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1760s Robe a la Francaise - Finished + Video!

1760s Robe a la Francaise - Finished + Video!

At last, at last! My Robe a la Bon Bon 1750 - 1770 sacque is complete! I finished this gown a little while back but it's taken me quite some...
American Duchess
Event Announcement: 18th Century Hair at National Arts Club, NYC

Event Announcement: 18th Century Hair at National Arts Club, NYC

News! Abby and I are back to the incredible National Arts Club in New York City on September 13th, 2019, to do an 18th century hair demo and talk all...
American Duchess
18th Century Hairstyles for Long Hair

18th Century Hairstyles for Long Hair

Jenny's long hair was plenty to go over the ski slope hair cushion. Nearly as often as we receive questions about doing 18th century hairstyles for short hair, we see...
American Duchess
18th Century Hairstyles for Short Hair

18th Century Hairstyles for Short Hair

Nicole's chin-length bob was perfect, if not even a little too long, for the early 1780s crape'd hairstyle once supplemented with a few hair pieces at the back... One of...
American Duchess
#ADBeauty - 18th Century Hats, Caps, Bonnets, and Accessories

#ADBeauty - 18th Century Hats, Caps, Bonnets, and Accessories

Jasmine wearing her Therese hood, a very simple early 1780s accessory It is my belief that one can never have too many 18th century accessories. Hats and caps are essential...
#ADBeauty - 8 Authentic 18th Century Hairstyles!

#ADBeauty - 8 Authentic 18th Century Hairstyles!

Big Hair? Yes you can! Possibly the post you've been truly waiting for, today I'm going to give you some previews of the hairstyles in our next book "The American...
American Duchess
#ADBeauty - 18th Century Cosmetics and Hair Care Products

#ADBeauty - 18th Century Cosmetics and Hair Care Products

Cynthia applied 18th century rouge in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty. "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty" is a how-to book broken into what could...
American Duchess
Introducing "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty"

Introducing "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty"

We're official one month away from the release of our second book, "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty" ! This time last year we were sewing, styling, and...
Lauren Stowell
How to Scale Up Gridded Sewing Patterns with Adobe Photoshop

How to Scale Up Gridded Sewing Patterns with Adobe Photoshop

If you've been into historical costuming for any amount of time, you will be familiar with many a book featuring gridded (or scaled) sewing patterns. The Tudor Tailor, Patterns of...
Lauren Stowell
The State of the Book (2) Address

The State of the Book (2) Address

Abby works on Cynthia's (Redthreaded) hair while I photographs each step for "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty," coming July 2019. Hi! I've been a pretty terrible blogger...
American Duchess
Book Signing Soiree at Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles

Book Signing Soiree at Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles

This past weekend we popped over The Hill down to Berkeley to visit on of our favorite shops *ever* - Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. We were honored to...
American Duchess
The Creature Reborn - Retrimming the Pink Polonaise

The Creature Reborn - Retrimming the Pink Polonaise

Once upon a time I made a pink taffeta polonaise and trimmed it in organza, a very 1770s thing to do. At the time, I tried hand roll hemming and...
American Duchess