American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Historical Shoes ... So, What's Next, Ladies?
My particular fave. This is from Shoe Icons (eng.shoeicons.com) With the success of the "Georgiana" shoes (and it's only been a week!), this means that more styles of period-accurate shoes...
Vintage Summer Dress - Yellow Dots and Lollipops
Okay, so really this has *nothing* to do with lollipops, except a vague idea that lollipops and fluffy girly dresses go together....? Anyway. Butterick 6582 The other night I thought,...
The Victorian Steampunk Ball ... (If You're In The Reno Area)
If you happen to be in the Northern California or Northern Nevada areas, check out this event. It's going to be *awesome,* and I know that, because I'm part of...
Bits and Bobs ... and Life After Those Shoes
So what the heck do I post about after all that craziness with the Georgiana shoes? Life's returning to normal, but I'm still quite excited: We met the 100 shoe...
"Georgiana" 18th c. Shoes - Pre-Order Now Open!
Well this is it! The pre-order period for the new Georgiana 18th c. shoes is now open. It will run for 3 weeks: April 1st - April 22nd. We're looking...
Introducing the "Georgiana" 18th Century Shoes by American Duchess
After months of work, finally the dream of our 18th century silk shoes has come to fruition. The final sample pair arrived this morning and are absolutely beautiful! The Pre-Sale...
More Tea with Madame X - Progress on The Satan Bodice from Hell
...did I say satan? I meant satin, really. Or is it the same thing... I'm starting with the most recent photo, because I'm too embarrassed to start by showing you...
The Paperie - Custom Wedding Invitations by American Duchess
I wanted to share with you guys another recent venture. It's not related to costuming, but does have a feeble link to pretty dresses :-). It's a new business in...
Tea With Madame X -or- A Start to A Goth-tastic Gown
Last week I put together a "quick and dirty" black satin bustle skirt to wear with my Steampunk outfits, but as all of you know, having a large quantity of...
1790s Wrap-Front Gown - More Progress
The front crossing. The ties will meet with as-yet-existent ties on the sides. I love the adjustability of the drawstring, too...one can go from modest lady to regency floozy in...
Historical Costuming vs. Historical Re-Enactment: What's the Difference?
A re-enactor would never be caught dead in modern sunglasses and inaccurate mary jane shoes I'll be honest with you guys. This morning I received a forwarded e-mail attacking me...
1880s Bustle Skirt - It's Black, It's Shiny, It's Quick and Dirty
Playing dress up with a pseudo Victorian shirt and a velvet waist cincher A very short time ago I found myself in a predicament, one that involved needing a black...