If I could only watch one television/film genre for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be period drama. Unsurprisingly to… I assume everyone, I cannot say no to a good period drama. And luckily for me while I was in London, there was no shortage of period drama costumes on display. Victoria, Marie Antoinette, Downton Abbey, I was absolutely spoiled for choice. The Fashion & Textile Museum has a costume exhibition open until March 2026, a must-see! Onto my Costume Couture exhibition review…
Costume Couture Exhibition Review
Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop:
This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition features many costumes never seen in public before. Helena Bonham Carter in A Room with a View, Meryl Streep in Out of Africa, Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Lesley Manville in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. Cosprop is synonymous with dressing iconic characters in award-winning films and television.
This exhibition is a celebration of sixty years of Cosprop’s creativity and a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes of this celebrated costume house. Through stunning costumes, accessories and sketches, the visitor will learn the design and making process from script-to screen. Leading costume designers and actors will share their thoughts on favourite costumes, showing how Cosprop brought these magical moments to life.
The exhibition runs through 8 Mar 2026, so you have time to visit!
My Thoughts
All in all, this is a great exhibition! I will get my gripes out of the way first, though.
This is not specific to Costume Couture but I found that on this trip in London, in almost every exhibition I went to, people were entirely oblivious to everyone around them. I am all for people taking in pieces on display, but I found a LOT of people taking five or more minutes in the same spot blocking anyone else from seeing it.
The Fashion & Textile Museum is rather compact, so in some areas, there were three rows of costumes- when other visitors would stand for long periods and block things, they would be blocking a LOT. (There was a large group of visitors who arrived before me- if you want to chat about other things, simply step back!) While I didn’t love the three-deep staging, I do recognise that they have limited space and for the most part, it is not a huge issue.
Onto the positive, though! I thought that Costume Couture had a fantastic range of period dramas covered, from both television and film. From the 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini-series to the 2025 Netflix version of The Leopard, and even going back to the 1960s, I loved that it included so many dramas. If you are a fan of period dramas, I can guarantee there will be something for you.
There are also multiple costumes from almost each film/ series included, which I appreciated. Seeing different styles, genders, and characters represented made the exhibition feel “fuller”- it may be a smaller museum but the exhibition is sizeable.
Costume Couture Favourites
I shared some of my highlights from this exhibition in my royal period drama costume post, including two costumes from Victoria. However, there are also some other major highlights for me. (I had actually debated going to this exhibition, and I am very glad I did.)
Downton Abbey, 2010
When you walk into the second major area of the exhibition, you are immediately greeted with this set of five costumes from Downton. We have one of Lord Grantham’s suits, dresses from Mary, Edith, and Sybil, and one of the Dowager Countess’ dresses. While the other costumes were cool to see, Maggie Smith’s costume was of course my highlight. (And I was not alone in that!) The vibrant colours, the detailed embroidery, the Edwardian silhouette- it was all perfect!
Pride and Prejudice, 1995
What would a review of this exhibition be without the iconic costumes from the Pride and Prejudice mini-series?? I was incredibly impressed that there were five different ensembles included from the mini-series- we have Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs. Hurst, Caroline Bingley, and Mrs. Bennet (not pictured here). Obviously on its own, it is an incredibly popular adaptation. Given that 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, it felt particularly poignant to see them!
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, 2022
I don’t often see this film mentioned, but it is quite a sweet movie and Lesley Manville was absolutely wonderful in it. Jenny Beavan’s recreated Christian Dior gown from the film is just gorgeous to look at, but you also get to see the very distressed gown from the film. The preserved dress is stunning but it is interesting to see what can be done to costumes in the name of a story.
Are you going to see Costume Couture at the Fashion & Textile Museum?
Cheers,
The Historian
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