Ella Jerman-Riddell
Sale Coordinator
Preview Lot†
Michelle Dockery (as Lady Mary): Wedding dress and accessories, worn for the marriage of Lady Mary Crawley to Matthew Crawley Season 3, Episode 1 4
18 August – 16 September 2025, 12:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Claire Tole-Moir
Head of Department
Rebecca Anthony
Associate Specialist
Michelle Dockery (as Lady Mary): Wedding dress and accessories, worn for the marriage of Lady Mary Crawley to Matthew Crawley
Season 3, Episode 1
A pale apricot chiffon dress, with lace tabard overlay with metallic thread detailing, a dropped waist sash, a long tulle veil, a pair of silver shoes, and a jewelled tiara with leaf motifs set with gemstones, accompanied by a bouquet of prop lilies, (4)
A pale apricot chiffon dress, with lace tabard overlay with metallic thread detailing, a dropped waist sash, a long tulle veil, a pair of silver shoes, and a jewelled tiara with leaf motifs set with gemstones, accompanied by a bouquet of prop lilies, (4)
Footnotes
This wedding dress was worn by Lady Mary Crawley in one of the most memorable moments of Downton Abbey, in her wedding to Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens). It is a particularly recognisable dress, and quickly became one of the most celebrated, as the dress captures the refined elegance and romanticism of the early 1920s. The dress is perfectly showcased during a scene where Lady Mary descends the Downton stairs. The dress's long train cascades down the staircase, while the viewer gazes up from the foot of the stairs, lending an ethereal quality to both Lady Mary and the dress.
The costume was designed by Caroline McCall, who was nominated for a BAFTA for her work on the series. McCall developed a silhouette that echoed the understated sophistication of the era. She sourced antique lace to achieve an authentic vintage feel, crafting a pale apricot chiffon gown with a tabard-style lace overlay and metallic thread detailing. The dress has a dropped waist sash, in keeping with the transitional fashion of the early 1920s, and is accompanied by a long tulle veil and silver shoes.
The dress itself was constructed by respected costume maker Jane Law, known for her exquisite attention to historical detail. Completing the ensemble is a delicate jewelled tiara in a foliate motif, loaned by the esteemed London jewellers Bentley & Skinner, purveyors of fine antique jewellery and Royal Warrant holders. The present lot has a duplicate tiara, made as a prop.
Mary: "Will I do, Carson?"
Carson: "Very nicely, my lady"
Literature:
E. Marriott, The Costumes of Downton Abbey, pp. 208-209.