I have a confession to make. I admit to feeling quite jealous whenever I see Abby dressed in the pink and white 1768 sacque from The American Duchess Guide. To me, that…
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A Little History of “Eliza” Early Victorian Shoes
American Duchess “Eliza” Early Victorian Oxfords in brown Today in our “little history” post I’ll give you some background on our new split-vamp oxford “Eliza.” The idea for the “Eliza” shoes came…
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A Little History of “Amelie” Satin Pumps
Amelie Victorian & Edwardian Satin Pumps with Clip-on Bows by American Duchess It’s that exciting time of year when we here at American Duchess present all the new Spring/Summer shoe styles for…
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PRE-ORDER! Spring Historic Shoes!
Ladies, it’s time. It’s February 1st. We promised you a pre-order and a pre-order you shall have! We have four fresh new styles for you covering pretty much all of the 19th…
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Patterns and Books for 18th Century Stays
Simplicity 8579 Stays, 1700 – 1770. With the release of our book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, we’ve given you patterns and instructions for a great many lovely 18th…
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2017 – Costuming Year in Review
Jane Austen Festival, 2017. Photo by Tony Tumbusch. It’s that time – that year-end-year-beginning-blog-post time. This year I feel I was a terrible blogger. One of the side effects of building out…
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CORRECTION – 1780s Cap Pattern – American Duchess Guide
Hi gals! We’ve been alerted to a flaw in the 1780s cap pattern from “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking,” so before you all tear your pomaded-and-powdered hair out trying…
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{Video} Wherein Lauren & Abby Get Racked
…or Racked gets Lauren’d & Abby’d. 😉 In early December, Abby and I took our annual trip to New York City to do *all the things.* One of the things we had…
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A New 1780s CandyStripe Italian Gown
Italian gown – The Met – 1785-87 C.I.66.39a-b Well, I just can’t stay away from the late 18th century (can you blame me?). There is just so much to be explored in…
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The Robe a la Turque – Part 4 – The Kurdi Polonaise
The last major piece of my take on Guimard’s 1790 Turkish stage costume was the fabulous fur-trimmed blue robe. I pondered over this piece for a long time, trying to decide just…
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Simplicity 8578 and 8579 – TWO new 18th Century Patterns!
Ladies, we are SO excited to finally announce two new 18th century American Duchess patterns from Simplicity! Simplicity 8578 is the Robe a la Francaise (Sacque) and petticoat and Simplicity 8579 is…
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New! “Forget Me Not” 18th Century Shoe Buckles
Hi All! We’re thrilled to announce that Kimberly Walters of Sign of the Gray Horse has created another gorgeous shoe buckle design! Copied off an original in a private collection, this plated brass…
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What to Do When Someone Else is Making the Same Dress As You…
(….or has made the same dress…) Do it anyway! I’ve recently been eyeballing the 1660 bodice from the V&A, remembering how much I love the 1660s and that I’ve only made one…
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American Duchess SALE!
It’s all you need to know. Just kidding, here’s what you need to know… First… www.AmericanDuchess.com is the place. Then… 20% OFF Classics: Londoner (tan) – Our gorgeous Edwardian oxfords offer so…
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BOOK RELEASE: The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking
Today’s the big day! Our book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking: How to Handsew Georgian Gowns and Wear The with Style has officially been released! While you can buy the…
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NEW! Special Edition “Dunmore” 18th c. Shoes in Red/White
This year, we’ve created a special shoe to coincide with the launch of our new book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. The idea came about from the shoes we…
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Podcast Episode 13: Flappers, Fringe, and Fashion with Zoë Beery
Nope. Hi All! This week on Fashion History with American Duchess we speak with the amazing Zoë Beery, a writer for Racked, about her article on how flappers didn’t wear fringed dresses (at least…
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What I’ve Learned About the 1830s in 2.75 Days
Dress, c. 1835 – FIDM Though I have less and less time to devote to making historical costumes these days (ironically, but such is running two footwear companies), I still love a…
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The American Duchess Guide: Behind the Scenes With The 1760s Sacque Gown {Video}
Our c. 1768 sacque gown created for The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, made for and modeled by Abby Cox. You can create this or your own creative design with…
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A Late Date with the 1830s
Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, 1835. Is it finally time to venture into the 1830s? I’ve talked about it for years; I’ve seen my friends do incredible 1830s gowns and even reproduce the…