What a great self-treat was last night to watch Downtown Abbey film premiere. Stunning costumes, interesting dialog, sizzling lines, fast-paced scenes, moments of hilarity and the grand atmosphere of the period set, all contributed to a couple of hours of great entertainment. If you want to be extrapolated from today’s reality and fall into the grandeur of a golden age, this is the film to watch.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).
It was the premiere of the film, I felt to dress up for the occasion. We are having an Indian Summer here, it was too warm for this kind of layering, I couldn’t wait to get inside the air-conditioned cinema. Some people came dressed as they could trying to be like the Downtonians, some came with just a hat and jeans, some wore a large gypsy skirt with a long plastic pearl necklace and some others came in shorts with a parasol. It was funny but to each its own.
In my fashion studies at the Italian University, I studied the history of costume, which knowledge has helped me through my life when buying clothes. Every piece of clothing I buy is a well thought out study of how and when this new piece will be used. I always ask myself these questions: “Can it go with a period style, and if yes, which historical period can represent? What else do I need to purchase for a specific period that goes with the new piece? Can I use the new piece in a modern outfit? If yes, which is the modern combination I can use the new piece?
I have a photographic memory, which allows me to scan my wardrobe in a minute and see what I own while I am buying new clothes and study their proper use. Pretty lucky, eh?!
Another system I follow when buying clothes is to go mentally through my social activities. What do I do the most?
I go to theatre plays, shows, and Opera a lot. To me, these outfits must be original, not too elegant because sometimes I go to matinée shows, but I like them to have original details.
I visit Museums and art shows at the reception openings, thus these clothes must be artistic and colorful.
I attend fundraising and charitable events, these clothes must be cocktail style, modern, colorful and showing off my personality.
Occasionally, I am invited to particular restaurants to experience something special or ethnic, these clothes must be playful and smart elegant.
I visit clients, and for this, I am always well dressed in a feminine way, not business-like. I have always despised that the look of women dressed in men’s business suits.
I don’t go to sports events, thus I don’t have clothes for sports activities and very rarely I go to pop music concerts for which I wear the only jeans I own, leather pants, or a pair of gold pants.
I trot the world with comfortable clothes, not too flashy, stylish, versatile and colorful. All the clothes and shoes I own are interchangeable and can easily be adapted to a period-style or become a modern outfit. As you see, I don’t buy clothes just to buy or because they are on sale, I buy them with a purpose in mind. Getting dressed is my art and appearing good on every occasion is my goal.
The biggest concern when owning a wardrobe full of interchangeable clothes is to keep the same weight through the years, now that is a real challenge!
Let’s go back to Downtown Abbey film and the beautiful women fashion. In the Golden Age, colors were soft, or even muted, mostly solid and if fabrics had a pattern it was tone on tone, never a boisterous jam of designs. The daytime outfits were mostly long dresses revealing the calves or were made of two pieces, a long tunic over a long skirt. They were embellished with some decorative embroiders, lace, or passementerie. The waist was long to counterbalance the length of the dress and the sleeves usually were lightweight and transparent. Evening gowns revealed a sophisticated décolletage and sparked a lot more with rhinestone or paillettes.
Since the hemline rose, shoes were visible and attractive, made in a solid color or double face (two colors), were often leather, suede and even fabric for the elegant affairs. T-strap style shoes were very popular with Louis Heels (the same as my shoes in the photos) or Tango Heels.
Hats and gloves were the mandatory accessories for a daytime outfit, occasionally in this era women carried a parasol.
It was such a different time, I felt elegant, and at the same time, I felt as if I came out of a nostalgia shop. The evening was pleasant, the film was great, be sure to watch it if you like this sort of thing, however, outside, the reality looked so harsh in comparison. Ciao.
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world, she offers consultations online. She is the author of four books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
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