Downton Abbey Fashion Watch (Season 3)

Oh how excited we all are to have Downton Abbey back!  
Season 3 (Episode 1) opens in 1920 with a wedding and the threat of losing Downton.   Storyline aside, the fashions were again in the forefront.  Most notable were the streamlined silhouettes and simplified designs of the younger members of the Crawley family.  Modernity is beginning to hit the halls of our favorite country estate.

"Slightly new...but not too different."  
Edith (one of my favorite characters) shows us true finger waves with the nape of her neck complete exposed.   Very modern indeed!


The suits and dresses of the three sisters are streamlined.  Gone is the over embellished.  While the evening dresses are still elegant and glamorous, the day dresses and suit are chic and simplified and completely reflect the modern fashions of 1920.
I simply adore Mary Crawley's suit here.  Windowpane check tweed.  Drop waist belt. Boots.  Simple hat.  Leather gloves.  What could be more perfect?

Edith also has a fabulous suit in a lovely lavender.  
Again, we see simplified lines, simple jewelry, and lack of embellishments in Mary and Edith's day dresses as they receive Sybil and Tom from Ireland.
The sisters and Anna gather to help Mary try on her "going away" suit.
Sybil, Edith, and Mary receive their grandmother from America.  Muted colors and subtle patterns are the hallmarks of their dresses.

Lady Grantham's day dress has just a touch of embellishment and color in the floral embroidery.
Oh the wedding dress!  Again, simplified lines prevail.  The beading is subtle.  Such elegance.


Violet and Martha remind us of the overly embellished, overly beaded, overly feathered, overly ruffled fashions of the previous decade.
"It's so encouraging to see the future unfurl." Violet
"As long as you remember it will bear to resemblance to the past." Martha




2 comments:

  1. I loved this post! I have yet to see the start of season 3!
    It is so interesting to watch the fashion morph throughout this show. And I also enjoyed your breakdown of the main differences. Thank you!
    Jamie
    http://chatterblossom.blogspot.com/

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  2. I adore Downton Abbey and it's so nice to read your commentary about the clothing. I would have overlooked so many details if you hadn't pointed them out. <3

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