American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
1833 Plaid Dickens Dress - Progress!
Abby and I think these gowns look rather like 1950s evening gowns before the sleeves go on and ruin everything! More 1830s goodness! All the other Gigot Girl Gang members...
An 1833-ish Dickens Fair Gown!
#goals I have had an inexplicable love affair with the early 1830s for many years now, but it's never been satiated....until NOW! This year, our Gigot Girl Gang™ is headed...
Vlog: The 1830s Bustle!
Howdy! We're deep, deep down the #1830s rabbit hole, working diligently on our gowns with much haste in preparation for our trip to Dickens Fair in San Francisco on December...
Book Review: The Workwoman's Guide by A Lady, 1838
Hey there you lovely costuming creatures, you! As many of you know, Lauren and I are currently up to our eyeballs in all things 1830s. Yep, we're both busy ladies...
A Little History of "Vienna" Victorian Congress Boots
With the release of our shiny new "Vienna" Congress Boots this season, we thought we'd give a little history of this interesting, rather special kind of footwear. In the US...
An 1880s Bodice Plastron - Refit
Me and Abby in our bustle gowns - totally different styles but we actually used the same pattern for the apron. Do you ever pop into your Costume Closet to...
A Little History of "Eliza" Early Victorian Shoes
American Duchess "Eliza" Early Victorian Oxfords in brown Today in our "little history" post I'll give you some background on our new split-vamp oxford "Eliza." The idea for the "Eliza"...
What I've Learned About the 1830s in 2.75 Days
Dress, c. 1835 - FIDM Though I have less and less time to devote to making historical costumes these days (ironically, but such is running two footwear companies), I still...
A Late Date with the 1830s
Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, 1835. Is it finally time to venture into the 1830s? I've talked about it for years; I've seen my friends do incredible 1830s gowns and even...
Please Vote! New Victorian/Edwardian Pumps in *Colors*
Shoes from J. Ferry, 1885-1890. The Met, 2009.300.1579a,b Ladies, for the first time *ever* we are able to offer a range of colors in one of our new styles for...
1820s Green Dress Construction Details - Bodice
Happy Friday! Abby here again for more yummy 1820s Green Dress construction info & detail shots! If you missed previous posts you can check out the general observation & sleeve...
1830s Corset Inspiration & Research
Hello Lovelies - So I'm plugging away on my 1830s corset, and all seems to be going to plan...which is good seeing as how when I picked up my needle...