Girls! What would the Dowager Countess say? Downton sisters are transformed in magazine cover shoot

Their aristocratic alter egos would usually wear only a touch of lipstick and show just a hint of cleavage lest they face the disapproval of the Dowager Countess.
But, posing in revealing outfits and dramatic make-up, these three young stars are a far cry from their prim Downton Abbey counterparts.

Won't you catch a cold in that? Laura Carmichael, aka Lady Edith, looks ethereal in her cover shoot for LOVE magazine

Jessica Brown Findlay, Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael – who play Sybil, Mary and Edith in the ITV drama – underwent the gothic-inspired transformation for a photo shoot with fashion bible LOVE.

Styled by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Katie Grand, it sees Lady Sybil don a plunging corset, with flowers in her messy hair.
Meanwhile, Lady Mary has a bright blue bouffant and ‘plain’ Lady Edith wearing little more than a piece of netting.

Feeling blue: Michelle Dockery, aka Lady Mary, in a hair-raising pose

Couture: Jessica Brown Findlay wore a low-cut dress with flowers in her hair

Each of the actresses will adorn the cover of separate issues of the magazine’s autumn/winter edition.
LOVE 8 ‘A Costume Drama’ Autumn/Winter 2012 is on sale from Monday, July 30.
To learn more about the interview, visit www.thelovemagazine.co.uk.

A bit different: How we're used to seeing the actresses as Ladies Sybil, Mary and Edith in Downton Abbey