Downton Abbey effect: British country clothing takes over fashion catwalks (2024)

Under the porticoes of the British Museum in September 2023, Erdem Moralioglu presented a fashion collection inspired by the late Dowager duch*ess of Devonshire, custodian of the great Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, in the English Midlands.

Among the exquisite chintz, tulle and organza 1950s-style dresses Moralioglu sent out were a couple of coats that spliced repurposed vintage curtain material from Chatsworth with Barbour waxed cotton.

The looks were inspired by famous photographs of the duch*ess, Deborah “Debo” Cavendish (one of the six famous Mitford sisters), feeding her beloved flock of chickens dressed in haute couture.

Moralioglu was charmed by her eccentricities, the coats conjuring up an idiosyncratic image of certain quirks in British style which are rooted in the idea of combining luxury with countryside pragmatism.

Aside from plundering the Chatsworth archives, Moralioglu partnered with Barbour, the 130-year-old, family-owned brand synonymous with the British countryside, to make these hybrid wax coats. It’s a collaboration that continues into the autumn and is a way for a traditional heritage brand to refresh its ideas.

Barbour has similarly teamed up with British designer and influencer Alexa Chung and Danish label Ganni in the past, “because they provide a unique interpretation of our brand, and help to attract new customers who may not have previously considered Barbour”, explains its director of womenswear, Nicola Brown.

‘Very English and very pretty’: fashion goes to the country

Taking inspiration from the archives can “offer a different take on Barbour’s heritage and create newness and excitement”, she adds. “The designers add their own twist while staying true to the authenticity of both brands.”

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, for example, was famous for repurposing the sturdy tweeds worn on the Scottish country estate of her lover, the Duke of Westminster, as women’s tailoring. Chanel was a talented fisherwoman, but shooting and deer stalking were other pastimes on the estate that inspired a whole genre of fashion.

Television dramas such as Downton Abbey and the recent British reality television show The Traitors, set in a Scottish castle, along with films like Saltburn, put the spotlight on country-house society with its games and country pursuits.

James Purdey & Sons, the 210-year-old British gunsmith and sporting brand, has also recently put a more stylish spin on its country clothing under creative director Simon Holloway, who has since moved to Dunhill.

Purdey’s colour palette has always been inspired by the great outdoors, and new technical materials mean its tweed “is lighter than traditionally woven tweed, it’s more comfortable and highly resilient”, says Purdey chief executive and chairman Dan Jago.

“We’ve refined the classic silhouettes such as the Purdey field coat into adaptable outerwear that can be worn beyond the countryside.”

Young British designer S.S. Daley has also dallied with the country-house set in his collections, creating theatrical menswear shows featuring upper-class youths dressed in sporty, boyish clothing that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the film and television adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited.

There’s also a slew of young British brands emerging on the country landscape that take their cue from the equestrian world, notably Holland Cooper, Fairfax & Favor, Really Wild Clothing and Troy London, the latter co-founded by Rosie van Cutsem, who is part of the young royal set.

Holland Cooper, the eponymous brand founded 16 years ago by Jade Holland Cooper and based in the Cotswolds in western England, is the fashion partner for the Cheltenham Festival, one of the biggest dates on the racing calendar, which this month celebrates the centenary of the Gold Cup.

Holland Cooper has cleverly harnessed the equestrian style, giving country clothing a modern, luxurious spin, from long, slim-cut tweed coats to jodhpur-style trousers, leather-trimmed knitwear and pie-frilled shirts of the style worn by showjumpers. It’s a legacy inspired by a damascene moment in 2008 for Holland Cooper.

Standing in a field at Badminton Horse Trials, she decided to create clothes that were not so much chasing fashion as designed for a lifestyle.

Fairfax & Favor was established 11 years ago in Norfolk, eastern England, as a footwear brand producing equestrian-style boots for rural life. In 2022 it added outerwear, from colourful woollen and brown-suede coats and capes to knitwear and gilets, which has been seen on the likes of Zara Tindall (Princess Anne’s equestrian daughter) and glamorous racing commentator Francesca Cumani.

Fairfax & Favor, founded by Marcus Fairfax Fountaine and Felix Favor Parker, names that seemingly resonate with the country set, champion what they call “rural vogue”, says Fairfax Fountaine. “This is why presenters and customers love our pieces so much; our products perfectly encompass equestrian style with timeless elegance for the ultimate race-day outfit.”

The collections feature stylish classics crafted to sit comfortably in country and city wardrobes alike.

“Rural style is becoming more mainstream and popular, with influences cropping up in all aspects of the media and culture,” says Fairfax Fountaine. This, he adds, “has been helped by the likes of The Traitors series in the UK, which proved hugely popular in promoting rural style”.

Really Wild Clothing and Troy London also celebrate British heritage. For a long time, the former was available only at pop-ups at major race meetings, offering beautifully fitted tweed coats and hacking jackets worn by the likes of the Princess of Wales.

Princess Kate has also championed the conker-coloured tasselled suede boots made by Penelope Chilvers, the designer whose footwear brand is another of those that inhabit modern country-house style.

Hunter is similarly a go-to brand for the country set; it has made practical rubber wellington boots since 1856, but in recent years developed a more refined style.

Another is Mulberry, which made its debut in the 1970s with a saddlebag before developing a more polished look with signature styles such as the Alexa, named for Chung.

The brand has since developed a rural-meets-urban look for those who might want to embrace the country house look, but maybe only at weekends.