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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford visited the Spadina Museum for a media preview of the Downton Abbey exhibit on March 7, 2014.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

The mayor of Toronto donned a tiny bowler hat and flourished a fashionable cane as he got a sneak peek at an exhibit featuring costumes from popular period drama Downton Abbey.

Rob Ford says the popularity of the British show is drawing thousands of people to the historic Spadina Museum, which is hosting the exhibit.

Ford says the exhibition is not just about costumes, but learning about how people lived and what they went through "day in and day out."

"Dressing for Downton" features 20 costumes worn by characters from the television show, which Ford says he doesn't watch because he's too busy.

Spadina Museum – which is currently operated by the city of Toronto – is hosting the Canadian premiere of the exhibit from March 11 to April 13.

The museum was home to three generations of the Austin family and currently depicts domestic life in the 1920s and 30s in Toronto.

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