Catherine Morland and Lady Sybil

The London Evening Standard writes about Felicity Jones (Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey) and Jessica Brown-Findlay (Lady Sybil, Downtown Abbey.) Isn't this image striking of the two pretty actresses?

Felicity (l) and Jessica (r)

Felicity

Jessica

Downton Abbey in Vogue

Can we wait for the second season of Downton Abbey? Guess we have no choice. Meanwhile, enjoy this fashion photo of the Crawley sisters in the most recent issue of Vogue.

Jessica Brown-Findlay, Laura Carmichael, and Michelle Dockery in Kew Gardens,
the July, oops, August 2011 Issue of Vogue

• Couture for Vogue, The Daily Mail

Downton Abbey: Lady Sybil and Her Harem Pants

The chauffeurm Branson (Allan Leech) admires Sybil's new frock

Jessica Brown-Findlay as Lady Sybil

Inquiring Readers:

During the Twitter party as the group watched Episode Three of Downton Abbey, Evangeline from Edwardian Promenade noted that the harem pants worn by Lady Sybil were made by Paul Poiret.

Who was he, I wondered? Reader, Patty, from Brandy Parfums, answered my question and alerted me to this wiki:

The harem pants in Downton Abbey in Episode Three were a copy of Paul Poiret.

As Wiki says -

"In 1909, he was so famous that H. H. Asquith invited him to show his designs at 10 Downing Street.[1] The cheapest garment at the exhibition was 30 guineas, double the annual salary of a scullery maid"

Poiret worked for Worth who made more conservative dresses so he left to be more "Oriental" among other trends. Not in most write ups about him is he revolutionized women's undergarments. He got rid of corsets that are so bitterly complained about in Downton Abbey. That was also part of his shocking style.

Lady Sybil has fun with fashion

Peggy Guggenheim championed him and that led to many customers who then shunned Worth. It was fine to be a tall elegant THIN women for Poiret but it didn't work if you were heavy - then the Worth style was better. So the reason today we go for thin in fashion may be traced back to Poiret and Guggenheim."

The harem pants shocked the family, but this did not detract from Sybil's joy.

Be that as it may, Jessica Brown-Findlay has become my favorite sister. She rocked that outfit. Wouldn't you agree?

The family's reaction to Sybil's pants was priceless. Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, and Dan Stevens.

Watch Downton Abbey online through February 22, 2011.