American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
V131: 1912 Ladies, and Alcatraz
Our ship docked at Pier 33, San Francisco Hi again, from the Big Blue! The last two days we've been at port in San Francisco, a city I'm familiar with,...
V130: Catalina Island, 1940
First off, this... Now, got that out of the way... I'm currently on a cruise with Lady Carolyn, going up the West Coast of America, into Canada. Carolyn is an...
V123: Instant 1930s Shirt
Back in 1930, in Hollywood, the Hays Code determined what was and was not acceptable to show in a motion picture. Things like profanity, drug trafficking, and childbirth couldn't be...
V111: Costume Painting, Week 2, at Nevada Museum of Art
Last night was the second session of the costume painting open studio at the Nevada Museum of Art. Our model was Jeff, wearing a "Burning Man/Steampunk/Mardi Gras/Carnie/Jester" outfit. It was...
V108: "Downton Sixby," on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
A little while ago I got a call from the costume designer at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, asking if there was any chance they could get ahold of a...
V104: Costume Painting at Nevada Museum of Art, Class 1
Last night was my first class of the costume painting open studio at the Nevada Museum of Art. I have modeled for previous sessions, and it just looked like so...
V99: Happy Easter
Happy Easter Day, everyone. Here's a creepy vintage Easter image...
Now don't you just feel like dressing in a giant egg suit?
V80: Petersham vs. Grosgrain Ribbon
What is the difference between Petersham and Grosgrain ribbon? Both ribbons are ribbed and have a matte finish, but there is one really big difference, the edge finish. Grosgrain ribbon...
V75: The True Origin of "Mad as a Hatter"
Here's a random bit of trivia for you to pull out at your next Mad Men cocktail party... The Mad Hatter, illustration by John Tenniel , 1865 Where Does the...
V56: 18th Century Costumes from "Versailles: Countdown to Revolution"
I watched a documentary series recently called "Versailles," covering, in three installments, the history of the palace and its monarchs, Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. I was really...
V37: Steampunk School Picture Day
Last Saturday Chris and I spent the afternoon snapping photos of the local Steampunk club, "High Desert Steam." We had access to the Victorian train cars stationed at Victorian Square,...
V11: Sewing Tool Binge Day - Thing You Never Knew You Needed
So .... I might have gone on a bit of a bender at JoAnn's yesterday ... It's Hallie Larkin's fault. Hallie wrote an article on her blog, "At the Sign...