Fashion History with American Duchess

In this episode we interview Michael Koropisz, an amazingly skilled portrait painter with a love of Victorian fashion. We wanted to get to know Michael a little better after he appeared in several online articles, so we had a nice long chat about art, aesthetics, his history, his love of Victorian clothing, costume vs. clothes, art for art's sake, and more. We hope you enjoy this casual chat. You can find Michael here: Website - https://www.michaelkoropisz.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mr.koropisz/ Instagram - @michael_koropisz_artist Also, don't forget to check out another fabulously-dressed gentleman, Dandy Wellington, who provides the music for our podcast - https://www.dandywellington.com/ ---------------------- Get social with us! Instagram: www.instagram.com/americanduchess Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanDuchess Blog: blog.americanduchess Patreon - www.patreon.com/americanduchess Youtube - www.youtube.com/c/americanduchess1 Shop our Website: www.americanduchess.com Don't forget to subscribe! ❤

Designing historically-inspired footwear is trickier than you might think! Join Nicole Rudolph and Lauren Stowell as we have a behind the scenes chat about the process of designing and making American Duchess historical shoes. From spec sheets and measurements to choosing leather and trying on samples, we go in depth with some of the process, challenges, and development of our old-fashioned footwear line.

Victorian women wore bustles to enlarge their hips, bum, and to give them the fashionable shape, but did you know that there was more than just one type of bustle? In fact, there were loads of different types! In this episode, we sat down with Christina DeAngelo (our beloved Operations Manager and all-around cool chick) to discuss her research into several different types of bustles that she's recreated over the years - from the Phantom Bustle to the Lotta, and everything in between (just not a tapioca bustle, Abby...

It's been almost 2 months since Covid-19 turned our world upside down. As small businesses, we've been struggling with what to do, how to move forward, pivoting, and trying to out-think a pandemic. Featuring Cynthia of Redthreaded, this is a business-related episode, focused entirely on what we and Redthreaded have been doing to keep everything afloat while we isolate in our homes, and our costume-related events get canceled for 2020. Quick thinking, acting fast, and pivoting are normal when you operate a small business, but none of us ever thought this would happen. After all, both American Duchess and Redthreaded were founded during the Recession. However, Lauren and Cynthia have been working tirelessly to keep everyone employed and their businesses operational during this time of crisis. Throughout this episode, we discuss the PPP loans, Paypal, other sources of funding, how we've changed our business operations, focusing on Youtube, the growth of Patreon (THANK YOU), and more. A little bit serious, a little bit lighthearted, if you want to know how some of your favorite small businesses are doing during the lock-down, sit back and have a listen. Check out Redthreaded : http://www.redthreaded.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoVgyEruqAMbaUixPGyI5HA http://www.patreon.com/redthreaded Get to know Dandy Wellington: https://www.youtube.com/user/indiglonyc & http://www.patreon.com/DandyWellington ------------------------------- Get social with us! Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/americanduchess Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDuchess Blog: http://blog.americanduchess Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/americanduchess Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/americanduchess1 Shop our Website: http://www.americanduchess.com Don't forget to subscribe! ❤

Want to study Fashion History for Free (!) - by joining FutureLearn's Course "A History of Royal Fashion" (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/royal-fashion) you'll be able to learn about British Royal Fashion from the Tudor Era through the Windsors, with everything in between! This course is an excellent way to enjoy spending quality time at home, and learn some excellent dress history! Dr. Tuckett sat down with Abby last week to tell her all about the course, what it offers, how to enroll in the FutureLearn course, and shares her favorite topics, as well as who she thinks is the best-dressed royal and the worst dressed royal. So whether, you're interested in Tudor fashion, 18th-century court dress, or what Queen Victoria liked to wear, there is literally something for everyone! One of the best features of this course is that it was in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, and so you get to see incredible pieces in their collection, that many people have never seen before! This course is a great option for all of you out there who are thinking about going to school for costume history or if you just want to learn more about historic royal fashion! Sign up for FREE (seriously, it's totally free!) Here: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/royal-fashion

