Ep. 75 - Designing a Fashion Narrative for DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE
Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) in DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE Focus Features
About Lady Mary’s red gown
…in certain situations, certain aspects of film take the lead. I think with this one costume, the costume takes the lead.
Anna Robbins, Costume Designer
The 5th season premiere!
In Episode 75 go behind-the-scenes with DOWNTON ABBEY costume designer Anna [Mary Scott] Robbins who reflects on her journey designing costumes for two DOWNTON ABBEY series and the three feature films including the recent and final chapter DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE.
In this conversation, Anna highlights the importance of creating costumes that reflect the characters' shifting roles and status over a decade at Downton Abbey, both upstairs and downstairs.
GUEST: ANNA ROBBINS
Anna Robbins
Anna Robbins is a Scottish multidisciplinary designer, based in London, working within the worlds of costume, fashion and textiles. Anna has costume designed numerous award winning productions, building a strong reputation for creative flair and excellence, and she continues to work across both period and contemporary genres in film and television.
Taking over as costume designer for DOWNTON ABBEY in 2013, Anna Robbins designed the fifth and sixth series, earning her two Primetime Emmy nominations for her work on both series. The DOWNTON ABBEY feature films have earned her nominations for a Critics Choice Award and a Costume Designers Guild Award in 2020. Also in 2020 Anna received the Costume Designer of the Year Hollywood Film Award for the first DOWNTON ABBEY feature film that was released in 2019. Alongside costume, Anna works as a design and image consultant for select private clients and is a fashion and textiles designer. Anna has worked with Fortuny, the legendary Venetian textiles house, for a number of years as Director of Design and Textile Development for fashion.
SHOP THE PODCAST
Purchase books about DOWNTON ABBEY, real-life history, and more from the MBGLtd affiliate page on bookshop.org:
“The Costumes of Downton Abbey” by Emma Marriott
“Downton Abbey: A Celebration” by Julian Fellowes
“A Year at Highclere: secrets and stories from the real Downton Abbey” by The Countess of Carnarvon
“Noël Coward: a Biography of Noël Coward” by Philip Hoare
“Still Life” by Sarah Winman (Anna Robbins’ book pick for a historical drama adaptation)
Your book purchases support production of the Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters® podcast (with a small commission), and independent booksellers.
DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE
Trailer for DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE
DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.
Julian Fellowes (THE GILDED AGE) is the creator and writer for the DOWNTON ABBEY series and feature films. The series premiered in the U.S. on PBS MASTERPIECE in January 2011 and continued for 6 seasons ending in 2016, followed by the films DOWNTON ABBEY (2019) directed by Michael Engler, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (2022), and DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE (2025) both directed by Simon Curtis.
CAST in alphabetical order
Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)
Lady Edith Hexham (Laura Carmichael)
Mr Carson (Jim Carter)
Miss Baxter (Raquel Cassidy)
Mr Mason (Paul Copley)
Mr Bates (Brendan Coyle)
Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery)
Mr Molesley (Kevin Doyle)
Andy Parker (Michael Fox)
Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt)
Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti)
Lord Hexham (Harry Hadden-Paton)
Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier)
Tom Branson (Allen Leech)
Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan)
Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern)
Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera)
Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol)
Lord Merton (Douglas Reith)
Lady Merton (Penelope Wilton)
THE CHILDREN in alphabetical order
George (Oliver and Zac Barker)
Caroline (Esme Creegan)
Sybbie (Fifi Hart)
Johnnie Bates (Archer Robbins)
Marigold (Eva and Karina Samms)
Real History in DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE
Actor Arty Froushan (seated at the piano) portrays Noël Coward. Noël Coward (1899-1973) was a celebrity playwright, actor, composer, and singer. His plays mocked social convention, depicting British society in the fast lane of the Jazz Age with witty repartee and satire.
The opening scene of DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GROUND FINALE takes us into the theater where the final act of Noël Coward’s “Bitter Sweet” is performed. American actress Peggy Wood (1892-1978) who’s best remembered for her role as the Reverend Mother Abbess in the 1965 feature film musical, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, played the female lead in the original London production that premiered in 1929. Source: NYPL
Coward’s “Private Lives” (1930) is mentioned in DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE. The reference may be an homage to Dame Maggie Smith (1924-2024), who portrayed Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess in the 6 series and first two DOWNTON ABBEY films. Smith starred in a production of “Private Lives” in 1974 with Sir John Standing.
Lisa Dillon portrays Princes Arthur. Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife (1891-1959), aka Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff, was the daughter of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, and Princess Louise of Wales. Princess Arthur was given the title Princess in 1905 by her grand-father Edward VII. She succeeded to her father's dukedom after his death in 1912, becoming Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right. In 1913 she married Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883-1938), a grandson of Queen Victoria and cousin of King George V. During the First World War Princess Arthur served as a nurse at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. In 1920 she accompanied her husband to South Africa when he was appointed Governor General until 1924. Source: The British Museum
ROYAL ASCOT
In 1711, Queen Anne founded the racecourse on a patch of land in Berkshire “for horses to gallup at full stretch.” The races at the Royal Ascot continue to this day along with social protocols for attendees. Go to this link and find out more about dress codes for attending Ascot.
Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle in Newbury, Berkshire is the stand-in for the Yorkshire country estate Downton Abbey, home of the fictional Crawley family. Highclere has been home to the real-life Carnavon family for over 300 years. Its current residents are George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnavon, and his wife Lady Fiona Carnavon. The Gothic Revival Highclere Castle (as seen today) was designed by Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860), chief architect for the Houses of Parliament. Visit the website.