Hi All!
For this week's episode, Abby & Lauren sit down and chat about the newest
Exclusive offering from American Duchess - The
Louis (Pre-Order open until May 19th! $295)
 |
| Our Louis Exclusives come in a dark red and deep blue velveteen with silver embroidery. |
Here's what we chat about -
- Abby asks Lauren to explain how the exclusive process works for American Duchess.
- Lauren discusses the evolution of the heeled shoe & why we named the shoes after King Louis XIV
- Abby & Lauren chat about Lady Mary Stanhope Gell, who is rumored to have owned the original shoes we were inspired by for the exclusive.
- We giggle about our costuming choices and ideas for the Louis shoes & how we would costume around the shoes.
 |
| Blue velvet shoes with silver embroidery c. 1660, rumored to have belonged to Lady Mary Stanhope (here) |
Here's the namesake of our shoes, King Louis XIV, rocking some red heels & a hell of a wig -
 |
| King Louis XIV, 1701, by Hyacinthe Rigaud (here) |
Thanks to research done by Kimberly of
Silk Damask, below is a portrait of Mary Stanhope from sometime in the early 1600s (when she was still a Radclyffe!). Also, don't forget to check out Kim's post on Silk Damask about the shoes & Mary Stanhope, it's a great summary of what we talk about in the podcast!
Lauren and Abby both agree that maybe experimenting with doing some costuming c. 1660 would be fun...something like this:
 |
| One of Charles II's favorite ladies, Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine & Duchess of Cleveland by Peter Lely (Here) |
We also talk about making an early 1700s mantua, like these to go with the Louis shoe -
 |
| Portrait of a Family in an Interior, Nicolas Walraven van Haften, MFA Boston, 1982.139
|
This is the style of gown that Abby is talking about when she references looking like a Mrs. Potato Head.
 |
| Henrietta Maria after Sir Anthony van Dyck, 1630s (NPG London) |
We hope you enjoy the podcast & don't forget to order your
Louis exclusives today! (Easy Pay Layaway & Returns are both possible with our exclusives!)
 |
| Our Louis in a dark red with matching leather heel. |
