Lady Edith's Closet: Flower Show Dress

One of my favorite dresses from season 1 is the ecru dress Edith wears to the flower show. Mary and Sybil's flower show dresses make a second appearance at the garden party but Edith's only appears once.

It features some crocheted lace on the neckline and sleeve cuffs. I've spied some at my local Jo-Ann's but there are quite a few people selling lace like this on etsy.

And it has a darling green sash that looks to be at or slightly above the natural waist. (It's kind of hard to tell where the natural waist is when you're wearing a corset! lol)

I love her oval brimmed hat! It's trimmed with white ribbon tied in a loop or bow with a large pale pink flower over it.

The look is accessorized with a pair of crocheted gloves. I could not find a picture of the back of the dress or a full length shot, but this pattern would be just the thing to copy this dress!

Find it on the Sense and Sensibility Pattern's website. I had some trouble with the last Sense and Sensibility pattern I used but I'm hoping a year's worth of sewing experience will make this one a success. I'm planning on having this made up in time for Easter.

Dressing Downton: Suits

There are some really fabulous suits in Downton Abbey. These three lovey suits are from season 1 episode 2. The girls wear them to the ceremony where Isobel is made director of the hospital board but these suits pop up in other episodes too.

 

 Sybil wears this darling powder blue suit with tassels.

Edith's suit is a lovely coral pink.

And Mary's suit is grey with adorable black frog closures and tassels again!

Mary also wears this suit when visiting her aunt (who also has a killer suit!).

I just love the unusual shape of the back of the collar!

This candid shot is just too cute!

Lady Sybil's (and Edith's) Closet: The "How did that get there?" Blouse

I just adored this cuffed blouse Sybil wore in season 1 when she was trying to sneak a visit to see the vote.



I'm not terribly excited about the blue skirt she paired with it but look at the print on the blouse!



So yummy! And this blouse also shows up in season 2...



...on Edith while Sybil was away learning how to be a nurse. So in the spirit of having a sister who borrows your clothes, I named this the "How did that get there?" blouse. I have a sister two years younger than me but thankfully we have very different body shapes and she never stole my clothes. (But I may have adopted some things from my mom's closet.....)

I much prefer Edith's styling with this high waisted brown skirt. And I like it tucked in too! And check out the shoes. I've been worried about whether I need more than one pair of shoes to match my Dressing Downton outfits, but the Downton Abbey stylists seem to think it's ok to pair black shoes with brown and even white (Watch the garden party. Like half of the people are wearing black shoes with white and light colored outfits.)



Sybil also has a purple version of this blouse with a large surprisingly modern floral print.



She wears it to go hear the vote counted wit a fab grey suit with purple pin stripes. And I adore this hat!

I have one Dressing Downton project in progress, but this piece is up next. Look at this fabric I've picked out! I just have to find a good coordinating fabric for the collar and cuffs.

Lady Edith's Closet: Black Floral Blouse

My first project is the lovely back floral blouse Edith wears when the Duke visits.



It is a lovely blouse-y shirt with raglan sleeves, a cute collar trimmed in black and two rows of buttons down the center. Instead of darts, the blouse is shaped with gathers at the seam across the chest. I choose this screen shot because of the mirror. There's just a peak of the back of the blouse in the reflection. Unfortunately, the picture quality of this screen shot didn't come out that great but you can see the rounded shape of the collar in the back.



Here it is in action. The sleeves are bracelet length and also appear to be trimmed with the same black trim as the collar. I think the trim is velvet. The buttons also look velvet to me. Regardless, something matte will be set off nicely against the shiney fabric.

Edith pairs it with a long black skirt, a belt and black shoes.

This is my fabric choice for this blouse. I got it at Jo-Anns.