Dressing Downton

Downton Abbey costumes come to Oshkosh 

When I first heard that the costumes of Downton Abbey were coming to Oshkosh, I was all "Exsqueeze me? Baking powder?" The exhibit is only making a handful of stops in the U.S. and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is one of them? Alright then. Surprise aside, I knew my mom and I would have to make the journey to see those gorgeous gowns up close.




When we arrived at the Paine Art Center and Gardens, it suddenly clicked as to why this exhibit is stopping in Oshkosh. The Paine is a drop-dead-gorgeous mansion — an English-style country estate in the middle of Wisconsin, totally in sync with the era of Downton. The house was built in 1925, commissioned by the Paine family as an ode to their English heritage. The architect purposely designed the house to include varied architectural details to give the impression that the house had been built over three centuries of evolving English styles.

The house is a museum normally with lovely botanical gardens, but the costumes of Downtown are taking over the place from now until September. Guests tour the house as they normally would, but with exquisite Downtown garb strategically placed throughout.

As Downton fans, I can't stress enough how worthwhile a trip this was. As a lover of this era's architecture opulence, visiting the Paine would be worthwhile even without the Downton lure. The gardens and the manor itself are breathtaking. Of course, security personnel thwarted most of my attempts to sneak a photo, so I don't have much to show in the way of interior pics. But trust me when I say it's every bit as grand as Downtown, if decidedly more Wisconsin-sized.

But with Mom as a lookout, I was able to snap a couple quick photos (Rebel's my middle name). The exhibit showed everything from outerwear to men's evening wear to those Crawley sister dresses we all drool over. Each of the costumes was accompanied by a little plaque with some info about the piece. Most also included a photo of the costume being worn in the show, making the magic all the more real.

We were told when we arrived that these are all the actual costumes worn by the cast (no faking!), and that all of the costumes were made to the actors' measurements. Therefore, the mannequins are true to size. Let's just say Michelle Dockery is a waif. A talented, beautiful waif for whom I have insane dress-up envy.

While most of the pieces are entirely new, some of the costumes incorporate bits of clothing from the era. We saw one gown with beading from the early 1920s; the costume designer had used the beaded overlay and constructed a new lining to complete the costume. I think my favorite pieces to see were Cora's flower show ensemble and the Dowager's signature purple frock. Of course security was tight around this room, so alas, no pics. You'll just have to go see for yourself. And save room for the gardens! They're enchanting. Dressing Downton runs through September 20th & opens at 10:00 AM daily.