Chrissy wore her bicycling pants, spatterdashes, and a corset on her Columbia 1920s reproduction bike. The same weekend we invaded Virginia City with our Spoop-Troupe, we enjoyed the local Tweed Ride. Tweed…
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The Nevada Statehood Ball – An Evening in 1864
The crew – Abby, Chrissy, me, and Caroline at the Nevada Statehood Ball, 2019 – photo by Chase Stevens. A few posts ago I shared how I refit my 1860s Aubergine evening…
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A Spoopy Day in Virginia City, Nevada
The Spoop-Crew in Virginia City, NV. No actual buckets of blood were consumed, but we thought about it…. Several weekends ago a group of friends came to visit us here in Reno.…
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The Isabella Mactavish Fraser Project – Day 2
Georgia Gough wearing the finished Isabella Mactavish Fraser wedding gown and arisaid – Edinburgh, Scotland I’m back with the second day reporting from the Isabella Mactavish Fraser wedding-gown-in-a-weekend project, a wonderful demonstration…
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Event Announcement: 18th Century Hair at National Arts Club, NYC
News! Abby and I are back to the incredible National Arts Club in New York City on September 13th, 2019, to do an 18th century hair demo and talk all about the…
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Costume College 2019
American Duchess crew in 18th century attire – Friday night at Costume College 2019 Another year, another fabulous Costume College! If you’re unfamiliar with Costume College, it’s a 5-day costuming convention in…
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LacedNYC – A New York Party to Remember
The Bathtub Ginnys perform at LacedNYC Once upon a time, Abby and I went to New York to meet up with our favorite people – Cynthia of Redthreaded and Dandy Wellington –…
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The Eternal Sunshine of the 18th Century Gown
This year at Costume College it really was all very, very yellow This year I kindof copped out at the Costume College Gala…but in a very Georgian way. I can’t really say…
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The Green Goblin – 1790s Dress – For Real This Time
Nicole, me, and Samantha in our Regency gowns at Costume College 2018 I promised finished-dress-worn photos of this little devil of a 1790s project, so here goes… I was quite pleased and…
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Jane Austen Festival, 2018
Maggie, Abby, and Nicole looking gorgeous at Jane Austen Festival, 2018 Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, marks the center point of the year. This event always takes place in mid-July at…
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Book Signing Soiree at Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles
This past weekend we popped over The Hill down to Berkeley to visit on of our favorite shops *ever* – Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. We were honored to be invited…
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The Creature Reborn – Retrimming the Pink Polonaise
Once upon a time I made a pink taffeta polonaise and trimmed it in organza, a very 1770s thing to do. At the time, I tried hand roll hemming and found it…
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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 Gatsby Picnic in Pictures
Lauren, Abby, and Tina at The Gatsby Oh Gatsby Summer Picnic how I love you … let me count the ways! This year Abby and I ventured over the hill to one…
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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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Costume College 2017!
Wherein we share lots of photos – though not nearly enough! Costume College is a feast for the eyes. There are so many incredible costumes on hundreds and hundreds of amazing women.…
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Abby’s Austen Fest Dinner Dress
Hey All! Abby here! As some of you know, Lauren & I will be attending Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, KY this July (soo excited to go home for business! woo!). As…
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New York, New York!
Today we are in New York City! Squeeeeeeeee! Although Abby has been here three times, Lauren has never been, so it’s quite the experience. We’re not at loose ends, though. Our three…
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My Big Fat Yellow English Gown – Finito!
Lauren here – Doesn’t it just feel *so good* to best a cranky project, wear it, and love it? I’d been working on my yellow English Gown for most of 2016 and…
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FlapperHacks: Retro-cycling a Hat and Dress for Gatsby 2015
As all you modern Flappers will know, original 1920s clothing can be hard to find and scary to wear (don’t sweat on it!), so it behooves us to collect our retro style…