"Seabury" Edwardian Shoes - Pre-Order Now Open

Thank you to everyone who participated in the "Seabury" Flash Sale on Facebook. That's over now, and it's time for our regular website pre-order. So without further ado, "Seabury" in black and grey-gold is now officially available to order:

"Seabury" in black, with custom-designed brocade, French heels, and detachable bow clips. Click the image to learn more.

"Seabury" in grey, based on an antique pair in the Newport Historical Society's collection. Custom-designed brocade, paired with shimmering satin, a new French heel, and removable bow clips. Click here to see more.

"Seabury" will arrive in late November, just in time for holiday shopping. Order "Seabury" at

www.AmericanDuchess.com

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Introducing "Seabury" Edwardian Shoes by The Newport Historical Society

Newport Historical Society "Seabury" Edwardian shoes, by American Duchess

Today we're excited to finally introduce "Seabury," a gorgeous new reproduction Edwardian from the Newport Historical Society, Rhode Island.

Back in April, Elizabeth from the Newport Historical Society contacted me to suggest a collaboration. The Newport Historical Society has an impressive collection of antique shoes dating back to the 18th century, so when Elizabeth and I were deciding which shoes to work on together we were quite spoiled for choice.

The original "Seabury" shoes, which once upon a time were actually a very pale green, but have faded through the decades to be a subtle grey.

One design sparkled a little more than the others, a gorgeous grey pump from the turn of the 20th century, with subtle brocade paired with shimmering satin, elegant heels and feminine bows.

It was a whirlwind adventure with Seabury's development, going back-and-forth with the textile manufacturer and heel factory to recreate these special elements as closely as we could.

The fabric - I drew this by hand, using photos of the original shoes to extrapolate out the pattern.

One of the antique heels I found on eBay, which served as the template for our new French heel shape.

We're so proud of the result!  Here are the specifics at a glance:

Seabury is available in grey-gold or black-black, with custom-made brocade, and removable bow clips.

Seabury Edwardian Pumps

• Upper is custom-made brocade paired with satin
• Leather lining and soles
• Custom-made, perfectly balance French Heel - 3 inch / 7.6 cm
• Detachable bow shoe clip
• Available in gray/gold or black/black
• Historically correct for c. 1900 - 1925

Sales of Seabury directly benefit the Newport Historical Society, helping to keep their doors open and maintain their important historical clothing and footwear collections.

Pre-Orders for Seabury open on Friday, October 31, at AmericanDuchess.com, but we're doing an exclusive sale for Facebook Fans on Thursday, October 30, using a new way of ordering right from our Facebook page.

Be sure to register for the Facebook sale by clicking here.

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Behind the Scenes Tour of American Duchess, Inc.

Many of you have asked to see "behind the scenes" of our little shoe company, so I made a video to show you .....  you've been warned! I hope you enjoy it. :-)

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WINNER! "Virginia" Shoes Giveaway

Thank you all so much for participating in the "Virginia" Renaissance Shoes giveaway! There were gobs and gobs of entries, but alas there can only be one winner.

And the winner is...

Amanda V. 

Congratulations!

If you're absolutely gutted and just need to have these shoes in your life, there's still time to pre-order and take advantage of the free stockings or $10 discount.

Visit the Renaissance page at

www.AmericanDuchess.com

Thanks again!

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Oh What a Beautiful Mourning - "Death Becomes Her" at the Met, Opening October 31

On the evening of October 31, a somber shadow shall fall over the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

For the first time in 15 years, the Costume Institute will be opening "Death Becomes Her," an exhibition focusing soul-ely on 19th century dress, specifically mourning attire, displaying gowns, veils, jewelry, and the other historic trappings of bereavement.

The show's opening night will feature dramatic readings from Edgar Allen Poe, an illusionist demonstration, drawing sessions, and a tour of the exhibition. Costumed attendees are welcome and encouraged to pose as live models for the drawing session.

Click Here for More Information

I can't think of anything more perfect than dressing up in mourning to go to an exhibition opening at the Met in NYC, and believe me, if I were not on the West Coast, I would be there in a flash (and furiously sewing to get an appropriately melancholy gown done just for this!). It literally pains me, just right there in my ribs, that I can't go to this.

So if you are anywhere even remotely close to New York, go to the opening! Please!

For more information and to RSVP (costumed attendees), contact [email protected]

And now, to get into the spooky spirit of it all, some mourning gowns from The Met:

The Met, 1894-95 - hrm, wonder who this one belonged to...?

The Met, 1848

The Met, 1883 - detail showing the incredible jet beadwork, cut velvet, and buttons. Click through for a view of the whole gown.

