American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
V191: Matchy - Or Not - Striped 18th Century Gowns
Sometimes it really helps, when you're in the midst of working on a project, to go back and look at reference images, to see how the seamstresses back in the...
V190: Progress on the 1770s l'Anglaise
Oooo, fits niiice... LIES! I spent all day yesterday working on this new robe a l'Anglaise, draping, then cutting and stitching. Then correcting. Correcting more. Cursing. More correcting. Ah, if...
V189: Beginning a Robe a l'Anglaise a la Polonaise
I've been procrastinating on, well, everything costume-related, and with Costume College a mere month away, it's time to get down to business with this striped gown. My material - I...
V188: Time to Start Planning for Costume College
This year will be my first time attending Costume College in LA. Nervous? Yes! I've determined that during the day, easy 20th c. vintage wear will be great, but then...
V186: Happy 4th of July
Happy Independence Day! Enjoy your BBQs, fireworks, and fun time with friends! The 4th is a great time to dress up patriotically, too. I tried the "Happy Pompadour" hairstyle from...
V187: Those Catty Elizabethans
I just love this illustration, don't you? Gennady Spirin. Illustration from ‘The White Cat” So I've been reading Jean Hunnisett's Period Costume for Stage & Screen: Patterns for Women's Dress...
V185: The Polonaise Jacket of Doom and Hell
Du...Du Hast...Du Hast Mich You know those projects that just don't want to be made, and give you trouble all the way through to the violent end? This is one...
V184: My First Real 18th Century Shoe Buckles
Ebay is such a wonderous place. I won an auction for these awesome 18th century shoe buckles - only $35!! They were quite brown when they arrived from England, but...
V183: July Call For Sponsors
Hi All! Do you have an online shop or a business you think might benefit from advertising here on American Duchess? Well happy days, for the first time I am...
V182: The Lovely Bones: Reliquary Busts of Female Saints
Last night a beautiful image popped up on my Pinterest feed ... this one. Her name is not known - a companion of, or a saint herself? What do you...
V181: Small Biz Betties: The Small Biz Triple Crown - Blog, Facebook, and Storefront
Hello again, all you small biz betties out there. This week we will start getting in to the nuts and bolts of how to start your business online, with something...
V180: A Little Georgian Humor
This delightful image popped up on my Pinterest feed the other day, and I just had to share it with you... Henry Bunbury - "Me, my wife, and Daughter" There...