 He eventually lost interest in this and worked as an actor, often appearing in bit-parts as a generic foreigner.His social life brought him into contact with people in the fashion industry – and he soon became intrigued by their world.By the early 1970s McDowell, after being offered a design job by a friend, was settled in Rome, where he worked for the couturier Pino Lancetti and was taught everything he needed to know about the art of "Haute couture".