Exhibit Puts Downton Abbey™ Fashions on Display and in Context at Reading Public Museum

From Reading Public Museum

The Reading Public Museum is excited to host Dressing the Abbey from Saturday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 18, in its second-floor temporary galleries. Dressing the Abbey weaves popular culture, fashion, and history in an exhibition borrowed from Downton Abbey’s iconic wardrobe.

Get ready to experience 36 original costumes worn by the stars of Downton Abbey that reflect the elegant fashions of the British aristocracy in the first few decades of the 20th century. The exhibition showcases the turbulence and changes in the late Edwardian era through the 1920s by means of the fashions of the period, while evoking fans’ favorite moments. The exhibition presents the award-winning costumes created for the British hit drama series produced by the London-based, Academy Award®-winning costumier, Cosprop Ltd.

The stunning costumes were created for the television show’s aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants who inhabit the fictional English country estate of Downton Abbey. The thirty-six costumes range from country tweeds and riding outfits, servants’ uniforms and butler’s livery, to lavish evening attire crafted from sumptuous fabrics and decorated with intricate embroidery, lace, and beading.

“We are more than excited to bring Dressing the Abbey to the region,” noted curator Scott Schweigert. “The costumes reflect a moment in history that has captured the imaginations of millions of fans of the popular TV and film series. The selection of the garments traces the evolution of styles from the 19-teens through the 1920s, a time of major changes in an increasingly modern and less rigid world.”

Fans of the television show and film franchise will be impressed by the array of costumes worn by Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Cora, and Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson. The “downstairs” staff costumes include ones worn by Mr. Carson, Mrs. Patmore, Daisy, and Anna.

This exciting costume exhibition that highlights the iconic wardrobe of Downton Abbey is presented by Exhibits Development Group, USA, in cooperation with Cosprop Ltd., London, England. The exhibition is sponsored locally by generous support from The Marlin and Ginger Miller Exhibition Endowment.

The Museum’s 13th annual Night at the Museum will celebrate the opening of Dressing the Abbey on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 27. The event is presented by The Stevens & Lee Companies. Tickets and more information available at The Museum’s website: www.readingpublicmuseum.org.

The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Admission per day is $14 for adults (18-64), $8 for children/seniors/college students (w/ID), and free to members and children three years old and under. Currently enrolled Reading School District students and up to five accompanying guests receive free regular Museum admission and free admission to public Neag Planetarium shows with proof of enrollment. The Museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* The exhibition is not endorsed by, sponsored by, licensed by, associated with, or otherwise affiliated with the television series Downton Abbey, NBC Universal International, Carnival Film and Television Limited, or their representatives.

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