KCI – jacket, 1790 – revolutionary or royalist? These days, many costumers, me included, look to the fashions of the past and select items to make based on, well, their pretty-pretty. I…
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V93: Finding Inspiration Anew
I still really love this 1785 polonaise jacket and matching skirt. 1785 is a bit late for the event we’ll be attending in CW …but maybe I don’t really care? I’m feeling…
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V92: 1920s Sporty Skit at The Auto Museum
Yesterday Lady Carolyn and I finished up our appearances at the Auto Museum’s 1920s Symposium with a silly skit in which well-to-do Mrs. Carpenter (Carolyn) was going camping in Yosemite in one…
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V91: Edwardian Showgirls
It’s another busy day for me – I’m off to the Auto Museum again to play a ditzy maid in my 1920s bathingsuit. I’ll give you a number of cool pictures today,…
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V90: 1920s Fashion Presentation at the National Automobile Museum, Reno
Last night Lady Carolyn and I co-presented “The Bee’s Knees and the Cat’s Meow: Fashionistas 1920s Style,” a general survey of [mostly] women’s clothing and fashion trends through the Roaring ’20s. Carolyn…
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V89: Fashion Face-Off – Hats of the 1780s and 1910s
As we all know, history repeats itself, and fashion especially. Nothing is ever “new” on the runway (well, maybe if it’s a suit made out of bubble wrap, etc.), and this was…
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V88: A Massive Merry Widow Hat
I have to run, but I have much to tell you in regards to hats, tomorrow. 🙂 For now, enjoy this image from Bartoscollection.com, and the many more very cool photographs of…
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V87: Period Piecery – Elizabethan Cabbage
I started on a new Elizabethan ladies’ doublet the other night, and to make a long story short, it didn’t fit. I thought I had traced the pattern – Margo Anderson –…
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V86: Marie Antoinette in Prison
Being sick is like feeling close to death, sometimes. That is me, today, and I’m in a morbid mood, hence my blog post. These are depictions of Marie Antoinette in prison, in…
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V85: Elizabethan Pouf Hairstyles
Ha! Those Georgians thought they were being so clever and original with their pouf hairstyles, but they were just copying the late Elizabethans and early Jacobeans. Just goes to show that fashion…
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V84: Vintage 1930s Brown Oxfords
If you follow along on Facebook, you will have seen a photo of this exquisite shoe. I hunted these on eBay a little while ago and was overjoyed to have won them.…
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V83: 1912 Titanic Day Wear Complete
Finally I’ve finished something. It feels like it’s been *weeks* since I’ve even picked up a pair of scissors. I decided to throw together a slim wool skirt for a daytime Titanic…
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V82: How To Decorate Pemberley Regency Shoes Like It’s 1789
As of late I’ve been inspired by that interesting transitional period in women’s dress, around the end of the 1780s and into the 1790s. Many things changed – the waistline of gowns,…
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V81: Vintage Early 1930s Sporty “Nurse” Shoes
I’ve been lurking around eBay, looking for vintage shoes. I’ve fed my addiction recently with 3 pairs, all former shop displays from the 1930s. These are my faves. If only I could…
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V80: Petersham vs. Grosgrain Ribbon
What is the difference between Petersham and Grosgrain ribbon? Both ribbons are ribbed and have a matte finish, but there is one really big difference, the edge finish. Grosgrain ribbon has a…
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V79: ASTORIA Important Information – Please Read
My Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Astoria, our latest shoe style and our most successful product to date, in the largest and most important order we’ve ever placed, was delivered to us this…
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V78: 1950s “Ladies Who Lunch” Outfit
I gave my presentation on hats, 1850-1960, yesterday, and wore something I thought was appropriate for an afternoon luncheon. Dress: made from vintage Butterick 8154 Hat: vintage mink “caterpillar” toque found in…
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V77: Green Shoes Throughout History
1720-50; The Met Today I’m giving my presentation on hats, but my heart belongs to shoes. 🙂 It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, so how about celebrating with a look at green shoes throughout…
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V76: A Late Elizabethan Portrait…with Shoes
It’s busy times here at ADHQ, so I’ll make today’s post quick. This is one of my favorite portraits, a lady thought to be Vere Egerton, Mrs William Booth, attributed to Robert…
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V75: The True Origin of “Mad as a Hatter”
Here’s a random bit of trivia for you to pull out at your next Mad Men cocktail party… The Mad Hatter, illustration by John Tenniel , 1865 Where Does the Phrase “Mad as a…