Downton Abbey had fans talking on Twitter when the season finale aired on Sunday night, delivering Anna's arrest, kitchen maid Daisy's resignation and a possible move abroad for Branson. The episode wouldn't have been complete, however, without Lady Rose's wedding to Jewish banker Atticus Aldridge. The loved-up Downton bride, played by Lily James, had the honour of wearing a vintage ivory wedding dress – that was incidentally picked up in a charity shop.
© Photo: ITVDownton's Lady Rose marries Atticus Aldridge in the season finale
Costume designer Anna Mary Scott Robbins scouted vintage shops on Portobello Road, Notting Hill and Paris' vast flea market in Clignancourt, when she came across the fairy-tale gown. "Lady Rose would have had her wedding dress made especially for her big day, so I was anticipating having to make something from scratch," Anna told Radio Times. "As it happened, we had the biggest stroke of luck. "The dress she wears is a completely original piece that we unearthed in a vintage shop in immaculate condition. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when we found it and when Lily James put it on, it was one of those perfect moments you don't get that often in your career."
© Photo: ITVLady Rose's fairy-tale wedding dress was, in reality, found in a charity shop
The gorgeous wedding dress reflected Lady Rose's delicate and feminine style, featuring dainty gold sequins and embellishments and a sweeping circular train. The blushing bride paired her gown with satin gloves and a pearl headpiece, which was fastened on with cream roses that matched Lady Rose's bouquet. Speaking about the fictional Edwardian character she was dressing, Anna added: "Rose is feminine, pretty and frivolous. She loves going shopping and drinking cocktails so we can have more fun with her. "While she is not a flapper in the truest sense, she is the closest to that style. She and her future husband make such a handsome pair. Maybe we could finally see a fairy-tale ending befitting of her and her dress."
