Downton Abbey: 10 Hidden Details About Anna Bates’s Costume You Didn’t Notice

“Poor Edith” was a popular phrase used by the Crawleys, referring to the family’s second daughter and her never-ending misfortunes. Downton MonasteryOver the course of its six seasons, the problems faced by the characters downstairs often overwhelm Mary and Edith’s marriage game.

Between the false accusations against her husband and the brutal assault behind a green tweed door, Anna Bates (née Smith) has certainly suffered more than most of Tu’s cast. Downton Institute. While she doesn’t have a swanky wardrobe or as many changing clothes as her upstairs counterparts, her outfit lacks variety, but that can be gleaned from what one might find. can be gleaned about grand houses like Downton Abbey in the age of living under the stairs. a large amount of information to compensate for it. Here are ten hidden details about Anna’s outfit that you might not have noticed.

she follows the dress code

Like the Crawley family, all Downton Abbey maids are required to wear day and evening attire for service. However, these clothes were not intended to impress suitors or other members of the upper class, but rather as a uniform worn by the maids at different times. during the day.

The day gown features a soft gray-blue print with a plain easy-to-clean apron, while the evening gown is black with more decorative aprons. Maids like Anna would get up early in the morning to do the dirtiest jobs, before changing into a more formal black dress to serve the family. Ideally, no one upstairs would see the maid in a dull day dress.

she makes her own uniform

based on Downton Abbey World, The maids have to sew their own uniforms. Since the price of cloth can be as much as six months’ salary, many families will give their maids a pile of cloth for Christmas – just as Mary had given Anna a year before – so they are left with only the job of making pants. new shirt.

Fortunately for Anna, Downton Abbey’s maids changed their uniforms only once during her service. Her evening gown is now ankle-length, revealing T-shoes that replace her old uniform ankle boots. The everyday dress she wears when cleaning also has a more modern look with a double-breasted detail at the front. Finally, the frill on the maid’s head was moved forward, giving the overall uniform a more modern look.

Her apron shows her rank

In previous seasons of the show, the costume department added some personality to the maid uniforms with different aprons. The decorative apron that Anna wore with her evening gown was ruffled and considerably narrower than the aprons worn by the other maids, perhaps indicating the time of day she served. Because the maids had to make the uniforms themselves or pay someone else to make them, it made sense to keep a garment and keep its style for many years.

A ruffled apron could also show her status as head maid. Anna has authority over other maids and is responsible for the most mundane tasks, such as dusting fine furniture and valuables.

She updates the latest hairstyles

As Head of Department, Anna is also responsible for helping the family’s daughters change their clothes several times a day. Since a maid’s skills can greatly influence a woman’s stylish look and ability to try the latest hairstyles, it’s important for a maid like Anna to know the hairstyles. latest and how to create them.

When Marie became interested in the Marcel wave in season two, she asked Ana to practice on her own first. Then we see Ana using a curling iron in her downstairs room. It’s no coincidence that she started showing waves in the show’s subsequent seasons, as she mastered the pair’s perm.

After a while she stopped wearing the apron

Anna’s experience taking care of the Crawley sisters earned her the friendship of Lady Mary and eventually promotion to Lady Mary’s Handmaid, her duty being to take care of her mistress from the moment she wakes up. until she goes to bed. As Mary’s maid, Anna is no longer required to wear a maid uniform but a black dress. Notably, she no longer wears an apron, as her maids do no cleaning — their main duties are to help her dress and maintain her huge wardrobe of silks and furs. animals and other expensive items.

Anna’s outfit was so suffused with black that Joanne Froggatt completely eliminated basic neutrals from her own wardrobe.

she is wearing mary’s old clothes

At Mary and Matthew’s wedding in season three, many viewers spotted Anna wearing a familiar sky blue dress. As it turned out, it was a deliberate repetition of the outfit – the dress first appeared on Lady Mary in season two, when she was tending to an injured Matthew.

One of the advantages of being a maid is that you can pick up old clothes from your landlady when they don’t need them anymore. According to Caroline McCall, Anna is wearing one of Mary’s old dresses, which she altered to fit her. Ana embellished her look with discreet gloves and hats to match her status as a celebrity wedding guest.

She repeated the trend upstairs

Between practicing the latest hairstyles and dealing with Marie’s clothes, Ana is sure to incorporate some fashion trends into her wardrobe when finances allow. Years after Mary cut her hair into a pointed bob, Edith followed suit, cutting the curls into short curls, and Anna and Daisy repeated the style downstairs with chin-length hair.

Anna’s simple look is above all. Although Mary contributed to Anna’s wardrobe in many ways, and Anna occasionally took light fashion suggestions from the Crawley sisters, the lady’s maidservant could never outshine her mistress. mine.

she wears colorful clothes on her day off

Although Ana usually wears a maid uniform or a black maid outfit, she sometimes appears in casual attire while on duty. The green dress she wore to the beach was a plaid, low-waisted dress with a deep V in the front and embroidered flowers.

She also wore a colorful mini dress on a rare evening with Mr Bates at the Netherby Hotel. And, like many working-class women, Anna married in her best everyday attire, a pure white blouse, blue skirt and matching hat, and a bouquet of colorful wildflowers.

She loves delicate, feminine details

Almost all women working as domestic workers (with the exception of kitchen workers) need excellent sewing skills. As a maid, Anna cleans, sews, and irons Mary’s clothes, including her underwear. She can also apply these skills to her own wardrobe, much like her fellow maid Baxter.

Her uniform features intricate details, such as pleats on the front of one dress and two rows of small buttons on the other. The embellishments aren’t as ornate as Baxter’s, given his background in tailoring, but they’re eye-catching enough without needing to be fake.

Her outfit shows her loyalty

In the sixth and final season, the costume team made some changes to the downstairs characters’ wardrobes, these changes carried over to Downton Abbey: The Movie. For Anna, who is now happily raising a son with Mr Bates, the team updated the fabric of her uniform with soft brocade to showcase her femininity.

They also continue to emphasize subtle details and clean lines, reminiscent of a simpler version of her mistress style. This detail becomes important because Anna is one of Mary’s strongest supporters as steward of Downton Abbey, and the similarity in their outfits underscores their common concern. for the continued prosperity of the land.