Downton Abbey Fashion

Did you watch the premiere of Downton Abbey Season 4 yesterday? I won't give any spoilers with show details throughout my series on Downton Inspired sewing, because I know different parts of the world see the episodes at different times. Plus, it's not the show itself I want to talk about...it's the fashion!

The costume designer for the show is phenomenal! Here's a recent interview Carol McCall did for Glamour about how she designs for each character.

The thing that strikes me as I look through images from the show is how much detail is put into each costume. Just look at the image of Lady Edith above. Here's a close up of the beads and subtle details along the seams. It's amazing considering that while you're watching the show in real time, you'd probably miss those tiny gold metal dots. But they're meticulous!

It's funny because if you asked me which character's clothes I liked best, I'd probably say Mary at first. But as I really look at the images, Edith's clothes jump out at me the most. Whose style do you like best?

Here are a couple other favorites from Edith's clothes.

The backs of each dress are just as beautiful as the fronts.

And let's just pause for a moment and think about how glorious it would be if the shapeless 1920's silhouette was the most fashionable thing to wear immediately after having a baby. Lucky Mary and Sybil! (well, lucky in the fashion category anyway...I promised 'no spoilers')

I think my very favorite thing from Mary's closet is this red coat.

I love when the costumes are bright colors, because it stands out so much from the black and white of the downstairs characters.

And let's not forget about the fabulous (and sometimes over-the-top) hats and head jewelry.

Here are a few more of my favorites, including those scandalous pants!!

I hope you're feeling inspired by these fashions and are ready to sew something! Tomorrow I'll be talking about the trends of 1920's clothes (which is the time period of Season 4) and I'll share an outfit I made for one of my little girls. Later this week I'll also be doing a round-up of sewing patterns out there that have a vintage vibe. And don't forget that next week there will be several bloggers sharing their Downton Inspired sewing projects with you...I can't wait to introduce them to you soon! Plus giveaways are coming! Be sure to follow on bloglovin so you don't miss a thing!