DIY Authentic Downton Abbey!
February 1, 2015
I can’t think of a Downton fan who wouldn’t love to join the cast at the castle dressed in elegant period clothing. Well, now you almost can. I attended a Downton Abbey trunk show and learned how.
The event was hosted by Andover, who made the above Lord and Lady Grantham quilt. It is the only company authorized by the show to create the Downton Abbey fabric line, which is sold at independent fabric stores along with authentic Downton patterns by Butterick. Due to the popularity of the show, Vogue and McCall are planning to re-release their vintage 1920s patterns—so now you can get decked out like your favorite character, or create your own look.
The Downton Abbey designer dresses each character based on personality and coloring. One of my favorites is Lady Rose. Her color scheme combines pastels with cobalt blues, hot pinks and purples. I’m standing in front of her quilt in the photo below.
Lady Rose often appears in sweaters, so her fabrics incorporate faux-knits that were made popular by the Prince of Wales.
If you watched the January 25th episode, you saw Lady Mary attend a fashion show in London where some of the gowns had Egyptian influences. Back in the day, the real owners of the castle funded numerous expeditions to Egypt and helped usher in the Egyptian fashion influence. Andover revealed that you can expect to see more this season.
In addition to Downton Abbey clothes and quilts, you can make bags and hats.
You can even decoupage your own hatbox to complement the colors of your room.
At the trunk show, I snapped pictures of these fabric patterns that Andover created in conjunction with Downton’s fashion designer.
Andover says that the show is committed to making another season after this one, so you have plenty of time to create your Downton Abbey DIY ensemble!
