American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
Carnival, Carnaval, Carnevale
This is a bit of a tough time of year. The festivities of the harvest and winter holidays have come to an end. The new year has come and gone....
A Little History of Mary/Marlowe Elizabethan & Jacobean Shoes
Anyone who has ventured down the Renaissance Rabbit Hole has at some point run into The Shoe Problem™. What the heck did the Tudors, Elizabethans, and Stuarts wear upon their...
All About the New 16th c. "Tudor" Exclusives
It's been *ages* in prototyping the new Tudor shoes, but they're finally done! This has been an interesting project, one with many challenges. The first was sorting out the design....
Studying Up on Tudor Footwear
Tudor shoes are old. They're about as old as we get for extant shoes, with the exception of a very few Medieval examples. It's quite extraordinary, really, and even more...
"Virginia" Renaissance Shoes GIVEAWAY!
Today's the day, my darling dears - "Virginia," our new Renaissance shoe, has opened for pre-order, which also means it's giveaway time! Here's the lo-down on Virginia: All-leather construction: upper,...
How One Fugly Loafer Became the Gorgeous "Virginia" Renaissance Shoe
The development story of our new "Virginia" Renaissance shoes is rather a long one (but I'll keep it short, with lots of pictures, promise!). We've been working on the design...
A Quick Look At Late Elizabethan/Early Jacobean Shoes
Today we kick off a series on European footwear at the end of Elizabeth I's reign, and beginning of James I's, culminating on Friday with the pre-order release of our...
On Location at Bacon's Castle - Journey to the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries
The Lady of Portland House shines in "Antoinette" Mules in blue While I was in Virginia this past March, I had the opportunity to work with some truly wonderful ladies...
Ladies' Elizabethan Separates Explored
Last time, I was musing over trim styles on doublets, but towards the end of that post I realized that perhaps the design I had in mind was a "fair-ism,"...
Elizabethan Doublet Trimming Ideas
Diane d'Andouins by Etienne Dumonstier Earlier this year, when I was feverishly sewing for Colonial Williamsburg, I put together a quick test bodice in some russet velveteen. It was just...
My Annual Sewing Rut
Once again, I have absolutely no motivation to make a single stitch of anything lately. I've learned that this is quite normal, and that if I force the issue I'll...
Elizabethan Costume Modeling at Nevada Museum of Art
This past weekend I modeled again for the painting class at the Nevada Museum of Art. It's quite an enjoyable experience, even though sitting still for 3 hours is difficult....