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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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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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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The Robe a la Turque – Part 3 – Shalwar Puffy Pants
Before I forget about all the trials and tribulations (and sometimes fun) I had making my Turkish costume for Costume College 2017, I better tell you about one of the most enjoyable…
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Jane Austen Festival in Pictures
How remiss am I in sharing photos, proper photos, from the Jane Austen Festival. So remiss! In fact, when I opened up this draft post to see how far I’d gotten, this…
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The American Duchess Guide – Previews!
Lovelies, we are so excited to finally be able to give you all a sneak preview and some behind-the-scenes info on our upcoming book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking.…
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New Cotton Striped Stockings, Oh YEAH!
Storyville portrait, New Orleans, c. 1912. Portrait by E. J. Bellocq. Who doesn’t love a good striped stocking? The Georgians, Victorians, and Edwardians sure did! Striped stockings of various colors – some…
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The “Jane Austen Goes to Ikea and then to Jane Austen Festival” Gown
This year was my first visit to Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, at beautiful Locust Grove historic site. I had been to Locust Grove before on a rainy November afternoon rather…
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The Robe a la Turque – Part 2 – The Gown
Italian Gown in yellow silk taffeta worn with a ruffled voile apron and cap, and fashionable black silk hat with black “Dunmore” shoes. Mid-1780s. One thing I love most in costuming is…
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The Robe a la Turque, part 1
Mademoiselle Guimard in Turkish Dress by Greuze, 1790 – LACMA (detail) Who doesn’t love the feeling of completing a project you’ve been obsessing about for *years* and getting to wear it to…
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Trends – Late 18th Century Flippy-Flappies
The Met – Robe a l’Anglaise – 1785-87 When we start out in costuming for a particular era, we think in centuries – the 18th century, the 19th century – and quickly…
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Abby’s Jane Austen Fest Dinner Dress – Done!
Hello Lovelies! Abby here and I am in full “July has been full of travel and awesome but now I need a nap nap” mode over here at American Duchess headquarters. There…
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Abby’s Jane Austen Fest Dinner Dress – a Lesson in Plan B…or…C?
Hey Lovelies — So the last time I blogged about my Jane Austen Fest Dinner Dress I was totally jiving on this idea of making a tunic and turbany/chiffonettey thing to wear…
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The Robe a la Turque – Progress!
Hi, it’s Lauren… I promise, I HAVE been sewing. Promise! It’s just been sllooowwwwwww. It’s time to light a fire under my split bum, though – Costume College is in a few…
