Hi all! A couple nights ago I modeled for the historical costume painting class at the Nevada Museum of Art. I wore one of my favorite outfits, a Regency gown given to…
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V243: Pompadour Heels At Last
I’m really excited to finally be taking delivery of the Pompadour heels tomorrow. They’ve cleared customs and are truckin’ their way over the Sierras this evening. To celebrate, here are some extant…
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V242: 1790s Robe Royaliste: Almost Done!
I had intended to bust out this giant purple chemise style gown quickly, but then between being mad sick and then lazy, it’s taken me *this* long to get it done! Needs…
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V241: September Call for Sponsors
Hello Ladies and Gents! Are you an up-and-coming small business that might benefit from advertising here on American Duchess? How about giving a nicely-placed banner ad a try here on the sidebar,…
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V240: Robe a la Francaise, 1740
Bwah, it’s one of *those* days, so here’s a beautiful gown to gaze upon… The Met Robe a la Francaise 1740s British Hand-painted silk, fly fringe trimmings I’ll take a little opulence…
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V239: Cassell’s Household Guide
There is something so -udderly- wonderful about household guides of the 19th century. And what is even more wonderful is that they are all out of copyright and readily available to peruse…
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V238: What Is This Style of 18th Century Jacket?
A beautiful image popped up on my Pinterest feed this morning: 1730-60, French manufacture, held in the Digitalt Museum I find this extant ensemble really interesting because, well, it matches. Matching gowns…
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V237: Absinthe
I’m going to a Steampunk Absinthe Party tonight. I’ve never tried the stuff, and I’m not much of a drinker, but I am a little curious, at least to taste it. So…
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V236: Please Vote – What’s Your Favorite 1920s Spectator?
Spectator shoes are so cool, don’t you think? I want to add a 1920s t-strap spectator to the Historical Footwear collection next year -called “23Skidoo” – but what color style do you…
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V235: Pompadours and Kensingtons are On Their Way
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what’s now making its way across the Pacific to our warehouse… White Pompadours, and more Red Kensingtons White Kensingtons Happy days! We’ll have black and white Pomps,…
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V234: What Kind of Heel Is That? A Quick Guide to Historical Shoe Heels
Following yesterday’s post about why we no longer have proper French heels on shoes, I thought it would be good to add to and define some of the terminology, and create a…
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V233: The Death of the French Heel
VandA, 1760-70 Why don’t we have killer French heels, the likes of which were *the* heel style for hundreds of years, on shoes these days? Where did they go? Are they just…
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V232: Velvet Patches for 18th Century Dress Up, by Ruby Raven
Hi Ladies! Whilst visiting Costume College, a lovely lady, The Ruby Raven, gifted me with a delightful little box of velvet patches, or “mouches,” the kind ladies would stick to their faces…
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V231: Indienne Chintz a la Waverly Window Curtains, 1780s
Good 18th century style Indienne print chintz can be hard to find. For some reason, rambling, graphic florals, in a limited color palette, on a white or light ground aren’t so much…
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V230: Small Biz Betties: When Are You a “Professional?”
Hi again! Welcome to this week’s Small Biz Betties, where I’ll be waxing poetical on how to know when you have taken the leap and become a “professional” in your field. It’s…
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V229: Analyzing Hedgehog Hairstyles
I am always on a quest to achieve bigger, better 18th century hair styles. Some hairstyles are super complicated, like the poufs of the 1770s. Some appear to be more simple, like…
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V228: New “Valois” Shoe Buckles
Finally, after forever in development, we’ve got the Valois buckles for your Kensington shoes. Chris is doing official product photos right now, so here’s a preview of how the new buckles look…
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V227: American Duchess Silks Stockings Are Dyeable, Yay!
Great news! For those of you who were asking, I did a little test yesterday, on a sample pair of our new silk stockings, to see if they would take dye. And…
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V226: Advertisement Fans, or Fans of Advertising?
I ran across this cool advertisement fan on Bobby Pin Blog awhile back, and thought it was a nifty idea… Advertisements on fans seem to have been pretty common in the past,…
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V225: Starting the 1790s “Robe Royaliste”
Before Costume College, I was making plans for a new 1790s gown in purple taffeta, called the “Robe Royaliste.” I decided on a chemise style like the lovely green/gold gown in The…
