Women’s daywear fashion in the 1930s emphasized versatility, elegance, and practicality, shaped by the economic challenges of the Great Depression. That being said, although 1930s eveningwear was certainly more glamorous, daywear still…
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Opulent Fashion of the Belle Époque
Are we the only ones lost in a Belle Époque daydream these days? (It probably has something to do with our fabulous new Belle Époque collection …) French for “The Beautiful Era,”…
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Designing our Belle Époque Collection: Edith and Esme
When we design historical reproduction shoes, we think of it as bringing fashions of the past back to life. In re-mapping the styles of history into shoes made for present-day feet, we’re…
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Pompadour French Court Shoes, 12.5 Years Later
Our Pompadour 18th Century Shoes are an American Duchess classic! With their custom, curvy Louis heel, easy-to-use tabbed latchet closure, and period accurate white rand, these babies are a tried-and-true shoe; Pompadours…
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Flora in Wide Pre-Order is Open!
What an exciting day! Our Flora Embroidered Boots, originally from our In Bloom collaboration collection with the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, is now available to pre-order in D-width through our Flora…
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All About Oxfords: The Early Years
Temperatures may still be high, but make no mistake about it- fall is just around the corner. Look into your crystal ball and you will see that wools and knits, autumnal color…
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Bastille Day Sale 2024
Is it really July again? Yes, yes it is, and that can only mean one thing…the yearly American Duchess Bastille Day Sale! From July 8-14, lots of American Duchess favorites will be…
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French Fashion History, c. 1785-1805
The end of the eighteenth century was a seriously fascinating and pivotal time for fashion. Influenced by major cultural movements and political changes (the French Revolution, anyone?), fashions for European women’s clothing…
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Concerning Historical Heels
Nearly 12 years ago (!), we published a blog post called “What Kind of Heel is That? A Quick Guide to Historical Shoe Heels”. Well, with the passage of time and our…
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Jessica Out of the Closet & American Duchess Collaboration Collection: Pre-Order is Open!
Jessica Out of the Closet & American Duchess, our new collection designed in collaboration with YouTuber Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, is now open for pre-order! We’re thrilled to announce two beautiful new vintage reproduction…
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Designing Historical Shoes: 18th-Century Style
Did you know that American Duchess has been designing 18th-century shoes since 2011? In fact, our very first design ever was the “Georgiana,” a satin 18th-century latchet shoe. (Oh, and here’s a…
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A Little History of Esme 1930s Wedges
Lovers of the avant-garde, surrealism in fashion, and wedge heels, rejoice: Esme, one of our newest styles from our Promenade Collection, is a dreamy striated smooth leather-and-suede wedge that is distinctly 1930s…
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Promenade Collection Pre-Order is Open!
Dear friends, we come to you with a most exciting announcement. The pre-order for our Promenade Collection is now open! We are delighted to introduce three new styles: the Esme 1930s Wedges,…
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A Little History of Oxblood Red Shoes
We love a good oxblood leather shoe here at American Duchess Historical Footwear! After all, there’s something a bit magical about red shoes, isn’t there? Possibly the boldest color out there, red…
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Ladies’ Victorian/Edwardian Boots: Lace-Ups and Spring Heels
We are so excited to share our Beloved Boots collection, featuring three splendid lace-up styles based on the boots of days past. (We would say “It’s that time of year again” —…
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Beloved Boots Pre-Order Now Open
Our final pre-order of 2023 is open now! Behold- the Beloved Boots collection. As you may have gleaned from the name, this collection is all about boots. We’re debuting two brand new…
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Some History Behind Our Waltz Edwardian Slipper
Now available for pre-order, our new Waltz slipper is based on a plethora of late-Victorian and Edwardian examples! In this blog post, we share some history about evening slippers from the 1870s…
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Tango Boots and Foxtrot Shoes in History
Our Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot pre-order sale is in full-swing! We have been working on developing and perfecting these styles for months, and we’re so pleased to see such a positive reception to…
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Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot Pre-Order Now Open!
What a thrilling day it is, because our Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot pre-order is now officially on! We are VERY excited to be releasing this collection, which contains some very unique and dreamy…
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The Vintage Styles Behind Alpen
The sun is setting sooner, the air is turning crisp, and crunchy leaves are falling (and begging to be stepped on). Our very favorite holiday (Halloween, of course!) is just around the…