Downton Abbey: A New Era's costume designer breaks down the film's fashion

Downton Abbey: A New Era released in cinemas last week to praise from fans and critics, with the ending leaving some viewers particularly devastated.

The film sees Dame Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern reprise their roles, as the Crawleys attempt to solve the mystery of why the Dowager Countess (Smith) has suddenly inherited a French villa.

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy for a new series, Costume Is Character, costume designer Anna Robbins explained the challenges of the setting and shared her favourite items, saying "picking a favorite costume is like asking me to pick my favourite child".

When push came to shove Robbins did highlight some key clothes, including a blue kimono-style jacket worn by Lady Edith, saying: "With Lady Edith's jacket I knew as soon as I saw it I would be able to pair it with trousers and make that sartorial point that she's embracing an incredible new look."

Lady Edith, played by Laura Carmichael, is one of the younger Downton Abbey cast members, and her fashion across the film and TV series has changed with the times.

Robbins explained how the costuming in Downton Abbey: A New Era had to reflect these changing attitudes, saying: "We're making that step forward that says we're about to enter the 1930s. We're finding these new looks, and we wanted it to jump out at people and feel as contemporary as it can – while still accurate to the time."

Robbins also discussed working with iconic fashion and fabric designers Fortuny on a piece for Downton Abbey's Cora, played by Elizabeth McGovern.

She said “[This dress of Cora’s] is Fortuny-printed velvet, they printed the velvet for us, and the process involved finding the right weight of velvet and handle so it felt vintage – and then draping it and working it on the stand to make it work with Cora’s proportions."

You can watch the full episode of Costume Is Character, including our interview with Anna Robbins, here.

Downton Abbey: A New Era is out now in UK cinemas and opens on May 20 in the US. Downton Abbey The Movie is available to buy on digital, DVD and Blu-ray now.

Universal Pictures Downton Abbey: A New Era [DVD] [2022]

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Ali Griffiths

Ali is Hearst UK's deputy social strategy director. He has been covering TV and movies for more than six years, all while wrangling Digital Spy's social media and video channels - for which he received a PPA 30 Under 30 award.  He specializes in writing about anime, LGBTQ+ representation, science fiction, and comic book adaptations.  Recently he's begun collecting Star Wars interviews like Infinity Stones and has spoken with The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy and the creative team behind The Bad Batch. Dave Filoni, you're next.

Gabriella Geisinger

Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.