New Meme: Bad Luck Edith

So, I've come up with a new meme...

You've all seen the "Bad Luck Brian" memes, right? You know, where it's a school picture gone wrong and how nothing goes right for this kid?

Well, I've taken this meme in a whole new direction...in a period drama direction...specifically to Downton Abbey.

Brace yourselves: who on Downton is known for having the worst luck ever? Lady Edith Crawley. Yes, poor Edith cannot seem to catch a break, and rumor has it that things will not be getting better for her in Series 5. So, with Photoshop and a little bit of time, I have created:

Bad Luck Edith

Review: Downton Abbey -- Series 4 (2013)

Okay, I confess! I have already seen Downton Abbey: Series 4! This review might be coming a little early to all my readers here in America (since Downton's fourth series aired yesterday, I think?), but I'll take care about spoiler warnings.

But anyways, after last series's finale with the untimely death of Matthew in a car crash, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this series. I knew Downton Abbey wasn't going to be as good as it was previously, but maybe it was going to be better than I expected. I spent all of last year saying that I would be surprised if Downton was going to last past this fourth series, but with the commission of the show's fifth series, I was proven wrong. But what did I think of this series? I had mixed feelings about it to say the least, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. This series exhibited a lot of changes to the show to lead it in a new direction. There were plenty of changes that occurred in this series, and I only commented on the major ones. If you would like to know my opinion on a change that I didn't comment on, leave me a comment and I'll answer it!

DVD Box Art

Note: This review may contain spoilers from Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 of Downton Abbey without warning. If you have not seen a previous series, you may not want to read this review at this time. I have reviewed the previous series if you would like to read the reviews.

Synopsis
Six months after the tragic death of her husband Matthew Crawley, Lady Mary continues to mourn the sudden loss of her husband. Matthew's estate is called into question since he did not leave a will, leaving Lord Grantham to look over Downton by himself while he allows Mary to mourn. The rest of the Crawley try to bring Mary out of her mourning. Tom Branson continues to raise his daughter, baby Sybbie, at Downton, but questions whether he belongs at Downton. Lady Rose takes up residence at Downton while her parents are in India.

Saving Cousin Matthew: A Humorous Look at How Julian Fellowes Should Have Saved Matthew Crawley

As you all know, I'm still grieving over the loss of Cousin Matthew on Downton Abbey. But with the new series starting to air in the UK this weekend (though I have to wait until January), here is a little fun post for the rest of us that wish Matthew hadn't died.

Keep in mind this is supposed to be a half-humorous-half-should-have-been post. I'm half jesting here, so please don't take this too seriously. Yes, I know that Dan Stevens chose to leave the show and that he was free to do so and that Matthew had to be written out somehow... but hey, I'm jesting here.

C'mon, we all wish this was going to be a scene.
"Mary, if my son wants to be a lawyer, he is going to be a lawyer!"

Downton Abbey - Series 4 Trailer and Analysis

Finally after months of waiting for any footage of Downton Abbey: Series 4 to be released, we finally have a trailer to show for it. Now you all know that I don't have very high hopes of Series 4 (Series 3 was ended very badly indeed), but nevertheless I still want to know what happens next. And who knows? I could be completely wrong and Series 4 might not be as bad as I think.

Now, I'm posting the trailer to Series 4 in this post AND I will be analyzing the trailer and posting what I think a particular part of the trailer means for Series 4. Feel free to comment what you think a particular part means.

Reader Question #12: Period Drama TV

I'm going to try to get back into Reader Questions. It's been quite a long time since I did these. My good friend Charity from Austenitis sent me an E-mail with a lot of questions in it a long time ago, but due to my busy school year, I didn't have much of a chance to write any of them up. So, getting back into Reader Questions, I will answer Charity's questions. At this point on (provided that there are reader questions for me to answer), I will try to get a Reader Question post out every Thursday.

Charity asked:

Which period drama TV shows are your favorites? Which ones do you recommend highest? 

Top 5 Worst Period Drama Endings

We've all watched those period dramas where we've gotten into the story and like a good number of the characters and then the period drama ends and all we can say is "WHAT?!" (Or you didn't like the period drama at all, but you still expected a decent ending). Here is my list of the Top 5 Worst Period Drama Endings (keep in mind that this is my opinion). Of course, there will be spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk.

1910s/Downton Abbey Outfit -- Part 2: The Outer Wear

Continuing from Part 1 of my sewing project, I'll go onto the outer garments of this outfit.

 So, this was the outfit that I was trying to recreate. I wanted to make the hat so badly, but when I attempted it, it didn't turn out well at all. I think I need to practice more millinery in order to make a hat like that...

(On a side note, if I wanted to wear this outfit out and needed a hat, I am able to take my winter hat, fold up the brim at the side, and put some millinery veiling around it to get the same effect.)

1910s/Downton Abbey Outfit -- Part 1: The Undergarments

Remember when I mentioned that I was working on a big sewing project in my March Tag of the Period Drama Challenge? Well, I'm finally posting pictures of it!

