American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Getting Dressed in 18th Century - 1780s - 1790 {Video}
Let's get dressed! Hi Lovelies! I made a short video showing the steps and pieces of getting dressed in a 1780s Italian gown or Robe a l'Anglaise. I know for...
What Is a "Hedgehog" Hairstyle *Really*?
A lady sporting the hedgehog hairstyle - 1775-78. Gallerie des Modes, MFA.org 44.1344 It is a truth universally acknowledged that all 18th century historic costumers, when we first start, quickly...
Cake or Death - Marie Antoinette
I have a new video for you today, the first in a series! I'm quite proud of this, even though it's...weird, and possibly off-color. I hope you enjoy it!
18th Century Printed Cotton Do’s & Don’t’s
A beautiful printed cotton gown, 1785-95. The Met. A very condensed version of this essay, without pictures, appears in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. Because there is...
The Countess of Melbury's Ball c. 1789 - Inspo!
The Met, 1780s Italian gown. Inspiration for my own gown for this event. Next March, 2020, I am attending the Countess of Melbury's Ball in Walnut Grove, California. The event...
The Isabella Mactavish Fraser Pattern & Documentary!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very proud to release to you today the Isabella Mactavish Fraser gown pattern and construction PDF along with our short documentary about this famous tartan...
The Isabella Mactavish Fraser Project - Day 2
Georgia Gough wearing the finished Isabella Mactavish Fraser wedding gown and arisaid - Edinburgh, Scotland I'm back with the second day reporting from the Isabella Mactavish Fraser wedding-gown-in-a-weekend project, a...
The Isabella Mactavish Fraser Project - Prep and Day 1
Braining hard on the Isabella Mactavish Fraser wedding gown - Edinburgh, Scotland, June 2019 Abby and I are back from our whirlwind trip to Scotland, and I've had a nice...
18th Century Hairstyles for Long Hair
Jenny's long hair was plenty to go over the ski slope hair cushion. Nearly as often as we receive questions about doing 18th century hairstyles for short hair, we see...
18th Century Hairstyles for Short Hair
Nicole's chin-length bob was perfect, if not even a little too long, for the early 1780s crape'd hairstyle once supplemented with a few hair pieces at the back... One of...
1780 - 1781 Glasgow Polonaise Sacque Jacket Progress
1780 - 1781 Polonaise sacque jacket almost done! I love the back, even if it has double the fabric in it that it really needs. Alllmmmooosssttt doooonnnneeeee! This project has...
Introducing: The Isabella MacTavish Fraser Wedding Gown Project
The famous Isabella MacTavish Fraser wedding gown c. 1785. Photo by Ewen Weatherspoon. Reproduced with permission of Inverness Museum & Art Gallery Big news! We've been hinting at it for...