Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael shows off plenty of leg in a patterned miniskirt #CarryGobySeanKellz #FutureGroupNG via @myentertain9jar

SHE'S used to wearing long elegant gowns in her role as Lady Edith Crawley in Downton Abbey, so last night Laura Carmichael decided it was time to get her legs out.

Laura Carmichael arriving at the Duke Street Emporium Store Launch last night[FLYNET/SPLASH]

The 28-year-old actress showed off her slender pins as she enjoyed a night out at the Duke Street Emporium Store Launch in London wearing a stylish Christopher Kane outfit.
Laura teamed a cropped, cashmere ‘Flower’ sweatshirt and a PVC trimmed jacquard skirt from the designer's Spring Summer 2014 collection with a black leather biker jacket.
She elongated her legs with a pair of black strappy heels and carried a navy blue handbag as she made her way inside the party.

The 28-year-old actress looked lovely in a Christopher Kane outfit from his SS14 collection [FLYNET]

The British actress appeared to be wearing hardly any make-up and wore her shoulder-length hair down in a loose wave as she posed for photos with fellow actress Gemma Chan.
Laura is currently filming the fifth series of Downton Abbey, and has certainly settled into the role having been doing the job since 2010.
Speaking to Glamour magazine recently, Laura admitted that it's really good to be back at work.

Laura has admitted that being on the Downton Abbey set is 'a home from home now' [GETTY/SPLASH]

"It's great. It's a home from home now, in a weird way. It feels like we haven't stopped," she explained. "We're shooting a big day today with lots of us in and it's really lovely to see everyone. It's a very nice gang to be part of."
However, she wasn't willing to give anything away about the upcoming series and what's in store for Lady Edith.
"It's really hard not to talk about it but it's going in an interesting direction and there's a really meaty story there," she said. "I certainly have felt really privileged to get to play this storyline. I think it's been very moving for me so hopefully it will be in September too."