For the first time in American Duchess history, we’ve created shoes in several very strong pinks, all drawn from and inspired by a late 1930s “Surrealist” palette. As with many things in…
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Bold Moves – The “Avant Garde” Vintage Shoe Collection with Karolina Zebrowska
Today is quite an exciting day. We’re proud to introduce a new capsule collection in collaboration with Karolina Zebrowksa! The story of this collection is rather amusing. In 2020, Karolina posted a…
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Surrealism and the Avant-garde in Fashion
There are many times throughout history when fashion has gone a bit wacky. Color, material, extreme silhouettes all coming together to create an unforgettable look of usually a quite short moment in…
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Ivory Shoes!
A very classic colorway, so versatile and lovely – we’re now offering our most popular designs in ivory leather, and – no surprise – most of them are the Edwardians. Shoes in…
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Bessie Coleman & Black Women in Aviation {Fundraiser}
This month we’re very proud to introduce the “Bessie” Aviator Boots, something of a “holy grail” of vintage reproduction shoes that I’ve wanted to produce for years. We’ve named them after Bessie…
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Let’s Make Some Men’s Shoes
…for real. A couple years back we made a stab at developing a men’s historic footwear collection. We did a pump, a latchet shoe, and a boot all from around the 1780s-1810s.…
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Photoshoot – Into The Woods
Over the past year, so many of us have felt a yearning for a more natural, peaceful life. I know I certainly have, and have spent more than a little time in…
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April Vintage Pre-Order is OPEN!
I will admit I haven’t been sewing much (Covid energy-sap), but I do have plans. Honestly all I’ve really been up to is -work- but at least it’s fun work, getting so…
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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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The {FREE} American Duchess Cape Pattern
Click Here for the pattern Howdy! Since we put our Patreon to sleep, we needed to find a new place to host the #ADCapeCult 1910s Wrap Cape pattern. So it’s going to…
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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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The Pincurl Diary – How to Do 1930-50s Hair for a Whole Week
How remiss am I in never posting this video I made earlier in the year. This is a tutorial of sorts for how to set wet-set one’s hair and then maintain it…
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UPDATE: The Scandalous Tango Boots!
Around the time of the turn of the 20th century, a new dance craze swept the Western world. The dance was risque and immensely popular, first introduced to Paris by the sons…
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Marilyn 1940s Pumps – Pre-Order OPEN!
We’re not quite done with the Fall/Winter 2020 shoe releases yet! As much as we’d liked to have introduced everything at once, this year has scuppered those plans. We’re still makin’ it…
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Finished Vintage Dress UFO #2 – Simplicity 3280
Simplicity 3280 1939 dress in rayon faille Two weekends, two finished vintage dress UFOs, and I have to say it feels *great* to pick up old projects and finish them! I hate…
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Finished Vintage Dress UFO #1 – Simplicity 8248
Simplicity 8248 1930s day dress with alterations. Reader, I must admit I am *terrible* at finishing UFOs – “unfinished objects.” I have two sewing mindsets: I want something quick, easy, and satisfying…
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#ADCapeCult – Free 1910s Cape PDF Pattern!
Free 1910s Cape Pattern – click here! Hi! If you’ve been following us on Instagram you may have seen the explosion of capes. We’ve released a free PDF gridded pattern for a…
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Review: Vecona Vintage Three-Piece Ladies’ Suits
Sporting the Vecona Vintage “Viktoria” three-piece suit in grey wool blend, in Portugal. Anyone who follows my personal Instagram page (@lauren_stowell) will know I’m a *big fan* of menswear, particularly three-piece suits.…
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Book Review: Women of the 1920s: Style Glamour, & the Avante-Garde by Thomas Bleitner
Louise Brooks On the eve of the 2020s, the spell of the exciting and revolutionary 1920s looms large. It was an unforgettable era with deep cultural shifts and powerful aesthetics. Women, in…