In our last podcast episode, Lauren and Abby sat down with Dr. Robyne Calvert to discuss all things related to Artistic and Aesthetic Dress, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret MacDonald, the Glasgow School of Art, and Glasgow's own unique spin on clothing during the Edwardian Era. This week, we get to actually exaDaisy Anges McGlashamine the original garments that the Glasgow School of Art Archives brought out for us. Featuring a gorgeous embroidered velvet collar, velvet and fur capelet, and a *stunning* Edwardian Dress that was also a Suffragette Dress, this episode is just brimming with gorgeous embroidered goodness! We still dream fondly of the collars and dress, and so we hope you enjoy this episode! Again, we want to extend our sincerest thanks to Dr. Robyne Calvert and the Glasgow School of Art Archives for their time and generosity. ------------------------------------------------------------------ If you'd like to read more about the original garments we looked at, you can find them here: Embroidered Velvet Collar by a Student taught by Ann Macbeth: https://gsaarchives.net/collections/index.php/nmc-0420 Fur and Velvet Embroidered Capelet by Grace Melvin: https://gsaarchives.net/collections/index.php/gm-9 Embroidered Silk Edwardian Dress by Daisy Anges McGlashan: https://gsaarchives.net/collections/index.php/nmc-0432 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ann Macbeth's Books (Free!) Educational Needlecraft: https://archive.org/details/educationalneedl00goodrich/mode/2up Embroidered and Laced Leatherwork https://archive.org/details/embroideredlaced00macb/mode/2up School and Fireside Crafts https://archive.org/details/schoolfiresidecr00macb/mode/2up The Playwork Book https://archive.org/details/playworkbook00macb/page/n5/mode/2up ------------------------------- Get social with us! Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/americanduchess Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDuchess Blog: http://blog.americanduchess Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/americanduchess Podcast: Fashion History with American Duchess Shop our Website: http://www.americanduchess.com

Welcome to Episode 30 of our Podcast! We have been waiting to release this episode for *months* (almost a year at this point!) - last summer, when we were in Scotland working on the Isabella MacTavish Fraser wedding gown (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ZTV_YxlgI) we were able to take some time to slip away to the Glasgow School of Art Archives (https://gsaarchives.net/) to have a chat with Dr. Robyne Calvert about Artistic Dress and "the Glasgow Style" (& Glasgow has some of the best style around...) In this first part, we spend our time talking about Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald - the husband and wife artist power couple at the turn of the 20th century, the Glasgow School of Art, and just the concept behind artistic & aesthetic dress. With lots of delicious visuals, we know you're going to *love* this art history lesson. For the next episode, we're going to take some time to really explore the original Edwardian clothing that Dr. Calvert shared with us, including an Edwardian Collar (in the Glasgow Style), and Edwardian Capelet, and an Edwardian Dress (that is also *probably* a suffragette dress - but more on that later.

When we sat down to record our new season of podcasts, we realized we had made a terrible error - we had never, ever done a podcast about our second book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty, which was released in JULY of 2019! (Oops.) So, we put our booties in the chairs and made sure we talked about the book, the only thing was, was that we didn't want to talk about what was in the book...so we just kind of ended up talking about the experience of writing the second book, our favorite memories, projects, and our least favorite projects. It was definitely a good time (especially the part where Abby lost a fight with a chair!) If you don't have our second book, you can buy it here: https://www.american-duchess.com/book/american-duchess-guide-to-beauty And if you want our first book (which is all about 18th century dressmaking!) you can buy it here: https://www.american-duchess.com/book/american-duchess-guide If you like what we do, and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron over on Patreon! We have tiers for all the things, including private facebook groups, patterns, coupons, and early release access to our podcast and more! https://www.patreon.com/americanduchess Also, we want to give a special shout out to Dandy Wellington for allowing us to use his music for our podcast. You can support Dandy here: https://www.patreon.com/dandywellington and here https://www.dandywellington.com/ (Bonus: Dandy is now teaching Wardrobe and Styling online courses! YES!)