So, to take a break from the classes that are going towards my degree (I'm majoring in both Computer Science and Accounting), I decided to take an apparel class: a history of dress class, to be precise. It was a really fun class; I got to learn more about the historical eras I'm interested in, I got to work with conserving a 1910s dress, and I never had so much fun reading a text book before. For my final project (which I presented a couple of weeks ago), I opted to sew a outfit from Downton Abbey (provided that I proved that it was accurate); and since my professor is a fan of Downton Abbey, she was interested in seeing what I came up with.

The Downton Abbey Hipster

Many of your may have seen the internet memes featuring a character wearing thick glasses saying that they did something before it was cool. This meme, known as the hipster meme, as been turned into thousands of internet memes. After all this time, I finally got into the spirit of it and came up with a new meme.

Since Downton Abbey has been growing more and more popular and has gotten more into the limelight, I could not help but think that I liked it before it was cool (which is true since I liked it before it first won all those emmys). So, I created this meme:

That's right; those are little hipster glasses on each of the characters!

And here's the full size picture.

Enjoy!

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 God Bless,

Review: Downton Abbey -- Series 3 (2012)

Another year, another series of Downton Abbey. Yes, three series have already passed with a fourth series being lined up for next year. The show has, since first being aired in 2010, become immensely popular with more and more people tuning into Masterpiece Theater to watch the lives of the Crawleys and their servants (though I still say that I liked Downton before it was cool). The first two series of Downton were successful, and now Series 3 looks at the lives of the residents of Downton as they come out of World War I. How did Series 3 do? Well, read on!

Note: This review will contain spoilers from Series 1 and Series 2 of Downton Abbey without warning. If you have not seen either series, you may not want to read this review at this time. I have reviewed both previous series if you would like to read the reviews.

DVD Box Art

Synopsis
With the end of World War I, the residents of Downton Abbey prepare for post-WWI life. With the impending marriage of Lady Mary to Matthew coming, Lord Grantham finds out that his investment in a Canadian railway company has failed, leaving Downton's future in jeopardy as they face bankruptcy. The expecting Lady Sybil arrives from Ireland with her new husband, former chauffeur Tom Branson, to attend Mary and Matthew's wedding; at Downton, Tom finds himself having difficulty fitting in with the Crawleys that he used to work for. Downstairs, Anna Bates continues to visit her husband, former valet to Lord Grantham John Bates, in prison as the two of them try to figure out a way to find him innocent.

Dan Stevens as Mr. Darcy?

I had begun to hear reports about new adaptations of Pride and Prejudice... Not direct adaptations, but... maybe spin-off is another word for it? I heard about two new spin-off movies coming out: one is about the staff at Longbourn during the events of Pride and Prejudice (trying to come off of the success of Downton Abbey, perhaps?) and another that would be an adaptation to the P&P sequel Death Comes to Pemberley. And then yesterday, I happened upon this article...

Will Dan move from Downton to Pemberley?

Fitzwilliam Darcy, one of the most famous romantic heroes in English literature, is making a comeback. The BBC will air an adaptation of the PD James novel Death Comes To Pemberley (a "sequel" to Pride And Prejudice), which sees Darcy and Elizabeth six years after their marriage and with two children.

It could also see a return to another period hunk, Dan Stevens, who may step into the role made famous in recent times by Colin Firth. According to yesterday's Sunday Times, Stevens is "a front-runner" to land the part...

Read More (But Beware of Downton Abbey Spoilers)

New Banner: Lady Sybil Crawley

Thanks to my discovery of textures (which probably isn't a new technique, but it's new to me!), I came up with another banner. What do you think? (Click for a bigger picture)

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 God Bless,

Humorous ECards

So, you may or may not have seen the eCards popping up on the internet the past couple of months. Some of them are very funny, but there aren't as many period drama ones as there should be. So, to rectify the situation, I made a couple. And as always, they are clean (unlike some eCards floating around out there). What do you think?

Reference: Bleak House
That just got me: everyone fought over the Jarndyce and Jardyce inheritance so much that nothing was left by the end of it...

More Downton Abbey Clips!

As we all know, Series 3 of Downton Abbey will be airing in the U.K. in September (those of us in America have to wait a couple of more month *cries on the inside*). Meanwhile, there have been a couple of clips coming out. Here are two of them:

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 God Bless,

Downton Abbey: Series 3 Main Picture Released!

I'm super excited! I just found from Period Movies's Facebook page that a new picture for Downton Abbey: Series 3 has been released!

As always, the fashions look great! I can't wait to see more upcoming pictures (and a preview wouldn't hurt either!)

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 God Bless,

Downton Abbey Funny Picture

I got a chuckle out of this:

Found on Period Movies page on Facebook

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 God Bless,

Saturday: Favorite Post Edwardian Outfit (What's Your's?) -...

