Historical screenplays can be an utterly magical place to lose yourself in. The beauty & thought behind well done historical costume design is compelling viewing for me, and I will watch a good production on repeat far too frequently! PBS masterpieces offers some absolute classics from other countries, including Britain. One of their hit series is ‘All Creatures Great & Small’, an adaptation of the James Herriot books (there was a TV series in the late 80’s which I also loved) and now PBS has done me proud and is showing what I would consider the best series yet.
The Cast of All Creatures Great and Small
The series is a lovely mix of humor and sentimentality, set in Yorkshire in Northern England, based on the memoirs of a vet in rural England during the 1930’s & 40’s. Its filled with stories of a vets life in a rural community and you’ll love the characters - Seigfreed and Tristan, who are Vets and work alongside James, you’ll ADORE Mrs Hall the housekeeper, who is basically the boss of the house, and James’ wife, Helen, a strong, independent woman who also works to help her fathers farm keep running.
Helen in All Creatures Great and Small
You’ll soon spot the gorgeous Fair Isle vests worn consistently throughout the show (mostly on Tristan) styled with tweed wool and corduroy jackets.
I’m smitten with Helens style - from overalls with headbands & floral blouses, vintage dresses with wool jacket and she rocks a pair of Wellington boots. Historically, it was during the 1920's that women started to wear trousers, but became more mainstream in the 30’s & 40’s - overalls were a practical, popular choice during the wartime years when women took up more labor intensive jobs such as farming and factory work.
The show also features plenty of Tea Dresses (read more about the history of the Tea dress here) and vintage jackets, plenty of inspiration to dream up new looks with those P&S vintage inspired No.30 dresses….
Some favorite re-creations of that All Creatures Great and Small style:
Model No.30 in either Lambeth Check or Balmoral Check with Red Stripe,
a chunky knit, blazer and some lace up ankle boots.
Model No.22 in Olive Green Linen with a colorful Fair Isle knit
and a vintage cord jacket.
Our Blouse No.19 in Lambeth Check with some pleated front trousers,
leather Oxford shoes and a headscarf.