American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
How to Wear Vintage Menswear Without Looking Like a Man
Marlene Dietrich - famous for many things, one of which was rocking this look For centuries, women have been working elements of masculine dress into their wardrobes. Clear back to...
Wearing History "Smooth Sailing" Blouse Review
Wearing History "Smooth Sailing" blouse made from the excellent printed pattern, worn with the ready-to-wear "Smooth Sailing" jeans. The pattern also contains piece for these pants. Late last year I...
A "Miss Fisher" 1920s Burgundy Cloche Hat
It pales in comparison to the original, but I'm quite happy with my burgundy Miss Fisher hat, retro-cycled from a sad garage sale find. I know it's February - practically...
Spotlight on Tango Boots - Video!
I made a video! I know that doesn't seem like a big deal in today's hugely visual world, but I worked *all day* on this and I'm proud of it,...
My 1930s Christmas Gown - Done!
Gosh, I wasn't expecting to be done with so much time to spare. I forget that vintage sewing takes so much less time than historical sewing, even with working out...
1930s Velvet Christmas Gown Progress
There was never a better time to start something than so close to a deadline, but with just a couple days of hard graft, I'm surprised and relieved that the...
1930s Velvet Evening Gown Inspiration
To get right to it, I have about two weeks to make my Christmas Party dress. This year it's green and it's velvet, and it's all the fault of these...
A 1930s "Bonnie & Clyde" Sweater Blouse
Another adventure in sewing knits - I'm hooked, now! I've got my wooly nylon thread, my ballpoint needles, and a goodly dose of foolhardiness. Sorting through my vintage sweaters board...
Introducing the Tango Boots - Pre-Order Now Open!
At long last, I'm so excited to introduce our special 2015 Holiday release - the Edwardian Tango Boots! I've been working on these for about a year now, tweaking the...
Behind the Scenes of our 2014 Winter Photo Shoot
Last November Chris and I set up a photo shoot with first-time model Anna McIlwee, who was to be our Siberian Snow Princess in a beautiful winter landscape. Trouble was,...
1919 Red Russian Winter Suit - Done!
The final 1919 suit worn together for a holiday event. I love how this came out! I learned a lot about tailoring (what little I did on the collar), piecing...
Antique Edwardian Shoe Rehab
I'm going to call it rehab instead of restoration, because these shoes were in a *state.* They were sent to me by a lovely follower who saw the potential in...