American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
A Quick 1879 Bonnet from a 1950s Hat
I've had a lot of questions about the bonnet I wore with my 1879 Tea Dress. I didn't have time to construct a late 1870s/early 1880s bonnet, and I'm not...
Review: Wearing History's 1879 Dinner Bodice E-Pattern
Last weekend I finished up and wore my new 1879 "Cafe Promenade" dress (or "Creme Brulee" or "Cafe Au Lait"), which I had quite a good time putting together over...
Christmas Tea at the Brewery Arts Center, Carson City, NV
This past Saturday good-sized group of us Great Basin Costumers invaded the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City, for their afternoon High Tea. There was no set period for costume,...
1879 Tea Gown: More Progress, and Bustling Up on the Deadline!
I haven't been working *flat out* on this dress, but I have been making steady progress each day. I'm thankful to have not hit any huge snags (yet). I'm not...
Museum Sketching and Progress in 1879
Left to Right: me, Oscar, Debbie, and Jane Last weekend a few of us Great Basin Costumers gathered at the Nevada Museum of Art to act as models for a...
1879 Tea Gown: Mocking Up and Sketching
Last night, I jumped into working on this 1879 gown, for our tea on December 14th. I was so anxious to see what resulted from the Wearing History 1879 Dinner...
Book Review: "Embellishments: Constructing Victorian Detail" by Astrida Schaeffer
Embellishments: Constructing Victorian Detail Astrida Schaeffer (c) 2013 by Astrida Schaeffer ISBN 978-1-938394-04-1 Many of us have been anticipating Astrida's book "Embellishments" for quite some time. I was happy to...
Seeking Adventure in 1879, But 1880 Will Do, Too
I'm having that...that feeling. It's an exciting but terrible feeling, the one that comes with being in the middle of one complex project, but wanting to start another complex project...
Glorious 18th Century Mules, and some 19th Century Wanna-Be's
Antoinette mules in French blue Today is the day to celebrate mules, those pretty little backless, heeled slippers that have been gracing the feet of ladies for hundreds of years....
The 3rd Annual Steampunk Ball of Piper's Opera House, 2013
Liza rockin' her Victorian tail bodice with shorts and amazing stockings This past weekend Chris and I worked our tails off at the 3rd Annual Steampunk Ball up in Virginia...
"Real" Late Victorian Steampunk Fashions for Women
The Met, 1897-99 (via) - an excellent start to a fabulous Steampunk ensemble. My favorites are the original gowns that unknowingly have that Steampunk flavor. I haven't been working on...
1860s Button Boots with Scalloped Fly
The boots, once stuffed and supported, were in surprisingly good condition. Every once in awhile something particularly smashing comes up on eBay and I get all giddy about it. These...