American duchess

Our Fit for a Queen pre-order is well underway! This collection is all 18th century and Regency, with no shortage of sumptuous satin loveliness. Included in this loveliness are no less than FIVE new colors of Penelope Regency slippers! One of these new colorways is

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 Woodland Hills, California, at the end of July each year. During the day there are

The moment we've all been waiting for! We'd like to introduce to you the Bernadette Oxfords, in collaboration with the peerless Bernadette Banner! Last Fall we started working with Bernadette to develop an Edwardian oxford in her particular, beautiful style. We went through several different designs

Click Here for the pattern Howdy! Since we put our Patreon to sleep, we needed to find a new place to host the #ADCapeCult 1910s Wrap Cape pattern. So it's going to be in the

Engage with the splendidly rich and varied fashions of the 18th century with our robust collection of shoes from the early 1700s through the 1790s. American Duchess offers beautiful fabric and durable leather 18th century shoes with latchet or tab closures, as well as easy-wearing mules. From our signature Louis heels

I realized today with the 18th century gowns I have made I have only scratched the surface of how many different types there were. It's easy to fall into the idea that it was all Robe a la Francaise, Robe a l'Anglaise, Robe a la

OK, I know, it's taken us half a year to get the new Exclusives going, but now that we're here.... Meet

Fine historical footwear and reproduction shoe accessories, designed for costumers, reenactors, theatre, film and historically inspired brides

#TuesdayShoesday! Woman’s boots, c. 1885, by F. Pinet, Paris. Silk, sueded leather, linen, kid leather. From the collection of @lacma's Costume and Textiles Department. #lacma Public domain. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Walter Plunkett.

I've always loved fancy shoes as I described a while back in this post. Why should my 18th century self be any different? Since the American Duchess was having her annual Bastille Day sale, I decided to get some cotton dyeable Kensingtons to play with. I really want to make some shoes that are reminiscent of the lovely 18th century embroidered silk shoes I've seen. Here are some extant examples of embroidered shoes from the 18th century: Embroidered Silk Mid 1770's English Embroidered Silk…

I've been so bad about blogging recently. So much for 365 straight days of blogging! I will make it to 365, but it won't be by January 1st, haha! Anywho, I thought I would share the gowns that are inspiring my Green Acres Gown decoration ideas... The

It feels like it's been ages since I embarked on a complex historical project, but with Winter coming, and photo shoots needing shooting, it's time to start (yes, already!) on a project that's been in my mind for awhile. I need to come up with a

Free 1910s Cape Pattern - click here! Hi! If you've been following us on Instagram you may have seen the explosion of capes. We've released a free PDF gridded pattern for a fabulous 1910s cape. It's very easy to make and is a quick weekend project. Update

A couple years ago now we worked with Simplicity to create a Robe a la Francaise pattern (Simplicity 8578) based on Abby's sacque in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. When that pattern came out, I wanted to use it to make my

...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 the honor of doing was shooting a

Our top selling shoes and boots from all eras. Treat yourself to a fantastic pair of the most popular and beloved American Duchess historic footwear designs.

I've been so diligently digging into the UFO pile, finishing things left and right, so I decided to pick up this little chintz jacket I started ages ago. Here's the photo from last year - you can see the sleeve is pulling the shoulder and back