American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
V335: eBay Find of the Year: Antique Button Boots...That FIT!
In my recent eBay haunting, I've collected a number of interesting items - a leather punch, a cast iron fluting iron, two early Victorian slippers, and a pair of Edwardian...
V333: Precious Things: Early 19th Century Slippers
I've been spending way too much time on eBay, building the American Duchess Historical Footwear collection ... out of real historic footwear! My latest acquisitions ... This single shoe is...
V332: New Project: Giant "Green Acres" Bustle Gown
I am suffering from severe CADD (Costume A.D.D.) lately. My '30s plaid Christmas dress sits on the mannequin, nearly complete, but with the arrival of a giant roll of green...
V330: Shoes to Get Excited About in 2013
Two thousand and twelve is drawing to a close, but that brings excitement for the coming year! I have already been designing and planning my little heart out, and researching...
V326: Elastic Goring in Victorian Footwear
Hello Lovelies! Today I'm going to tell you about the magical world of elastic, as used in Victorian footwear, one because it's fascinating, but also because there have been some...
V325: Introducing "Tavistock" Authentic Victorian Button Boots
...and it's about time! I am so excited to finally be able to release for pre-order our first boot, and indeed the only completely authentic Victorian button boot available! Tavistock...
V322: Another Day at Dickens Christmas Fair, San Francisco
I'm back from S.F. now, but here are some photos from our second day at Dickens... Maggie's puffy puff-butt in the morning. I found this endlessly amusing. Maggie's costume was...
V321: An Excursion to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Hi all! I'm down in San Francisco land with a whole wad of my favorite people, not least among them The Laced Angel, and Serendipitous Stitchery, the latter of which...
V298: Costumes For Sale
I'm clearing out some space-takers in my Costume Closet, available in my Etsy shop. Here's what's on offer today... 1790s Gaulle. Drop-Front, made 2012 as a mock-up for another gown....
V295: Victorian Plastic - Yes, Victorian; Yes, Plastic
Ever since learning about plastic injection molding of the 1870s, I've been gnawing on the idea of Victorian plastics. It seems like an oxymoron - we all know plastic is...
V296: Victorian Christmas...Stuff
With the holidays looming, it's time to think about what the heck to wear for all the fun Victorian Christmas events. I've been spending 2012 building up my 18th century...