, suits to simple cotton dresses, their costumes clearly shows the different hierarchy and reflects their status.

Endless high dining and lavish parties account for the main part of life for the aristocracy class during 1920s. Downton Abbey not only presents a vivid lifestyle of the aristocracy, but also provides a visual storytelling through the vintage costume design.