American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
{Video} Wherein Lauren & Abby Get Racked
...or Racked gets Lauren'd & Abby'd. ;-) In early December, Abby and I took our annual trip to New York City to do *all the things.* One of the things...
A New 1780s CandyStripe Italian Gown
Italian gown - The Met - 1785-87 C.I.66.39a-b Well, I just can't stay away from the late 18th century (can you blame me?). There is just so much to be...
The Robe a la Turque - Part 4 - The Kurdi Polonaise
The last major piece of my take on Guimard's 1790 Turkish stage costume was the fabulous fur-trimmed blue robe. I pondered over this piece for a long time, trying to...
Simplicity 8578 and 8579 - TWO new 18th Century Patterns!
Ladies, we are SO excited to finally announce two new 18th century American Duchess patterns from Simplicity! Simplicity 8578 is the Robe a la Francaise (Sacque) and petticoat and Simplicity...
BOOK RELEASE: The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking
Today's the big day! Our book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking: How to Handsew Georgian Gowns and Wear The with Style has officially been released! While you...
NEW! Special Edition "Dunmore" 18th c. Shoes in Red/White
This year, we've created a special shoe to coincide with the launch of our new book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. The idea came about from the...
The American Duchess Guide: Behind the Scenes With The 1760s Sacque Gown {Video}
Our c. 1768 sacque gown created for The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, made for and modeled by Abby Cox. You can create this or your own creative...
The Robe a la Turque - Part 3 - Shalwar Puffy Pants
Before I forget about all the trials and tribulations (and sometimes fun) I had making my Turkish costume for Costume College 2017, I better tell you about one of the...
Jane Austen Festival in Pictures
How remiss am I in sharing photos, proper photos, from the Jane Austen Festival. So remiss! In fact, when I opened up this draft post to see how far I'd...
The American Duchess Guide - Previews!
Lovelies, we are so excited to finally be able to give you all a sneak preview and some behind-the-scenes info on our upcoming book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th...
New Cotton Striped Stockings, Oh YEAH!
Storyville portrait, New Orleans, c. 1912. Portrait by E. J. Bellocq. Who doesn't love a good striped stocking? The Georgians, Victorians, and Edwardians sure did! Striped stockings of various colors...
The "Jane Austen Goes to Ikea and then to Jane Austen Festival" Gown
This year was my first visit to Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, at beautiful Locust Grove historic site. I had been to Locust Grove before on a rainy November...