Clothing exhibit wows fans of Downton Abbey

Dressing Downton — an exhibition of costumes worn on the highly-acclaimed Masterpiece period drama Downton Abbey — has a way of dressing down even the most avid fan of the British period drama. Those who have watched all six seasons of Downton Abbey may unfailingly think they've committed each pithy comment, caustic conversation, gauzy gown and tailored tuxedo to memory.

But soon after entering the Dressing Downton exhibit — on display at Chicago's Driehaus Museum through May 8 — though, it's clear that many costumes and the scenes they supported, which seemed pivotal and indelible in the moment, have become just single threads in the tapestry of the Crawley family's story. But, that's the way of life as well. Moments of crisis and pain grow dull as years pass. So perhaps, then, that is both the magic of the series — which ended to a chorus of sobs — on March 5 and the exhibit, which offers a chance to relive each season. The exhibition — Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times — explores the fashions of Britain between 1912, the year the Titanic sank, and the early 1920s, the dawn of the Jazz Age. This period, marked by World War I between 1914 and 1918, saw great change in people's lives and how they dressed.

The traveling exhibit displays the striking costumes in historical context, illustrating the progression of style in Britain from the bustles and corsets of the Dowager Countess to the liberating, French-inspired fashions of Lady Sybil. In the case of the Driehaus Museum, the setting complements and occasionally upstages the exhibit.

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum is in one of the grandest residential buildings of 19th-century Chicago, the Gilded Age home of banker Samuel Mayo Nickerson. Built between 1879 and 1881, the 25,000-square-foot-mansion cost $450,000 to build. By modern standards, taking inflation into account, that's more than $10 million or $400 a square foot.

It's no surprise then that it was the largest and second-most expensive house to ever be built in Chicago. No longer a residence just after the turn of the 20th century, the mansion was empty and ignored until philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus commissioned a five-year restoration effort to preserve the structure and its magnificent interiors. The opulence is apparent in every room. Ornate and abundant hand carved wood wrap the walls, around spectacularly detailed fireplaces and on the ceiling above. Surviving furnishings paired with elegant, historically-appropriate pieces from the Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts ornament each room.

Built centuries later and miles apart from Downton Abbey, the Driehaus' spacious rooms with their fine art and furniture is a fitting backdrop for the equally ornate costumes worn by the Downton Abbey cast over the past six years.

Visitors to the exhibit are appropriately welcomed by the first piece — a silk and fur-trimmed coat worn by Shirley McClain playing the multi-millionaire American mother of Cora Crawley in season three — in the entry way to what was once the main hall.

From there, the exhibit moves through the front parlor and drawing room, with dresses worn by the two younger Crawley sisters — Edith and Sybil — as well as their wild younger cousin Rose and her would-be beau, the jazz singer Jack Ross. All serve to demonstrate the contrast between city and country life as well as the generations.

A detailed exhibit guide offers context for each costume, including which character wore the piece, in which season and the years it represents. The most interesting details, though, are in the complementary narration. In these, costume designers from the show offer insights into the fabrics, construction and character's personality that inspired each piece.

It was fascinating to learn which dresses were original — designed for the characters — and which were vintage, found in flea markets and shops around Europe and restored by the talented costume designers. It wasn't at all uncommon for them to unearth scraps of fabric, which they would transform into couture costumes.

Equally interesting was hearing in the costume designers' own words how they were inspired by Matthew Crawley's blue eyes and Rose's name. Every costume she wore, for example, had at least one reference to the color or the flower.

The intricate beading and lace were captivating up close in a way that even high definition television can't capture. Many of the gauzy delicate fabrics of the time gave an ethereal effect, which only served to reinforce the very fantastical feel of seeing the pieces up close.

Something about seeing the costumes on dress forms instead of the actors they were constructed for gave a diminutive impression and made it hard to imagine so-called real people wearing them, both 100 years ago and more recently for the purposes of the show. In reality, though, the actresses who wore them are of average or taller height. Laura Carmichael (who plays Lady Edith) and Michelle Dockery (playing Lady Mary) are 5-foot-6-inches and 5-foot-8-inches respectively. Dame Maggie Smith is the shortest at 5-foot-5-inches, yet her costumes, with their rigid construction and big bustles have the opposite optical illusion.

Organized by the same themes — upstairs/downstairs, town/country — that run through the show, instead of sequentially from season one through four (five and six are not represented as the exhibit was curated prior to their production and airing), it still serves to take fans down memory lane.

There are costumes worn by memorable cast members past and present, including, of course, Lady Sybil, who died in season two and Matthew Crawley, who died in season three. Others, though, such as a suit worn by Lady Mary's suitor Sir Richard Carlisle and dresses worn by London socialites Freda Dudley Ward and Madeleine Allsopp serve to recall forgotten scenes.

Fans of Downton who have watched the behind-the-scenes shows dedicated to etiquette and staging, will appreciate seeing the costumes up close and hearing or reading specifics such as the fact that the corsets in Lady Mary's riding habit offered extra support when riding side saddle.

The attention to period details is also demonstrated in Mrs. Hughes' working outfit and the housemaid costume worn my multiple characters including Anna Smith (Bates). As the chief female servant, Mrs. Hughes' dress reinforced her status in both its silk material and lace trim. The white apron of Anna's costume is noticeably missing in later seasons as she is promoted from housemaid to Mary's Lady's Maid.

Women servants' clothes must be functional, black to hide the dirt from keeping a manor mansion clean. The menservants, on the other hand, were 'dressed like peacocks,' points out one of the show's costume designers.

While the class system and gender divide is reflected in these costumes, the demise of it is equally apparent in others, such as the breeches worn by Lady Edith in season two and the generally looser, uncorseted styles preferred by all women by the time the jazz age was in full swing. This evolution was rapidly accelerated by World War I when women took on roles at home that required clothes that were less ornamental and made movement easier.

The exhibit can be experienced and enjoyed on one level as a feast for fans of fashion and the show. Take time, though, to read and listen to the costume designer's commentary, the historical context of period in which it is set, and, in the case of the Driehaus Museum, its opulent an equally intriguing backdrop. The result is an exhibit equally as captivating, intriguing and stimulating as the show itself.

Make time for tea

Following the lead of the English upper class, the Driehaus Museum invites guests of the Dressing Downton exhibition and enthusiasts of the show to add on a special English tea experience when they take in the dazzling exhibition.

If you go

What: Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times

Where: Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie St., Chicago

Information: www.driehausmuseum.org

Carly Weber contributed to this story.