Welcome to a new season of the American Duchess Podcast! For our first episode of the season, we wanted to address some exciting changes that are underway at American Duchess. For years, we've been operating Royal Vintage Shoes as a wholly separate company from American Duchess (for a variety of reasons), but last year, we realized that it was time to merge the companies together, under the one name of American Duchess. So, as of early April 2020, American Duchess will be selling reproduction shoes from the 17th century all the way up through the 1940s. That's right, we've got almost all of history covered in shoes (and yes, more historical men's shoe styles are coming soon too!) Because of this merger, we realized that there may be questions from our customers and fans, and so we just wanted to take a moment to sit down and talk about the merger, why it's happening, when, and what to expect over the next couple of months. You know, all that good, delicious historical costuming small business and entrepreneurial content. While we did our best to make all the details correct, this podcast was recorded earlier in 2020, and so our timeline has shifted just a bit regarding manufacturing and the merging of the brands onto one website. For the latest information regarding the merger and our FAQs go here: https://www.royalvintageshoes.com/royal-vintage-merger-faq Get Social with us! Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/americanduchess Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/americanduchess Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/americanduchess Blog: http://blog.americanduchess.com Shop for historical shoes, sewing patterns, and books here: http://www.americanduchess.com Become a Patron of Dandy Wellington: https://www.patreon.com/dandywellington Check out his music here: https://www.dandywellington.com/ See you next time!

Hooray! We've got another episode of Fashion History with American Duchess for you today! This episode features our very own designer, Nicole Rudolph (http://www.instagram.com/silk_and_buckram), a historic shoemaker and shoe-historian. Just like corsets, there is a lot of mythology about women's shoes and Nicole is here to bust those myths, explain why shoe-making is HARD to do, trends and styles of shoes, and even a little bit about her thesis topic. So prop your feet up, sit back, and enjoy! http://americanduchess.com http://blog.americanduchess.com http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDuchess http://www.instagram.com/AmericanDuchess http://www.youtube.com/AmericanDuchess1 Be a part of our community & join Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/AmericanDuchess

On this episode of "Fashion History with American Duchess" we welcome back our friend and fellow business lady, Cynthia Settje of Redthreaded Corsets (http://www.redthreaded.com) to discuss wages and charging what you're worth in the costuming and seamstressing world. Charging what your labor and skills are worth is a tricky balancing act that so many of us play. How much do I charge for my sewing? Is it too much? Is it not enough? and most importantly - "Does my [accidental] undervaluing of my labor and skills negatively affect those in the same industry as me?" Spoiler - it does. Over the past 10 years, Cynthia has been able to turn a business idea that started in her college apartment into a thriving corset making and costume atelier for Broadway and private customers. She's seen and heard it all when it comes to wages in the costume making, tailoring, seamstress, and etsy businesses, and we are so happy she has shared her expertise and knowledge on the subject with us. We hope that you enjoy this episode! Redthreaded: http://www.redthreaded.com http://instagram.com/redthreaded http://www.facebook.com/redthreaded American Duchess: http://www.AmericanDuchess.com http://blog.americanduchess.com http://www.instagram.com/americanduchess http://www.facebook.com/americanduchess https://www.youtube.com/americanduchess1

One of the questions we get asked the most is regarding what our favorite costuming books are. While it isn't always easy to pick favorites (usually it's easier to pick the ones we don't like - ha!) Lauren and Abby try to narrow their lists down to their top 5 picks. While there is some overlap, they do diverge on a couple of selections. Our Favorite Books Are: 1. Norah Waugh - Cut of Women's Clothes 2. Kyoto's Costume book(s) 3. Nancy Bradfield's Costume in Detail 4. FLORENCE (not Beverly...lol) Montgomery's Textiles in America 5. Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion (Lauren cheated.) 6. Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines 7. Jean Hunnisett's Period Costume for Stage and Screen Series (again, Lauren cheated -- haha) If you want links to all of these books, head on over to our blog - http://blog.americanduchess.com - where we have links to everything. You can also buy our book (which Abby shamelessly plugs at http;//www.americanduchess.com) We hope you enjoyed this "shorter" episode (and the new sound and editing equipment!) Until next time! -- Abby & Lauren

