Devotees enjoy a Downton Day Out
If you saw tiaras, tunics, and tea gowns at Hoyts Cinema recently… don’t adjust your monocle because it was New Zealand’s biggest Downton Abbey fans donning their finest period costumes for the latest film screening.
Lady Trisha Hutchins; Dame Maree Robertson; and Dowager Duchess Dianne Nicolls of Arvida Peninsula Club retirement community went to see the much-anticipated third Downton Abbey movie – The Grand Finale. This was no ordinary matinee, because the quartet came dressed with aristocratic flair – just as dazzling as anything on the silver screen.
Lady Trisha was the first to emerge in the Hoyts Wairau Park lobby, decked out in a black Charleston dress with fascinator.
Dowager Duchess, Dianne looked resplendent in a fur coat and a very regal and ornate turban. Dame Maree opted for beads and pearls.
The villa and apartment residents were the talk of the town as they approached the ticket booth with no cucumber sandwich in sight... but maybe an ice cream each. The cinema is hardly accustomed to such nobility as the group posed stately for their portrait photos next to the Downton Abbey movie poster.
“I absolutely love Downton Abbey because of the beautiful costumes and also the class distinction that the era had. It really was a different and glorious time,” Trisha explained.
The residents say they’re regularly having fun with lots of laughs in the Stanmore Bay village. While Dianne enjoys mahjong and rummikub, Trisha is a member of the ukelele and singing groups – and Maree is part of the champagne group.
When the credits rolled, the group said while they did miss Maggie Smith's Violet Crawley character, there was still lots to enjoy in the movie.
"We thoroughly enjoyed it. The elegant clothes and the beautiful house, it was wonderful," Dianne said.
"Lady Mary Crawley was actually wearing a black dress similar to mine so that was another plus," Trisha added.
An Abbey-solutely delightful day of Downton came to an end for the residents as they remain hopeful for another Downton movie chapter one day.