American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
The Great China Adventure, Or, How Jet-Lag is Evil
Hello Lovelies! Abby here - sort of... Jet lag is evil & mean. But I'm here in body, even if that means my circadian rhythms are still totally bananas and...
The Red Dress Project: Challenges
Lauren reporting > I've been working on-and-off on The Red Dress, the Robe de Cour pattern for Simplicity. I am making the master pattern in paper, but I am also...
Our Big Announcement!
Hello Lovelies! As many of you know (but maybe some of you don't) we announced last Friday via our weekly Facebook LiveCast (2pm Pacific Time/5 pm Eastern) that American Duchess...
1960s Emma Peel - My First Cosplay Ever
Lauren here - I've never considered myself a "cosplayer." I have trouble reproducing costume and clothing, by which I mean I don't stick to a given design very well. I...
1830s Corset Inspiration & Research
Hello Lovelies - So I'm plugging away on my 1830s corset, and all seems to be going to plan...which is good seeing as how when I picked up my needle...
My Big Fat Yellow English Gown - Finito!
Lauren here - Doesn't it just feel *so good* to best a cranky project, wear it, and love it? I'd been working on my yellow English Gown for most of...
Dipping My Toe Into Uncharted Corsetry
Hello Lovelies! Abby here -- Ok - so my title is not entirely true. I've made an 1800s corset before...hell I've even taught a workshop on how to pattern and...
Introducing Abby Cox, New Vice President of American Duchess
Hello Lovelies :) Abby here...and man, does it feel good to write those two words again! It feels like it's been forever since I've really sat down and blogged like...
Classic 1940s Shoes by Royal Vintage (That's Me!)
I've been kindof quietly working on this other thing for awhile, for about a year now - it's a whole new line of historical reproduction shoes for the 20th century...
My 1740s "Mutton Chop" Cap
The Athenaeum - Lettice Mary Banks (William Hoare - ) English 1746 It's getting down to the wire on Costume College preparations. Most of my major projects are a few...
Bastille Day Sale - Freebies, Clearance Styles, and Imperfects
Bastille Day Sale! It's time for our annual mid-Summer sale. We're clearing out the old to make room for the new! This year we have free accessories on ALL our...
Simplicity 18th Century Stays - Adding Boning
I've been MIA on the Simplicity 18th Century Pattern Hacks lately, due to moving, but I'm back! Time for more helpful hacks and hints for constructing Simplicity 8161 and 8162...