Yay! We're back with Cheyney McKnight (http://www.notyourmommashistory.com/) to discuss the hair, headwraps, and head dress of Africans living in West Africa and in Colonial and Early America during the 18th and 19th century. As always, we learned so much from Cheyney (because she is incredible), and we think you'll really enjoy this episode. If you'd like to follow Cheyney or invite her to your school/museum/etc - you can find her at http://notyourmommashistory.com IG - @Notyourmommashistory Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YourMommasHistory/ She's also contributed with us on our second book - which will be published July 2019! If you want to find us, Lauren and Abby, head on over to http://americanduchess.com & http://blog.americanduchess.com IG: @AmericanDuchess Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanduchess/ See you next time!

It's Part 2 of our interview with Jenny Tiramani from the School of Historical Dress (http://www.schoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk)! Continuing our conversation from last week, we go in to future book plans, more about Patterns of Fashion 5, and just general juicy costuming conversation. So sit back, relax, and go by Patterns of Fashion 5 if you haven't already! Blog: http://blog.americanduchess.com Website: http://www.americanduchess.com Instagram: @AmericanDuchess Facebook: /AmericanDuchess

Woo! Are we excited to share with y'all Part 1 of our interview with Jenny Tiramani from the School of Historical Dress (http://schoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk). Jenny was kind enough to sit down and chat with us about her career, working at the Globe in London, how she met Janet Arnold, founding the School of Historical Dress, and best of all -- all the glorious details about their new book, "Patterns of Fashion 5: The content, cut, construction and context of bodies, stays, hoops and rumps c.1595-1795" which is available for pre-order now! (https://shop.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk/?product=patterns-of-fashion-5-the-content-cut-construction-and-context-of-bodies-stays-hoops-and-rumps-c-1595-1795) We had a such a great time with Jenny, that we ended up talking for over 2 hours --- which is why we broke this episode up into 2 parts. Part 2 will be released next week, hooray! Don't forget you can find us at http://americanduchess.com; http://blog.americanduchess.com and we're on Instagram and Facebook (americanduchess for both) too! See you next week!

We got to sit down with Carolyn Dowdell PhD while at Costume College to discuss the ins and outs of 18th century women's dresses, their constant alterations, how Victorians ruined everything, and a lovely lady named Gertrude. We had a great time with Carolyn, and we know that y'all will love this episode -- so many great nuggets of information! You can find Carolyn over at her blog, The Modern Mantua-Maker (https://themodernmantuamaker.wordpress.com/)and her Instagram (@modernmantuamaker) to keep up with her research, current, and past projects! You can find us over at http://www.AmericanDuchess.com and Facebook (/americanduchess), Instagram (@americanduchess), and blog (http://blog.americanduchess.com)!

Hooray for a Mini-Episode! Inspired by a social media posts, we decided to do a quick episode for introverts and beginners to costume events. We cover: 1. 90% of us are introverts...so it's ok to be an introvert. 2. What to do at events. 3. What not to do. 4. Touching and physcial space at events - in or out of costume (Read: Costume is not consent y'all.) And just some antics and giggles from us as well. Remember everyone, we've all be new to the hobby and new to events, and we want everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves. So don't be scared to put yourself out there (but don't be scared to take some me time and decompression time, too!) Keep it fun! Abby & Lauren http://www.americanduchess.com http://blog.americanduchess.com Facebook.com/AmericanDuchess Instagram @AmericanDuchess

Hooray! We're back with a short and sweet episode devoted to giving you the quick run down about our new Kensington shoe offerings. While we don't get into the history of the shoe, we are just so excited to share with y'all all the new options with our Kensington 18th century shoe. The Pre-Order opens June 7th and goes until June 21st and if you want to see the pretty shoes and all of your options in person - head on over to http://american-duchess.com Till next time!

