American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
V26: 18th Century Panniers - examples and ideas
Trouvais.com I've been thinking about panniers lately. Pocket hoops. Hip padding. For an upper class impression, it looks like a little side hoop action was still en vogue for the...
V17: What Real Women Wore in 1912
I get so starry-eyed when I look at evening gowns and haute couture of the 19teens. It's easy to forget that most women didn't wear anything even remotely like this....
V2: Opinion: The Vintage Figure vs. Today
Why do "vintage bodies" differ so much from our modern bodies? It seems like most sources (like this one) will have us believe that what we eat and how much...
1950s Petticoats
As we all know, petticoats were a big thing in the 1950s. Large, puffy skirts had to be supported by various methods of pooferry, pufftasmicness, and even occasional hoop-lah. Here...
Revolution Dress - About Those Stays
The Dreamstress asked me to share a little about the stays I've been working on. Those extra grommets at the bottom are me messing up. Ignore those, pls. :-) I...
Revolution Dress - Undies!
This is just a quick post on underwear, in all its glory. As you know, I've started this latest 18th c. gown project with the basics, a proper set of...
The Revolution Dress - Beginnings, Again
Last time, I wrote about a new 18th c. project concerning a Robe Retroussee dans les Poches, but since then the project has been morphing and smooshing around trying to...
Starting Small on a Big New 18th c. Project
I finally have a new 18th c. project in mind, yay! I want to make a striped red Robe a l'Anglaise, but to be worn either polonaise'd (verb) or "dans...
1780s Half-Boned Stays
Finished - they close edge-to-edge across my bust, but I also like them open like this - more thrust! See the difference in shape between these and Olympe's? In my...
Olympe's Stays - Complete! Finito! Done!
I finally finished Olympe's lovely cream, goldenrod, and powder blue stays. Finally. FINALLY. It's only taken me FOREVER. They are too small for the smallest setting on my dress form,...
Late 18th Century Skirt Supports - The Unorthodox Edition
I have received some questions from you guys asking what I wear under my petticoats to give that super-poof shape. Well...it ain't pretty. I don't have picture-perfect panniers, or layers...
Extant 18th c. Stays from the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Museum, Nevada
A little while ago I attended a fascinating lecture on underwear through the ages, presented by Jan the Costume Anthropologist at the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center. While...