Downton Abbey

♫Did I Make the Most of Loving You?♫

The costumes from the Downton Abbey TV series have been one of Winterthur's most popular exhibitions.  It continues through January 4, 2015, which happens to be when Season 5 begins here.  I will admit right up front that I lost interest in the TV series after the second season when PBS started running it past 10:00!  But I have kept up with the buzz about it from time to time whenever people have commented about the show on Susan Branch's website.  I know that I have several readers of my Blog who love Downton Abbey, so this post is for you. 

I hope you will enjoy this brief tour.  I did not capture every costume or every sign.  There were too many people in the way at the beginning of the exhibit to get good photos, and I neglected to go back later because of my gift shop "adventure" at the end. So, you might enjoy reading these articles by others who have visited the exhibit for more information:  Washington Post; Smithsonian; Huffington Post; and this is an interview with Maggie Lidz, one of the three co-curators of the exhibit.  Note:  To make the photos larger, click on them.

Outside the Museum. . . .

This large poster hung at the foot of the stairs leading up to the exhibit. . . .

Our cast of characters. . . .

The downstairs uniforms. . . .

Mrs. Patmore's dress and the kitchen staff. . . .

This was interesting to me because I have those same blue glasses, but am missing several due to breakage.  I wanted to ask someone if they'd sell them to me when the exhibit was done with them. . . .

Summer dresses, Lady Mary, far right. . . .

This dress worn by Cora was particularly lovely in person. . . .

Day dresses for Cora, Countess of Grantham, and Lady Mary. . . .

Fabulous hat. . . .

Matthew's pinstripe suit worn in Season 3. . . .

O'Brien's dress worn in Season 2. . . .

Interspersed in the exhibit were tidbits about the du Pont family.  This is Ruth du Pont with her daughter,  Pauline, 1921.  The case is her traveling case and would have been carried and maintained by her Lady's Maid, Juliette Dordonette (in lower left photo). . . .

It contained everything you can imagine a Lady's Maid would need to keep her mistress looking good, including her clothing.  It also held stationery supplies. . . .

Shooting Tweeds worn in Season 2. . . .

Walking suit worn by Lady Mary in Season 1 and Cricket outfit worn by Matthew in Season 3. . . .

Coats for Cora, Violet, Edith, and Martha. . . .

Violet, Dowager Countess's coat. . . .

Lady Sybil's and Lady Mary's dresses at Lady Edith's wedding. . . .

Lady Edith's wedding dress. . . .

Lady Sybil's harem pants, Season 1. . . .

Evening dress for Lady Mary and Lady Sybil, Season 2. . . .

Changing for dinner.  Dresses worn by Lady Sybil, Cora, Countess of Grantham, and Violet, Dowager Countess when she asks, "What is a weekend?". . . .

The proposal!  They had the scene playing in the background. . . .

Carson, the butler. . . .

The ladies' gloves. . . .

Cora's evening dress.  The panel down the front is vintage. . . .

Evening dress for Isobel Crawley, Violet, Dowager Countess, and Martha Levinson. . . .

An original evening dress for Lady Rose, Season Four. . . .

Afternoon tea was served at Winterthur between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. . . . .

This pillow caught my eye in the gift shop, but I didn't buy it because I know my sons and daughters-in-law would not agree with the Dowager Countess of Grantham. . . !

However, I did buy tea.  Grantham's Breakfast Tea (organic assam black tea with ginger) . . .

 . . . .and Lady Cora's Evening Tea (caffeine-free blend of chamomile and lemon verbena). . . .

The interesting story behind this purchase is I was waiting in line to pay for my purchase when I noticed the sign that indicated if I spent $100 I could get 25% off my purchase!  Hmmmm.....you know me, bargain hunter.  I hadn't seen anything else I just had to have, so in jest I pointed to the sign and spoke to the lady ahead of me that if we spent $100 between us we could get that discount.  Well, it turns out the item of clothing she was buying WOULD put us above $100 and she thought it was a great idea!  So we hurriedly did the math in our heads (several times), I gave her cash for my purchase minus the 25% off, and she paid for everything.  I'm glad she remembered to ask for a separate bag for the tea.  As it was, I worried I'd be stopped and asked to show a receipt, which I didn't have!  I told her I wanted her to escort me out of the exhibit.  ☺ But then her friends appeared and she was too excited to show them her purchase and tell them she got it for 25% off, which was a great deal because her item was almost $80.  At this point she was no longer paying attention to me, so I gathered my courage and strode confidently out the door to where Ken was waiting for me.  I never did get her name.  If you want to shop at the store you can do so here:  Winterthur Store  The article of clothing the stranger bought isn't on-line, however.  It was rather nice--was some sort of jacket fashioned after one worn on the show.

Here is another Blogger's wonderful 3-part post with CLOSE-UP photos of the costumes.

Don't miss this video about the exhibit that also shows several rooms inside Winterthur:

                
Downton Abbey® Costumes Exhibition at Winterthur from Jill Frechie on Vimeo.

Check out this article about life inside the real Downton Abbey.

If you can't make it to Delaware to see the Winterthur exhibit, there's good news.  It's coming to Biltmore in Ashville, NC in February 2015!

You may also enjoy this documentary about the life of real British servants:  Servants - The True Story of Life Below Stairs