American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
LACMA Sacque-Ma: Operation Petti-Pouf
Thank you to everyone who left incredibly helpful comments on yesterday's petticoat post. Last night I went for it with implementing each of the changes suggested, to see what effect...
LACMA Sacque-ma: The Petticoat, and Why Bigger Isn't Always Better
I spent this past weekend toiling on a "simple" petticoat for my first Robe a la Francaise ensemble, inspired by this gorgeous sacque in LACMA: I thought it would be...
My 18th Century "Weddingote"
So....I'm gettin' married. (Woohoo!!) I've been a bit buried in all things wedding, with an additional layer of all things shoes on top, and I realize I totally haven't posted...
White/Ivory 18th Century Gown Inspiraton
I just received 10 yards of delicious ivory silk taffeta, and I'm just *itching* to make something (or a lot of somethings) out of it. Of course I'm thinking along...
Finished Project: 18th Century Grand Panier
And my, what a big panier it is! I purchased the now-out-of-print Simplicity 3635 pattern on eBay a few weeks back. The package contains patterns for stays, pockets, a chemise,...
Behind the Scenes with the "More Than Just A Costume" Gainsborough Photo Shoot
Howdy! I've had some questions about the most recent images I created, inspired by Gainsborough's portrait of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, so I'm going to show you a little behind-the-scenes...
Special Event: "Kensington" Black Leather Colonial Shoes Re-Pre-Order
Hey all! So...we've run out of black Kensingtons. Yep, there are, like, five pairs left. So I thought I'd try something new - a "Re-Pre-Order," to help us raise funds...
Why Make Historical Shoes?
Lauren W. models a powder blue 1740s riding habit, surrounded by Kensington and Pompadour 18th century shoes This month marks the two year anniversary of starting the Historical Footwear side...
New 18th Century Shoe - Your Opinions Please
Howdy! So...I've been working on a new 18th century Colonial shoe about 1700-1770. She's gorgeous, complete with snazzy French heel and white rand, and I'd like your opinion on what...
How Wide Should Your 18th Century Panniers Be?
I've set out on the adventure of making a Grand Pannier to wear under voluminous 18th century apparel, and the first question that came to mind is - how wide...
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...
What is Osnaburg?
I was pretty stoked recently when I found osnaburg fabric at Walmart, of all places. I bought what was left on the bolt, dreaming of all the awesome interlinings and...