Ella Jerman-Riddell
Sale Coordinator
Preview Lot†
Jessica Brown Findlay (as Lady Sybil): The 'Harem' pants Season 1, Episode 4 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
Jessica Brown Findlay (as Lady Sybil): The 'Harem' pants
Season 1, Episode 4
Blue harem trousers, with peacock bodice, pearl encrusted headpiece, Egyptian style necklace and duck egg shoes with ankle strap, (4)
Blue harem trousers, with peacock bodice, pearl encrusted headpiece, Egyptian style necklace and duck egg shoes with ankle strap, (4)
Footnotes
Lady Sybil Crawley was the youngest daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham, and is remembered as the most empathetic and forward-thinking of the Crawley sisters. The present lot is certainly one of the most important of Lady Sybil's costumes, and is emblematic of her character.
Lady Sybil wears this piece when she comes down for dinner, prompting many raised eyebrows, murmurs and shocked responses from her family. This piece is juxtaposed in the scene by the costumes of the rest of the cast, who represent a more conservative culture. Instead, Sybil represents female expression and rebellion, away from the corseted restrictions of Downton, and indeed a changing world.
The 'harem' pants echoed the Eastern design and fashion influences that were permeating through Europe at the time, in part influenced by the Ballets Ruses, founded by Sergei Diaghilev, beginning their performances in Europe in 1909, and having made their debut at the Royal Opera House in London during 1911. Paul Poiret, a notable French designer, was greatly inspired by the daring and magnificent costumes of the Ballets Russes and began to design equally extravagant and innovative clothing as a result, launching his own harem pants collection in 1911.
The panel of original embroidery for the peacock bodice was sourced from a vintage fair, the pantaloons were made from silk chiffon sourced from London, in Shepherd's Bush Market, whilst the headpiece is an original from the period.
Literature:
E. Marriott, The Costumes of Downton Abbey, pp. 153-156, 2023.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Paul Poiret (1879–1944)," Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Accessed July 4, 2025.