American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Pompadour French Court Shoes, 12.5 Years Later
Our Pompadour 18th Century Shoes are an American Duchess classic! With their custom, curvy Louis heel, easy-to-use tabbed latchet closure, and period accurate white rand, these babies are a tried-and-true...
Pink Popularity in the 18th Century
If you're anything like us, you have probably been really into the moment the color pink is having in fashion this summer, thanks to a certain iconic doll. It's been...
Fabrics for the 18th Century and Beyond
Robe a la Francaise, 1770, LACMA M.2007.211 - beautiful and expensive printed cotton One of the top questions I get from budding 18th century costumers is "what fabric should I...
Dress Analytics: Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher, 1756 {Video}
Today I have a new video for you...it's basically a blog post in video form (lol) - you can listen to my charming stuffed-up-elf voice tell you about the gown...
Petticoat Pitfalls for Grand Panniers
Well shoot, this didn't work.... Don't you just love when you finish up a project, perhaps the first part of an ensemble, something you've maybe done numerous times before, only...
How to Avoid Lampshade Hoops in the 18th Century
It's a thing in the Georgian period too! I've recently started on my next big (physically big), early 18th century project, a Robe Volante. One of the reasons I felt...
A Little History of "Sophie" 18th Century Mules
The Laundress, 1761, by Greuze Mules! (AKA Slippers!) Did you know that mules were incredibly common in the 18th century? Women of all social classes wore them in various materials...
How to Lengthen/Shorten 18th Century Stays
The #1 question we receive about Simplicity 8162 (and will with Simplicity 8579 as well) is how to lengthen or shorten the stays. Particularly with Simplicity 8162, the body block...
The Many Types of 18th Century Gowns
I realized today with the 18th century gowns I have made I have only scratched the surface of how many different types there were. It's easy to fall into the...
How To Make 18th c. Cockades
by Lauren Reeser Cockades are so cool. They add so much interest and texture to a hat, pinned to a jacket, even tied onto your shoes. So here's how to...
Button, Button - Who's Got the Button?
by Dana Reeser Or more correctly, who made the button? Lil' Duchie never played "button button" so she didn't get the reference, but this is Lil' Duchie's Lady Mother writing...
:Ubersexlich 18th c. Men's Suit - More Progress...Again...
Please excuse the messiness of my room! More progress on James' velvet and brocade suit. The linings are being hand-stitched in and pleats adjusted...and....and.... The right side in this photo...