Spotted! Giggling ‘Lady Sybil’ in an H&M dress made of recycled polyester
IT MAY conjure up memories of Cruella de Vil, but Jessica Brown Findlay’s extravagant black and white polka-dot dress could hardly be any kinder.
Her layered tulle frock was made not from 101 Dalmatians, but from recycled polyester – old textile that might otherwise have been thrown away.
The star, best known for playing Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey, was seen wearing the eye-catching design while filming in Bristol last week. It was available at high-street chain H&M for £300, but has long sold out.
The 32-year-old was shooting scenes for Flatshare, a romcom series being
‘Jessica burst out laughing as music interrupted filming’
made for new streaming service Paramount Plus. Adapted from a novel by Beth O’Leary, it is about two people who use the same bed in a one-room flat, yet never meet.
An onlooker said the actress was in high spirits as she filmed scenes depicting an awards ceremony outside The Grand Hotel in Bristol.
‘They were just about to do a take when a pedestrian walked by carrying a stereo system, which had very loud music blaring from it,’ he said. ‘Jessica had been happily chatting to the cast and crew but just burst out laughing at the interruption. It was fun to see. A few of the crew had to go and ask the pedestrian to either turn it down or walk in another direction.’
In the six-part series, Jessica plays book editor Tiffy Moore, who splits from her boyfriend and needs a cheap place to live. So she moves in with a night-shift nurse who sleeps in the bed during the day while Tiffy is in her office. She then climbs under the duvet at night. While Tiffy may be reeling from a break-up in the drama, in real life Jessica married fellow actor Ziggy Heath in September 2020. The couple met on the set of Harlots, in which she played an 18th Century society courtesan. Their wedding was scaled back due to coronavirus, but Jessica said: ‘It was wonderful. After a lockdown, 30 people felt huge. I wouldn’t change anything about it.’