Latest news with #costumes
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
'Rain won't stop us' as Derby Caribbean Carnival turns 50
Derby Caribbean Carnival brought the bright atmosphere of the sunny West Indies to the damp East Midlands on grey skies and drizzle, the city's black community delivered a procession of handmade costumes and choreographed dance from the Silk Mill to Osmaston Park.A programme of events for its 50th anniversary ended with a performance by Maxi Queen Azaliah Kydd said: "We're not in the Caribbean, we're in Derby, this is the closest we can get to our roots. The rain won't stop us!" The 31-year-old was crowned Derby Carnival Queen, and took part in the procession in a bright multi-coloured floral outfit. She said: "I wouldn't say it's heavy but it's a little uncomfortable - but no pain no gain!"The atmosphere is amazing. If you like music, you like food, you like the vibes, you need to come. I cannot wait for the jerk chicken."There's troupes from different cities coming together, and yes even though it is a competition we're here to celebrate our culture and each other, have fun and let our hair down - although the weather's pants. Azaleah added that while Derby is not as big as Notting Hill, the community and the costumes make it a great said: "We do have a big black community here, people have come together and we're just going to smash it."Troupes taking part in the event had travelled from across the region including Nottingham, Leicester and Baptiste, 65, from Northampton, took part in a huge phoenix outfit. He said: "It's a bit heavy but once you get moving your body will counterbalance the whole thing."This is my first time here - what I'm seeing is lots of colours, lots of people who are braving the weather, saying damn the consequences let's do it, let's show Derby what we can do!"This year's 50th Derby Caribbean Carnival takes place from 12:00 to 21:00 BST on Sunday at Osmaston procession is due to arrive at the park at about 14:30, said organisers, where there would be entertainment including Caribbean food stalls, arts and craft stalls, a beer tent, sound systems and music.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Here's your chance to own a piece of ‘Downton Abbey': Iconic costumes, props go under the hammer ahead of the grand finale
LONDON, July 18 — Downton Abbey fans will be able to bid on props, costumes and other items from the hit TV show and movies, with the announcement Thursday of a 'farewell' auction and showcase starting next month. The sale by London auction house Bonhams, which will feature everything from dresses to a clapper board, will run online for just under a month from August 18. It comes ahead of the release of a third film — Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — in cinemas in September, and follows six highly successful seasons of the show on the small screen. Bonhams is marking the occasion with a free 'special exhibition' at its New Bond Street location in the British capital open to anyone and featuring some of the sale items, it said. 'Downton Abbey is an exceptionally well-researched piece of storytelling on aristocratic society in the early 20th century,' Charlie Thomas, of Bonhams, said in a statement announcing the sale and accompanying showcase. 'The costumes and props show the impressive attention to detail that brought the world to life on screen and making it so beloved by millions across the globe.' Among the higher priced items going under the hammer are the Downton Abbey 'bell wall', the servant call system which featured prominently in the television series. It is estimated to fetch up to £7,000 (RM39,908). Various dresses will be available, including a wedding costume worn by Lady Mary Crawley — played by actress Michelle Dockery — in the first episode of season three priced at £3,000 to £5,000. Meanwhile the clapper board used in the production of the film Downton Abbey: A New Era is set to cost £1,000 to £1,500, while an autographed script of episode one, season one, is estimated to go for £600 to £800. — AFP
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society scrambles after costumes stolen
The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society had about a third of its costumes stolen on Monday after a Shakespeare in the Park show. A local theatre group has been left scrambling after having some of its costumes stolen earlier this week. The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society had about a third of its costumes stolen on Monday after a Shakespeare in the Park show. The costumes had been left in the trunk of a car in the area of 7th Avenue and 2nd Street South after being washed. The car was broken into, and the thief managed to get away with the costumes. A $200 reward is being offered for information on where the costumes might be. Meantime, the community has stepped up to make sure the show goes on. 'We have scrambled over the last few days, and we have borrowed some costumes from the very helpful theatre community in Lethbridge,' said Kate Connolly, Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society president. 'And we have also gone scrambling around to Value Village, and our talented costume designer has adapted some of the things we found there.' The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society had about a third of its costumes stolen on Monday after a Shakespeare in the Park show. The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society had about a third of its costumes stolen on Monday after a Shakespeare in the Park show. The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society is set to perform Thursday and Friday in Legacy Park. On its Facebook page, the theatre group confirmed its members are carrying on. 'It may look a little different now, but due to the hardworking team behind the scenes, we are able to pivot and present our show,' a post on Facebook read. 'Thanks to everyone who has helped keep an eye out for the costumes that are lost and all those that have reached out offering support! 'It's amazing to see the community come together.' More information about the theatre group and the shows can be found at
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Lethbridge theatre group scrambles after costumes stolen
Calgary Watch The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society had about a third of its costumes stolen on Monday after a Shakespeare in the Park show.
