American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog

I will admit I haven't been sewing much (Covid energy-sap), but I do have plans. Honestly all I've really been up to is -work- but at least it's fun work, getting so many new shoes sampled, photo'd, video'd, and ready to launch. We make *a lot* more styles and colors than we used to, so it's a big job.

So with that, I'll announce the April pre-order. It's all vintage goodness.

Claire

This '40s standard oxford has been a top-seller since introducing it through Royal Vintage several years ago. I love this shoe because it's a direct repro of an original we have in our AD Collection, a cute little "Academy Girl" oxford.

American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Claire has returned for the third time, now in new colors and with some style tweaks. We brought them closer to the original pair with a more structure toe and more curved heel.
American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
This is the original pair in our collection - these are "Academy Girl" brand and *tiny.* It has been a challenge to get the lasts just right for this style in modern size and width.

We have the classic brown and black, and you all voted for two new colors - oxblood and navy. We've made a few refinements for Claire v.2.0 - the heels has more curve and the toe is a little sharper. This is a really good style for those of you with wide feet, as the ball of the foot is quite broad and toes round.

Evelyn

Another much-requested 1920s/1930s style from years back. We originally made Evelyns in tan/brown and navy/brown, and the tan proved to be incredibly popular. This season we've broadened out the color options voted on by the community and offer now five colorways.

American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
One of our most popular vintage styles - the Evelyns. We've done them in the top five colorways voted on by you awhile back. The only other update is the new heel shape.

Evelyn is a really good all-season shoe. The canvas gives them a sporty look - don't be afraid of getting the textile dirty. A little spritz with the Angelus water and stain repellent will keep them looking great.

Hazel

A new design for this year, Hazel is a gorgeous 1920s and 30s pump. We developed Hazel from another original in the Collection, and took great pains and many iterations to get the new Spanish heel just right.

American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
The new Hazel in five colorways. You can see the beautiful silhouette of the new Spanish heel. Also - bonus - the ribbons are removable.
American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Our original sample for Hazel - this one was a delicate silk satin, but other than switching the material to a much more durable and popular leather, we made no changes.

Hazels have an almond-shaped toe and that characteristic high vamp, so they're a step-in pump but quite secure to walk in. The grosgrain ribbons are indeed removable; replace them with any sorts of bows you like to change the whole look of these versatile pumps.

Lulu

Lulu is our wildcard shoe, and it's easy to see why. These are some seriously eye-catching oxfords and are actually based on an original 1930s pair, though we've moved them a little forward into the late '30s and '40s with the chunkier Cuban heel.

American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Lulu Oxfords in glorious colors. The white on the black, oxblood, and navy is a true bright white and will go great with white Spring and Summer outfits.
American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Here is the 1933-1939 pair the Lulus are based on. Look at that heel! This was called a "spike heel" in the period. We opted for the chunkier '40s repro Cuban heel. Fashion History Museum catalog #FC0074.

There are a lot of curves, bits, stitching, points, and magic going on with Lulu. We have four colorways voted on by you, and they're all amazing. If show-stopping footwear is your thing, these are the shoes for you.

Pre-Order is open through April 23rd, 2021
$20/pair discount, unlimited quantities in each size.
American Duchess