The Met, 1867 - American. This is a great example of "widow's weeds," full mourning. It was not glamorous or shiny, but a dull, "dead," crepe

The Met, 1895 - a great example of the mourning veil, and enormous crepe veil a lady would wear over her face (you can see another example at the top of this post)

The Met, 1850, American

There are many many pieces of mourning attire in the Met's collection, which you can search on their excellent website, or even better - go to the "Death Becomes Her" exhibition and see these incredible, fascinating gowns for yourself.

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How and Why I Make Historical Shoes

"Stratford" Elizabethan Shoes - a collaboration by historical cordwainer Francis Classe and American Duchess

I realize lately that many of you may not know my story of how I got into making historical footwear.

Back in 2010, my now-husband Mr. C and I were both freelance creatives - I did illustration, and he did photographer. Not a whole lot was going on with, y'know, getting paid for those services, and the electricity was turned off more than once because we were struggling badly.

At the same time, I was costuming and blogging. Each time I finished a dress, I would stress over what shoes I was going to put with it, because nothing I had was really correct. I was worried about what others would say, and I personally felt that my hard work on the dress itself was tarnished by my poor shoe choices.

I thought that others were surely having this problem with shoes too, and wondered if I could find a way to get some made. So I started asking my blog followers what they thought, and looking for manufacturers, finally finding someone who would make these weird, old-fashioned shoes for a decent price.

The original satin "Georgiana" from 2011

It was important to me that these were shoes that were both beautiful and comfortable, historically accurate, and available nowhere else. There seemed to be a huge lack of pretty-pretty-princess shoes, so that's what I set out to design, starting with just one dyeable satin 18th century pump, which we called "Georgiana" after the Duchess of Devonshire.

The day we opened the pre-order, I was gobsmacked by the response from the costuming community: through our own crowd-funding website, overnight we sold enough "Georgianas" to do the production run. By the end of the 3-week pre-order period, we'd sold 230 pairs. I remember thinking that first night, "this is what I'm going to do with my life now."

Claremont, the "youngest" shoe we've made - from the 1930s

Fast forward three years, and I'm astonished still at the wonderful support of the community. We've certainly had our trials - factory changes, design improvements, trips across the world - but I could never have imagined being able to offer over thirty styles of historical shoes, a line of 18th century shoe buckles, and a selection of beautiful silk stockings.

From day one, the mission has always been the same: to design historically accurate shoes that are gorgeous, comfortable, and exactly what YOU want. Your shoes should make you feel glamorous and irreproachably correct in your period impression, while not inhibiting you from enjoying your events.

The latest version of the dyeable "Georgiana," which has been improved in silhouette, materials, and durability.

We will always strive to create grace and beauty for you, and allow you to explore the past through clothing, keeping history alive one step at a time.

With Much Love and Gratitude,

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"Virginia" Renaissance Shoes GIVEAWAY!

Today's the day, my darling dears - "Virginia," our new Renaissance shoe, has opened for pre-order, which also means it's giveaway time!

Here's the lo-down on Virginia:

• All-leather construction: upper, lining, sole
• T-strap latchets adjust with metal-tipped lacing.
• Period slashing pattern (topical only, does not go all the way through the shoe - keep the dirt out!)
• Slightly square toe
• Period correct for c. 1580 - 1630
• Available in two colors - dark brown oiled leather -or- tan buffed leather

Virginia was developed with the help of Jamestown head costumer Chris D., and input from you, our followers. It's a unisex style that works with a variety of Elizabethan and Jacobean clothing, and will keep you comfortable and looking swell all day.

Pre-Order runs October 17 - November 3. Get a free pair of stockings ($25 value) or a $10 cash discount when you place your order during this time. Pre-orders placed also count for 5 points in our giveaway, which means you could get your pair totally free!

www.AmericanDuchess.com

Now for the giveaway. It's easy as pie, and there are lots of ways to enter. You can do any and all of these, to up your chances to win. The winner will be announced October 24.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget, we DO take EasyPay Layaway orders for pre-order items! Order now, enter the giveaway, and pay it off while your shoes are made and shipped.

Read more about EasyPay here.

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How One Fugly Loafer Became the Gorgeous "Virginia" Renaissance Shoe

The development story of our new "Virginia" Renaissance shoes is rather a long one (but I'll keep it short, with lots of pictures, promise!). We've been working on the design since March, after I met with Chris D., the head costumer at Jamestown Settlement.

"Virginia" Renaissance shoes, in oiled or buffed leather

Chris told me they had a need for a flat, unisex Jacobean style that was lightweight, comfortable, and nice to look at it. This lined up with what our customers and followers had been saying on Facebook, so the time was right to create our own. I set to work researching and sketching up some ideas that Chris and I bounced back and forth:

My sketches for various designs, toe shapes, and slashing patterns

Slashing patterns derived from original examples

As usual, though, the first prototype wasn't exactly what we were going for:

Eegads, what is THAT!? Ew!