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
What do you bid for Lady Mary's wedding dress? A first look at the great Downton auction
It's an uncanny experience to see a familiar costume from a beloved story on a mannequin, rather than its original wearer. It feels as though the character – or the actor who played them – is somehow present, or as if you have stumbled into a scene from a set so recognisable you feel you could find your way around it. Such is the case for anyone viewing the costumes of Downton Abbey, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed programmes in the history of British television (the series ran for six seasons) and the subject of an upcoming auction at Bonhams. Running online from 18 August to 16 September with an accompanying exhibition, the farewell auction will end as the third and final Downton film opens in cinemas. Will you bid? Downton Abbey: The Auction will feature 120 props, pieces of furniture and, most excitingly, costumes, meaning that fans will be able to bid on everything from the iconic Downton butler bell (estimated at £5,000-7,000) and Grantham family car (£25,000-35,000) to Lady Mary's wedding dress (£3,000-5,000) and some of the late Dame Maggie Smith's most memorable outfits from her unforgettable turn as Violet Crawley (£2,000-3,000). Known for their extraordinary level of detail and historical accuracy, the costumes not only chart the evolution of the denizens of Downton, but also shifting fashion throughout the eras. 'We've been able to embrace and explore these really important sartorial steps forward, from 1912 to 1930,' says Anna Robbins, the Emmy-nominated costume designer who took the reins from the fifth series onwards, speaking to The Telegraph at Bonhams. 'It's a drama with such heart and it's about family, but it also tells the story of our time.' That story may be about to draw to a close, but its costumes offer the chance to relive it all, a source of nostalgia for nobody more than Robbins. 'It's like being reunited with old friends,' she says. 'When I'm in the process of designing and making them, I'm so focused and obsessed with every detail. But then you have to kind of set them free – you have to let them go. The fact that someone will now own them and be able to see all the hours that have gone into each one is amazing.' For Charlie Thomas, group director for Private and Iconic Collections at Bonhams UK, this has been particularly striking. 'The extraordinary attention to detail is visible everywhere,' he says, 'from Mrs Patmore's handwritten recipes to the many revived costumes made with original vintage fabrics, like the famously 'modern' harem pants costume worked on by Lady Sybil in the first series.' A historic treasure hunt Behind such recognisable pieces is painstaking work. Every costume began with extensive research, Robbins says, from poring over Chanel back catalogues to scouring the V&A. Then, sourcing could commence, which sent her (and her surprisingly streamlined team) trawling through Portobello Market, uncovering gems in Islington vintage shops and returning to favoured spots such as Chez Sarah in Paris. Original pieces were restored, vintage finds were adapted, and some looks were created from scratch. 'You have a shopping list in mind, but also find pieces that feel true to character and stockpile them for when the moment arises,' says Robbins. Examples from the auction abound, including the dress Lady Mary wore for her visit to the Criterion Restaurant in London with Henry Talbot in series six. The dress, estimated to sell for £1,000-1,500, achieves so much: embodying the bias-cut glamour of the period, echoing the gold mosaic ceiling for which the Criterion is known, nodding to a gown Lady Edith wore to the same venue in an earlier series. And all this is thanks to an overlay crafted from original 1920s metallic floral lace. 'I found about six metres of it, which is really rare to uncover – I'd never seen anything like it,' says Robbins. 'I wasn't completely sure what to do with it until I read the script of the scene.' Such layers of meaning are a common theme. It was unusual, however, to have such a plentiful supply of original material. But as Robbins explains, necessity often gave rise to creativity, as in an elaborate sea green ensemble Lady Violet wore in series six. 'You've got a finite amount of material, not rolls and rolls like in a couture atelier,' she says. 'So with this piece we added tassels and an Egyptology-inspired section that we pieced together to form a seam.' The cinematic finale Revisiting past costumes was a useful tool for Robbins when it came to working on the upcoming Downton film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale which is set in 1930, bringing a new decade to be explored through costume. 'It was incredible to be able to really dig into a new look,' she says. 'The key change is the shift from the quite androgynous, straight up and down silhouette of the 1920s finding form in the 1930s.' Fans who have spotted Lady Mary's striking scarlet gown in the advert for the final film will know exactly what Robbins means. But while we wait with mixed emotions for the final instalment from the Crawley family and co. to be released, it's heartening to know that the chance to rediscover it all is also imminent. And, for the lucky few, the opportunity to own a piece of Downton for posterity.