Well, as I have stated before, I haven't really seen many period dramas from the Post Edwardian Era (1910s), so Downton Abbey is the main period drama that I watch from the era. So, my favorite costume is from Downton Abbey.

I love this dress that Lady Mary wears in the first series of Downton Abbey! I just love the cut of it and the embroidery!

What is your favorite Post Edwardian Outfit? Post about it on your blogs or leave a comment!

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 God Bless,

Saturday: Character Costume Highlight: Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham

Today's Character Costume Highlight is Cora, Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey.

A Little About Cora

Cora is the American wife of Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham. Due to Downton Abbey being entailed away from her three daughters, Cora works to get her daughters married to respectable gentlemen. She is constantly at odds with her mother-in-law, Lady Violet, and harbors a secret of Lady Mary's that could create scandal if word every got out.

Cora's Visiting Outfit

Cora's Evening Dress

Just to clarify, Cora is the one going through the door.

Which of these two dresses of Cora's is your favorite? Or is your favorite one not up here? Leave a comment!

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 God Bless,

Saturday: Movie Costume Highlight: Downton Abbey - Period Drama Fashion Week

Okay, Saturday is going to be pretty much Downton Abbey Day. Why? Well, just look at the costumes! Some of the best costuming I've seen! Plus, I haven't seen many movies from the 1910s...

So far in Downton Abbey, we've seen costumes that have spanned roughly a decade (Okay, eight years). And now for Series 3, we'll get to see 20s fashions.

The beginning of Downton Abbey begins after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, so we get to see examples of clothing before World War I. 

 Downton Abbey is the story of the two parts of the estate of Downton Abbey: the Crawley family upstairs and the staff downstairs. Yes, it shares many similarities to Upstairs, Downstairs, but in many ways (including costuming), Downton Abbey is far superior.

We get to see a big selection of outfits. We see the fancier clothes of the Crawleys (notice Lady Sybil at the left) and the uniform and plain clothes of the staff (notice Gwen on the left). We don't really get to see the staff wearing regular clothes much, but we do get a glimpse of what they wear on their days off every once in a while...

Like Anna here on the left. Okay, so she's wearing her maid's uniform without the apron, but just by looking at her jacket and hat, we get to see what kind of clothes she would wear. Since Anna is a maid, she wouldn't have very decorative clothes, so her jacket, while it doesn't look bad, is pretty plain and "gets the job done" in her budget. Compare that to Lady Mary's outfit (right) which is more decorated.

 Lady Sybil and Lady Edith, Lady Mary's sisters, are also dressed nicely. Their clothes tend to be brighter than Lady Mary's clothes since Lady Mary is a more serious character. 

One of the high points of Downton Abbey's costuming is the hats. Oh my! There are a number that are very, very, very nice! One of my favorite hats is Cora's white hat with the black netting (the one that is in this picture). All the hats in Downton Abbey are very well decorated and well constructed. If you are interested in historical millinery, definitely check out the hats in Downton Abbey.

And, let's face it, Lady Violet (played by Maggie Smith)'s hat just fits her so well!

 And here's another hat for you!

And for Series 2, we follow Downton into World War I. Personally, I liked the costuming from Series 1 better than Series 2, but nevertheless, Series 2 does have some nice costumes.

The fashions of Downton Abbey change for the second series. Some of the clothes of the Crawley family are still decorated nicely, but a lot of them are simpler and not as decorated like before. More of the male characters wear military uniforms since a good number of the men have joined the war effort. 

Inn Series 1, Sybil had some very nicely decorated dresses. But in Series 2, she becomes a nurse to help the war effort and is mostly seen in her nurse's uniform. For the most part, Lady Violet has the same fashions as before. We don't see her in her iconic purple outfit that we often have seen in the promotional pictures of Series 1, but her blue outfit fits her well.

As the war goes on and the series progresses, formal dresses begin to be sleeveless. There are some dresses that have sleeves with transparent fabric, but by the end of the series, a good number of the evening gowns are sleeveless. Compare that to the dresses in Series 1 that were never sleeveless.

During Series 2, the staff's clothes don't change very much... Although, kitchen maid Daisy does have a couple of new dresses. They're not fancy or anything since she is a kitchen maid, but, like I said before with Anna's outfit, "it gets the job done".

And by the Christmas episode, which begins around Christmas time 1919, we begin to see more and more 20s fashions. Take a look at Edith's hat: doesn't it look very much like the cloche hats of the 20s? 

Overall, Downton Abbey has some of the best costuming that I've seen. I can't wait to see what's in store for Series 3's costuming (though there are some pictures floating around out there of behind the scenes pictures). If you decide to watch Downton Abbey (though there are a few parts you may want to skip), you're in for a costuming treat!

So that is my movie highlight for the day. Have you seen either series of Downton Abbey? What were some of your favorite costumes?

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 God Bless,

More Banners!

I finally made a couple of more banners. These banners are for Downton Abbey and The King's Speech.

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 God Bless,