American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
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...
18th Century Mules in Art
Some of you may be wondering how, when, and where to wear the new "Antoinette" 18th century mules, thinking they look oh-so delicate, and not at all practical for anything....
Dyeing Those Dyeable Ivory Leather Boots (or Shoes)
Those of you who have been following for awhile will hear me go on and on about "dyeable ivory" this, and "dyeable ivory" that, when it comes to the leather...
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....
More LACMA Sacque-Ma Progress
Yesterday I was worried that I wasn't going to have enough fabric to do the trimmeries on the LACMA sacque, but today, oddly enough, I think it will all be...
Non-Matching Trim Options for Robes a la Francaise
So as I bimble along on this LACMA-Sacque-ma, diligently cutting out all the many pieces, and saving every little scrap, I'm getting the feeling that I'm not going to have...
My Utterly Ridiculous Pierrot Clown Costume - Halloween 2013
Well, I might have been stitching up to the last day, but I did finish my utterly ridiculously Pierrot clown costume. Here it is, in all its silliness: From my...
LACMA Sacque-ma: Beginning the Robe
I've finally started in earnest on the LACMA Sacque-ma. For a reminder, because it's been too long since I posted about this, here's the original dress: LACMA, 1765 I don't...
Romantic Era Gowns - c. 1820s-1830s
I have a bit of an itch to make something late 1820s, 1830s. Crazy, I know. Crazy GIGOT SLEEVES! Crazy! But...but...some are quite pretty. And it's a most unloved era....
Costume Clear-Out on Etsy
Right, here we go. I've spent today photographing and listing a bunch of my old creations on Etsy. Here they are. Click the photo to go to the listing. First...