Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey (24 page)

They may be tucked away in the Yorkshire countryside, but that is no obstacle to the Abbey’s ladies being able to follow the latest fashions.

Like the rest of the English aristocracy, the Crawley women would have been aware of current trends driven by the big-name Paris-based designers, who included Vionnet, Lanvin and Beer – Coco Chanel was yet to reach the height of her popularity. ‘There were lots of designers around with quite different styles – it was a really interesting period in fashion,’ Caroline McCall reveals.

Dubbed the queen of draping, Madeleine Vionnet invented the bias cut, while fellow Frenchwoman Jeanne Lanvin was known for her fabulous embellishments and muted palette. The house of Beer was founded by a German designer, Gustav Beer, but was based in Paris.

A trip to Paris to expand their wardrobes would not have been out of the question for the Crawleys, says McCall. ‘They could have gone to see a collection and then had pieces made; they had that kind of money.’

Having married into the English aristocracy, Cora is very much established in her adopted society – yet she still retains something of her outsider’s perspective. As an American, she is more willing to embrace change than her husband Robert, while her wealthy background means she has real spending power.

Her wardrobe reflects all this, says McCall. ‘Cora is very elegant and sophisticated, yet she’s quite modern in her approach to clothes – which you see when guests visit. She’s more fashionable than other people, because she’s American and has money – and she has a sense of style.’ That, after all, cannot be bought.

Just as much care is taken over the men’s clothing as the women’s. Hugh Bonneville remembers that a waistcoat he wore in series two was the subject of lengthy talks between the costume department and Julian Fellowes, with regards to it being white or cream.

‘I would far rather hear that level of discussion and detail than a producer like Julian saying, “Oh actually, no one will notice, make it orange, it doesn’t matter,”’ he says. ‘This is again one of the reasons why
Downton Abbey
has clicked in the way that it has – there is such an attention to detail. Even though we get things wrong – of course we do – there’s an aspiration to be as accurate as possible.’

Shuttling between Ealing, Highclere and all the other varied locations, the wardrobe truck is a vital part of the cavalcade, storing the principal characters’ main costumes and accessories, as well as those of guest stars.

The packed rails tell the story of
Downton
through clothes, from the military uniforms once worn by the Abbey’s men during the war, to the tiny woollen garments tagged ‘baby Sybbie’. Labels on stacked drawers list everything from ‘coloured long and short socks’ to posher fabrics, ‘silk, satin, chiffon’, along with the latest change sheets, which set out what is needed to dress each actor in their upcoming scenes.

The truck is kept in order by the wardrobe mistress, Asia Macey, who spends her days setting out costumes, washing and maintaining the clothes and helping to dress the actors. Dressing gowns are kept on hand for the cast as they get in and out of costume, while extra warmth is often needed during filming. ‘You can’t always be in thick coats for filming, so in cold weather it’s a nightmare working outside – we have to wear endless underwear!’ says Penelope Wilton (Isobel). ‘I was on a station platform for a day and it was perishing. People race around with hot-water bottles to put down your clothes.’

Certainly, the process behind the
Downton
look is not always as glamorous as the end result. ‘The corsets are uncomfortable,’ admits Macey, ‘but many of the actors are now used to them.’