Have you taken a look at our new Anniversary Collection yet? To mark 15 years of making historical reproduction footwear, we’ve brought back three classic American Duchess styles: Savoy Beaded Shoes, Victoria Carriage Boots, and Balmoral Boots! Each of these styles is 15% off per pair through June 26 to celebrate.
If you have been part of our community for a long time, you may notice that the new Savoys, Victorias, and Balmorals aren’t exactly the same as their first releases. Part of re-releasing a style is re-developing and improving it. This is nothing new for us at AD. We have had multiple styles in our line that have come in several iterations, with each version containing new improvements, features, or adjustments. Re-making shoes with different materials, fit adjustments, or new colors is part of our design process. Since Savoy, Victoria, and Balmoral are some ‘classic’ styles for American Duchess fans, we thought it would be interesting to go over some of the processes when developing a re-release.
Some of the first things we assess are the last and heel. A lot of factors go into designing these foundational elements. Not only does the fit have to be accurate and comfortable, but the aesthetic has to be accurate to the historical originals. We often say that we ‘re-map’ historical styles onto modern footwear. It simply wouldn’t be possible for us to re-make historical shoes to have the exact same lasts as the originals from, say, the 19th century. Not only is the technology for manufacture completely different, but we aren’t accustomed to wearing shoes that would fit the way antique shoes would. Hence the phrase ‘re-mapping’; we’re recreating historical shoes to have an aesthetic that is as close as possible to the originals, while also being suitable for everyday wear.
Take Savoy, for example. The first iteration of Savoy was released back in 2014- that’s 12 years ago! Originally, this shoe was built on a last with a shorter, rounder toe shape. When developing Savoy 2.0, we wanted to achieve an aesthetic that was closer to the original beaded shoes that were worn in the Belle Epoqué era. Happily, we had just finished developing a new last that checked all of these boxes. Our latest Edwardian last, which we designed for our New Neutrals collection shoe Cordelia, has a period-accurate pointed toe, and is designed to be combined with our new 2″/5.08 cm French spool heel as well. This last and heel pair together to create a really aesthetically balanced, historically accurate looking shoe.
We were also able to use the same sort of hex-cut glass beads that we used on our Laurel beaded shoe, which are extra sparkly and shimmery. The motif for the bead patterns was designed to pay homage to Savoy 1.0, with a similar pattern of beads across each strap, and a symmetrical motif on the toe. We also studied lots of extant originals. The idea is to create a well-balanced motif that looks encrusted with beads, but not too encrusted to the point where the shoe is crowded. As for colors, it’s a mix of something old and something new. We made Savoy in black/gold and ivory, which are the two colorways the shoe first came in back in 2014. However, we also wanted to give Savoy a new color to celebrate her new look- pink! Our pink smooth leather and pink bead combination looks so beautifully Edwardian.
Balmoral also has a new look. This boot has a brand-new last, with a new-and-improved shaft, designed to replicate the curvy, leg-hugging boot shafts of the originals. These boots are designed to have a close fit, like the antiques did back in the 19th century. However, since this boot is now available in both standard and wide, they actually fit a wider range of calf sizes. Balmoral also has a soft, fitted toe, just like the originals from history. Like the first iteration of Balmoral released 10 years ago, Balmoral 2.0 has lovely scalloped leather foxing. However, in our new version, we decided to extend the foxing from beyond a toe cap to all around the lower portion of the boot, just like a pair of antique boots from our collection. This not only creates a different look, but adds some extra protection to the edges of the boot.
Our first version of Balmorals had a French heel, but we decided to go with a lower, common-sense style knock-on heel for Balmoral 2.0. We also decided to use a gorgeous, wool-rich felt textile for Balmoral’s uppers. Not only is this historically accurate, but it gave us the opportunity to create some really gorgeous color combinations. The espresso/burgundy and espresso/evergreen colorways are simply splendid!
Our Victoria Carriage Boots are one of our most festive styles. Like our first version of Victoria, Victoria 2.0 has an internal wedge heel, just like the originals. We did create a new heel mold and last to make a few tweaks to fit. While Victoria 1.0 was made in velvet with a quilted lining, we decided to go for a custom-quilted satin upper with a cozy fabric lining for our new version.
There are lots of antique originals with eye-catching quilted uppers, and we were thrilled to be able to re-create this sort of textile for our carriage boots. We also made the ribbon closures wider and fluffier! This boot is so comfy and cozy, you won’t believe it. Plus, we were able to make it in two new colorways: pink/ivory and red/ivory!
Recreating historical shoes is an adventure, with a lot of factors that go into the final design: the antique originals from history, modern footwear needs, the right materials, and staying faithful to aesthetics are just a few. We have been working on these re-releases for quite some time, and we are so excited to introduce them to the world!
The Anniversary Collection is on sale for 15% off each pair through June 26. Which styles are you going to get?
Pre-Order is Open
June 12-26
15% Discount Per Pair
AmericanDuchess.com
