North Carolina: Biltmore to host ‘Downton Abbey’ costume exhibition

If you love the costumes as much as the characters of “Downton Abbey,” here’s a chance to take a closer look. An exhibition of clothing from the PBS TV series goes on display in February at the Biltmore, the sprawling 250-room estate in Asheville, N.C., where Lady Mary and Cora Crawley would feel right at home.

“Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times” opens Feb. 5 at the one-time home of the Vanderbilts that nowadays is a museum and inn open to the public.

The starchy black-and-white uniform worn by maid Anna Bates and some of Lady Mary’s luxurious beaded gowns are among the more than 40 pieces of apparel from the show that will be on display in rooms throughout the 19th century mansion.

The Dowager’s stuffy Edwardian outfits contrast with more modern dresses worn by the Crawley women, fashions that trace the social changes afoot. The 19th century Biltmore plans to weave in its own story of change -- the role of women, fashions, morals -- that from the turn of the last century to the 1920s. And the museum plans to discuss the British members of the Vanderbilts’ house staff too.

Exhibits Development Group created the show in cooperation with the London company Cosprop Ltd., which does “Downton’s” wardrobe. (The fifth season of “Downton Abbey” premieres in the U.S. on Jan. 4.)

The exhibition is included in admission to the Biltmore; tickets start at $47 per person for a daytime visit and vary by time of year. It runs through May 25.

Info: The Biltmore, (800) 411-3812