Hello friends! Our Wide Collection pre-order is fully underway, and we are really excited about the enthusiastic reception this collection has had. We have been working on our Wide Collection for months.…
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We’ve Got Wide Shoes! Wide Collection is Open for Pre-Order
The day has finally come! You can now pre-order from our Wide Collection, which features seven of our most beloved styles, spanning three centuries of historical footwear. Pompadour, Kensington, Paris, Bernadette, Londoner,…
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It’s Hot: Let’s Look At Some Bathing Suits
Hello lovelies- mid-August is upon us. It feels like pretty much everywhere, it’s hot, hot, hot. And until the relief of fall comes, it will, presumably, continue to be hot. What helps…
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Pink Popularity in the 18th Century
If you’re anything like us, you have probably been really into the moment the color pink is having in fashion this summer, thanks to a certain iconic doll. It’s been really fun…
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Bastille Day SALE 2023
One more dawn, one more day, one sale more! It’s that time of year again- our Bastille Day Sale 2023 is ON! We have lots of coveted styles on sale, including some…
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Gold, gold, gold! Gold Shoes Throughout History
As evidenced by our latest Fit for a Queen collection, team American Duchess has contracted a bit of gold fever. Our new Charlotte Mules feature a metallic gold leather heel AND gold…
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Fit for a Queen Collection Pre-Order
Hear ye, hear ye, our June pre-order has started! We are thrilled to present the Fit for a Queen collection, which combines 18th century and Regency silhouettes with fantasy and luxury, for…
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Mules in Art: Part Deaux
Nearly ten years ago (omg), we published a blog post featuring mules in 18th century art for the first release of Antoinette Mules. Now that spring has arrived, Fêtes Galantes is coming…
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American Duchess x Bata Shoe Museum: History of the Museum and it’s Founder
The second week of our In Bloom collaboration collection pre-order with the Bata Shoe Museum is underway, and we are just thrilled with the reception it has received! It makes us so…
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In Bloom: Bata Shoe Museum x American Duchess Collaboration Collection Pre-Order
We are so excited to announce an extra-special collaboration collection for pre-order: the In Bloom collection, designed in collaboration with the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada! This collaboration collection was inspired…
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Carnival, Carnaval, Carnevale
This is a bit of a tough time of year. The festivities of the harvest and winter holidays have come to an end. The new year has come and gone. For many,…
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Fabrics for the 18th Century and Beyond
One of the top questions I get from budding 18th century costumers is “what fabric should I use?” Luckily, there is ample choice for the Georgian era, though not as much a…
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1780s Embroidered Italian Gown – Skirts and Sleeves
In the first post on this project, I constructed the bodice front and back. Now it’s time for skirts – the fun part – and sleeves – the evil part. Skirts first.…
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A 1780s Embroidered Italian Gown – Finally
Most of my 2020 was spent in working on – and finishing! – UFOs or “unfinished objects.” I completed my 1760s Sunset Silk Robe a la Francaise, an 1890s linen jacket, a…
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The February 2021 Collection is Here – {Pre-Order Open!}
Time for the first collection of 2021! This year, the big plan is to do a pre-order every single month through August (yowza!). Our February collection got off to a bit of…
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{Video} Cake or Death – Marie Antoinette
This is a bit of a weird one. Last Spring, 2020, I made an attempt at Youtube, like SO many of us. I had an idea for a series of cake-decorating-meets-interesting-historical-deaths. Dark…
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My 2020 Costuming Year in Review
This has indeed been a weird, challenging, rough year. I think I’ve left my house, like, 20 times max for 10 months. During this time I feel I sewed very little, but…
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Old Projects I, Uh, Forgot to Post About
With all the updates to Ye Olde Blogge, I was going back and checking the “Projects” page when I found several costumes I finished but never actually posted about. The horror! So…
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Lessons of the Volante – So Far
Du….Du Hast…Du Hast Mich… There’s something about pleat-to-fit garments that both attract me and drive me bonkers. I think it’s a combination of no two surviving examples being the same and my…
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Pattern Notes & Adjustments for Simplicity S8941
As promised, here is my really big post of pattern notes and adjustments for Simplicity S8941 1790s to Regency Round Gown and Open Robe pattern. This pattern was originally designed in the…