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Masterpiece Downton Abbey, Season 3

• Downton Abbey Season 1 starts in 1912 during the Edwardian period, at the time of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and ends in 1914, with the start of the First World War.  An iconic image for femininity and fashion during this period is "The Gibson Girl" illustrations by Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944). 

• Downton Abbey Season 2 spans 1916 to 1919. By 1914, women's clothing had lost the rigid, tailored lines of the Edwardian period, and the styles of fashion's first great design genius, Paul Poiret, obliterated the need for wearing tight fitting corsets. Ladies' fashions were becoming less restrictive, and more ankle was exposed. In fact, hemlines rose to mid-calf. Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, fashion had taken on a whole new look based on Orientalism with its soft drapery, and bold prints. The lines of Russian peasant costume appeared in hip length tunics, a style that lasted throughout the war years.

• Downton Abbey Season 3 follows the characters into the roaring '20s. Fringe, beads, pearls, pendants, dropped waists, and t-strap shoes are the signature fashions of the period, and mark the fashion style of the "Flappers."

There are beautiful photos and much information on the Masterpiece site, but the Downton Abbey fashion frenzy has also gripped the World Wide Web, so be sure to look around for fan blogs for even more costume inspiration.

The Downton Abbey Fashion Frenzy

As an historical drama, authenticity meets glamour in Downton Abbey's period wardrobe - from Edwardian in Season 1, to the Roaring Twenties in Season 3. Are you hosting your own viewing party and considering costumes? Here are some ideas:

Bonus! Secrets of Highclere Castle

Check listings for broadcast dates and times

It may be more famous now than any time in its 1,300-year history as the setting of Downton Abbey, but England’s Highclere Castle has its own stories to tell. In its heyday, Highclere was the social epicenter of Edwardian England. See how all the inhabitants of Highclere lived, from the aristocrats who enjoyed a life of luxury to the army of servants toiling “below stairs.” Also find out how the current inhabitants, Lord and Lady Carnarvon, spend their $1 million in annual upkeep funds and what life in a fairytale castle is like today.

The Great War is over and a long-awaited engagement is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate for a third thrilling season.

With the return of its all-star cast plus guest star Academy Award®-winner Shirley MacLaine, Downton Abbey, Season 3 airs over seven Fridays at 9 p.m. on Rhode Island PBS beginning January 18, 2013.

MacLaine plays Martha Levinson, the very American mother of Cora, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Years earlier, Cora rescued Downton Abbey with her New World riches by marrying Robert, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). Now, New World and Old World are about to clash as Cora’s mother locks horns with Robert’s redoubtable mother, Lady Violet, played by Dame Maggie Smith.

Season 2 closes with the reluctant heir to Downton, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), proposing to the eldest of Lord and Lady Grantham’s daughters, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). Meanwhile, Mary’s youngest sister, Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay), has eloped to Ireland with the political-minded chauffeur, Branson (Allen Leech), and is expecting a child.

A tantalizing glimpse ahead: Downton’s impeccable butler, Carson (Jim Carter), breaks in a new footman, who happens to be the nephew of the scheming lady’s maid O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran). Following Matthew and Mary’s engagement, Robert sticks to his duty to maintain Downton more firmly than ever — even as other great houses are crippled psychologically and financially in the wake of WWI.

In this changing landscape nothing is assured, and could it be that even the war-weary Crawleys must fight a new battle to safeguard their beloved Downton?