It was butt ugly.

Though the wedge sole construction is period, to our modern eyes, it just looked like an orthopedic shoe, not at all nice to look at! So it was back to the drawing board:

I don't normally share my factory worksheets, but here's one, to show how I tweak designs. This was a middle iteration, and in the next iteration we did away with the wedge completely, and changed the material.

We eventually did away with the wedge altogether, due to fugliness, and construction weirdness.

Another point of contention was the materials. The smooth leather just didn't have the look and feel we wanted, and contributed to that awful loafer look, so I spent quite awhile hunting for a more suitable leather, and found the lovely oiled leather for the dark, and a buffed leather for the tan:

"Virginia" in brown oiled leather - keep it looking awesome by oiling it further, which will help with water resistance too

"Virginia" in tan buffed leather. Experiments with dyeing are in the works

The final result is a very pretty yet practical shoe that can be worn by both men and women, with a variety of costume. The oiled leather will just look better and better with age, and the all leather construction means comfort as well as historical accuracy.

I'm really proud of "Virginia," and I hope you like them too! It took us awhile, but the results were worth it. Remember, the pre-order for these lovelies opens on Friday!

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A Quick Look At Late Elizabethan/Early Jacobean Shoes

Today we kick off a series on European footwear at the end of Elizabeth I's reign, and beginning of James I's, culminating on Friday with the pre-order release of our latest early-period shoes, "Virginia."

What better place to start than by looking at originals?  Those of you familiar with our Stratford shoes will be interested to know that flat shoes and heeled were contemporary, and that the aristocracy wore flat shoes as well as heeled, but heeled shoes for classes further down the food chain did not come into common wear until later in the 17th century.

For "Virginia," I worked with the costume designer at Jamestown to develop a unisex style that was similar to a shoe that was excavated from a well at the settlement, seen here:

Shoe leather from an early Jamestown well, with a sketch of the original design

This type of shoe was nothing new. Similar, simple shoes were found on the Mary Rose, dating from 1545, and brought up from the Thames, some exhibiting slashing, cow-mouth, round, or softly square toe shapes, slippers, strap closure, tie closure, and latchet closure. There was quite a variety.

Shoes from The Mary Rose

Mary Rose shoes - via

Mary Rose shoe

Moving towards the end of the 16th century, both men and women start wearing open-sided shoes that are either flat, wedged, or with a short, blocky heel. Toe shapes, slashing patterns, and colors varied:

Sir Jerome Bowes, by an unknown artist, c. 1584

Sir Anthony Mildmay, by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1585 - he's got quite pointed toes

Elizabeth I, by an artist of the English school, c. 1592

The Browne Brothers, by Isaac Oliver, 1598 - you can see not all shoes were white (that was a very aristocratic/royalty/court thing)

Round about 1600 is where we get our closest "Virginia" ancestor:

V and A, English origin, c. 1600

And after 1600, folks of all classes were wearing some version of this shoe (but not exclusively this type, remember!). The side openings gradually got larger later into the century:

Prince Henry, sone of James I, c. 1608

Charles-Alexandre de Croy, Flemish, 1610

Sir Thomas Pope, c. 1635 - still flat, square-toed, quite large opening on the side, and black. Love his jaunty pink stockings, too!

There are still some stragglers later in the 17th century, but by about the 1670s, shoes started to change significantly, and we're moving into high, French-heeled territory.

So there's a basic primer on this particular shoe style of this specific time period. Next time, I'll share more about Virginia's development, with tantalizing photos, and enticing reasons why you simply must have them for your next Renaissance Fair!

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Regency Styles I Actually Like

...because I don't have quite enough on my mind right now!

I will admit I'm not a big fan of the Regency, on me. I love it on others - Maggie of Undressing the Historical Lady does it superbly, and all the photos from Bath and Malmaison have me drooling. I believe that *all* periods will work for *all* ladies, we just have to find what suits us in those periods (just like today). So here are some inspiration images of Regency ensembles I actually like...

June 1799

Carriage Costume, 1817

Winter, 1814 - oh, the fur! and those funny little shoes!

Habit Spencer, Queen Louise of Prussia 

The fashion plates are Pinterest orphans, but they are almost certainly available at Dames a la Mode.

Amalie Auguste, Princess of Bavaria and Queen of Saxony - by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1823 - a bit late, but could be reverse-Regencied to fit an earlier style

La Belle Assemblee, 1818

Museo del Traje, spencer, 1800

The Met, spencer, 1805-15

Hrm, so pretty much all of my "likes" are Spencers or Pelisses. That's okay, right? I could do just one really good white gown and a whole bunch of spencers to go over it, right?  I think I could wrap my head around that...

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