American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
V52: 1770s Pannier Experiments - Style 1
In poking around the 1770s it becomes obvious that panniers are the thing to wear. I've never made panniers before - I usually land in the 1780s and 90s, when...
V51: 1957 Little Brown Dress
Over Christmas I made a couple 1950s frocks I haven't shared with you. In fact, I made this dress, then didn't have opportunity to wear it until yesterday, for my...
V50: 18th Century Hair of Tall Ships
One of the iconic images we first associate with fashion of the 18th century is the Hair Ship, the tiny galleon perched atop a massive coif of curls. Where did...
V49: 18th Century Quilted Petticoats
I am thinking of quilting a petticoat. My mom thinks that's insane, but it really seems doable, even for an inpatient girl like me. The quilted petticoats in the Colonial...
V48: Reno's Vintage Motel Signs
A few days ago I took a wander around Fourth Street in Reno, not the best place for a girl to be wandering, but I had on me the 1950s...
V47: Results of the Great Button Boot Survey
Awhile ago I asked you lovelies to take a survey on your preferences for Victorian button boots. Here is what you all had to say... About 455 of you participated....
V46: New "Imperfect" Section in the Shoe Shop
Hi Ladies, I created an "Imperfect" section at the American Duchess shop, where you can find Devonshires, Georgianas, and Pemberlies for 50% off. With each shipment we always get a...
V45: Edwardian Hair Mysteries Solved - Part 4 - Beginning Styling
So far in this series, we've covered several aspects of Edwardian hair care and styling preparation, along with a few styling supplements. Now it's time to put that hair up....
V44: Sacramento Antiques Vintage Haul
Victorian boots. I didn't buy these, but they're cool to look at. You thought I was going to miss today's post! I'm exhausted after the all-day shopping trip over-the-river-and-through-the-woods, to...
V43: 18th Century Experiments in Hair, and New $6 Neckerchief
Last night I spent hours...HOURS...working on Edwardian hair styles, but I discovered that I needed more switches and hair pieces (today's work), before attempting any more of those styles. I...
V42: Edwardian Hair Styling Mysteries Solved - Part 3 - Rats, Switches, and Wiglets
In the last two installments of this series, we took a look at how women prepared their hair for styling. They used some interesting shampoos, along with various methods of...
V41: Edwardian Hair Styling Mysteries Solved - Part 2 - Brushing, Crimping, Fire
Last time in Part 1 of this series, I introduced you to some rather "exciting" sounding Edwardian shampoo and hair dressing recipes, taken from "The Manual on Barbering, Hairdressing, Manicuring,...