Bringing Sense and Sensibility to life: Alison Lyons on costume behind the scenes

Sep 25, 2026 | Costume Blog, Latest News

7 min read

As the highly anticipated new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility debuts in the UK today, Friday 25 September, we caught up with CCAD alumna Alison Lyons, who finished working on the much-anticipated period film adaptation, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and George MacKay, last year (pictured below).

Alison with the cast of Sense and Sensibility

For the film, Alison, who had the opportunity to work in stunning locations across the South of England, worked in two roles, including as Costume Co-ordinator during the film’s preparation period and as Principal Truck Supervisor on the film’s set. In our conversation with her, we found out more about her roles, her experience behind the scenes and what her advice is for students starting out on a big film set.

Alison, who has built an exciting career working on the sets of iconic period productions such as Downton Abbey and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, describes herself as “a huge period drama fan”. Interested in working on the film, she reached out to the film’s designer. She explains, “I had found out the film was starting production. I reached out to Grace Snell, the film’s designer, and she offered me a place within her team. We had never worked together before I feel very lucky to have worked with such a fantastic designer.”

“On this film I was lucky enough to actually have two roles, one for the prep period and one for the duration of the shoot. I was the Costume Co-ordinator during prep which meant I was more office based. I was dealing with invoices, speaking with vendors, hiring equipment and liaising with production and accounts. Shortly before filming started, I moved into the role of the Principal Truck Supervisor which was location based. Here I supervised the team that work with the main cast costumes. I line-up the costumes needed for the days and weeks ahead, dress main cast and maintain their costumes. I also study the schedule and pre-plan for a potential problems.

“During the prep period, I spent the most time alongside the supervisor, designer and assistant designers but during the shoot I spent most of my time with principal standbys and trainees. When you’re the truck supervisor, you don’t spend much, if any, time of the actual set. I work very closely with the 2nd assistant director and the production team who also work from unit base.”

 

Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

The production’s locations were all UK-based. Alison said, “We shot all over the south of England including Devon, Dorset, Oxfordshire, Kent, and Hertfordshire. We also had a couple of fantastic locations in central London including Horse Guards Parade and the National Gallery. Pre-production was around 2 months long and filming was shot the film in only 10 weeks.”

When asked about the rewards and challenges of a role like this, Alison reflected, “I have always thought the best part of my job is being able to visit the locations. I have been lucky enough to shoot in some beautiful places and shooting this film through the summer in locations such as Dartmoor was certainly stunning. But it does come with it’s own issues. Weather played a huge part in this film, especially when we were in Dartmoor, we experienced everything from 30 degree blazing sunshine to gale force winds with thick fog and rain that soaks you through. It’s also not acknowledged how physically demanding our job is. We work incredibly long hours, we carry a lot of kit around, period drama costumes are very heavy and jobs like these can be very exhausting.”


Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood and George MacKay as Edward Ferrars in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

During this role, Alison worked closely with the cast, which she described as a joy to work with. Managing their costumes and dressing them on set, she said, “I get to work with the cast every day and they were a joy! One of the things I love most about period drama is that you have to physically dress someone, whether that’s lacing them into a corset or helping them tie a great bow! But on this film in particular, I spent a lot of time with the cast, dressing them in the mornings and de-rigging them at the end of the day and I was very lucky to spend my time with such a fantastic cast.”

Alison has worked on a number of period productions, so we asked her if there are any particular skills she had used or developed because of this. She said, “I’ve worked on quite a few period dramas, luckily spanning many different eras so I feel like a have a pretty good knowledge base for period dress. I have always liked history and clothing so this is the best way to combine the two! There are certain sewing skills that have learned over the years that are useful on every period drama, no matter the era and also particular pieces to keep in your kit. I have perfected my bow and knot tying skills through my career and they came in particularly useful on this job! Mrs Jennings costumes feature some pretty great knots and bows tied by myself!”

Alison’s advice for students entering the film industry

In roles like these, Alison works with a lot of people, including established designers, directors and actors. When asked what her advice is for students who might be nervous starting out in those situations, she replies, “If you’re new, don’t put pressure on yourself to know everything! It’s great to ask questions, ask as many questions as you can and take in everything around you. If you don’t feel comfortable to carry out a task, ask for help and any team with either assist you or give you more detailed instructions. We very much work as a team and communication is key so make sure you’re always communicating any worries you have to try to put your mind at ease. We were all new once.”

When asked what would be her advice for a graduate working on a production like this wanting to make the most of the experience, she advised, “just take in as much as you can. This film was such a singular experience and there was so much to experience. Films can be very fast paced and ever-changing so be prepared for plans to change last minute. Be hands on, help the team where you can whether it’s costume related or whether it’s grabbing someone’s lunch! Also, start with a good basic sewing kit in a small on-the-go kit bag. Practical footwear and clothing is a must!”

From the film set to Vogue

In addition to working on the set, Alison had a rare opportunity to work on a Vogue set as part of the team shooting for Daisy Edgar-Jones’ recent cover. She said, “The Vogue shoot was such a green experience! The stylist had approached Grace, and said that they would like to feature parts of the costumes alongside designer pieces for Daisy’s cover and I was asked by Grace to assist her as I knew the costumes very well. Grace and I got to visit the vogue offices, be part of Daisy’s fitting on the day before the shoot, and work with the stylist and the photographer to integrate costume pieces into the designer looks. I was there on the day of the shoot to dress Daisy and our lead actor George MacKay in the costume pieces and help the stylist and her team. I have never been on set like that. The photographer, Szilveszter Mako, was so fantastic and it was incredibly collaborative.”

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