Lauren and Abby finally get to sit down with the *incredible* Zack Pinsent - Historic Tailor to chat about all sorts of different things - ranging from how Zack became a self-taught Historic Tailor, embracing your eccentric self, and nuances of fashion and the concept of masculinity. At 23, Zack has a self confidence and ease with himself that is infectious, and is wise beyond his years. Not only are we impressed by Zack's tailoring skills, but also just by him as a young person who understands who they are. Love Jane Austen? A good English Accent? A confidence boost? Well - this is the episode for you! You can find Zack over at https://www.pinsenttailoring.co.uk/ or on Facebook (/PinsentTailoring) & Instagram (@pinsent_tailoring). Be prepared to drool. If you wanna get to know Lauren and Abby better - find us over at http://www.american-duchess.com, http://blog.americanduchess.com OR on facebook (/AmericanDuchess) & Instagram (@AmericanDuchess). See you next time! :D

Today, Lauren and Abby sit down with one of their favorite women in the industry, Cynthia Settje (http://redthreaded.com) to discuss everything from how/why she started her business (hint: The Great Recession), creating historic ready made corsets, working for Broadway, and more (like why did she name her business "RedThreaded"?) If you're a bright young thing who is getting ready to graduate, or someone who is looking to have a change in careers - we hope that you find Cynthia's story inspiring and enlightening. We are so impressed by what she's accomplished, and we look up to her a great deal. If you would like to learn more about RedThreaded - visit them at http://redthreaded.com (they're also on Instagram & Facebook!) If you would like to visit us, check us out at http://AmericanDuchess.com or http://blog.americanduchess.com (we're also on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter!)

To kick of the new season, Lauren and Abby sat down with Dandy Wellington to pick his brain about his amazing personal style, jazz music, being a jazz musician, and how he views style and fashion. We also get to listen to some of his amazing music during the show! So sit back, relax, and enjoy! You can find Dandy Wellington and his back on his website (http://band.dandywellington.com/), Instagram (@dandywellington), Facebook (www.facebook.com/DWBAND/), iTunes, and Spotify. You can find us at www.american-duchess.com, Instagram (@americanduchess), facebook (www.facebook.com/americanduchess), and our blog - http://blog.americanduchess.com We're also at www.royalvintageshoes.com, Instagram (@missroyalvintage), facebook (www.facebook.com/royalvintageshoes), and http://blog.royalvintageshoes.com/ *Thank you to Dandy for the generous use of his music for this show. The songs you heard were Greenhouse Stomp, Harlem Rhythm, and his newest single, Winter Afternoon.

Today's the big day! Our new book "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking" is officially released today (11/21/2017)! The past year was spent writing and editing this book, and we are so happy to share it with you! While we've chatted quite a bit about the sewing projects on our Facebook page, we've never really talked about the process of writing the book. So, we decided to sit down and have a chat all about that part of writing this book. If you're into Behind-the-Scenes content, funny stories, and general hilarity between us, we think you'll really enjoy this episode! You can buy our book & shoes at www.AmericanDuchess.com and you can visit us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. (all americanduchess). Finally - you can visit our blog for the latest projects and previous episodes at http://blog.americanduchess.com Thanks for listening! :D (Note: We do curse a bit in this episode, just a fair warning...)

Zoë Beery is a fabulous vintage enthusiast and writer for websites such as Racked.com. On this episode Lauren and Abby sat down (via Skype) with Zoë to discuss her Racked article, "Flappers Didn’t Really Wear Fringed Dresses." Through Zoë's research we discover how Hollywood costumers and Post-War America brought on this unique interpretation of the truly unique and groundbreaking fashions of the 1920s. We also go down delightful rabbit holes of wearing vintage clothing, shifts in our American culture, and more! We definitely recommend you read Zoë's article on Racked here: https://www.racked.com/2017/5/19/15612000/flappers-fringe-myth If you would like more information regarding this episode please visit http://blog.americanduchess.com! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (American Duchess). You can also visit us at www.AmericanDuchess.com! If you're looking for fantastically fashionable flapper footwear - head on over to our sister company - Royal Vintage Shoes (www.royalvintageshoes.com). We're also on Facebook & Instagram (@missroyalvintage), too! :D

In this episode Lauren and Abby sit down with Chelsea G. Summers, writer, to discuss her article on the birth of vintage fashion & the evolution of vintage throughout the last half of the 20th century up through today. Whether it's raccoon coats, 1980s does 1940s, should one modify or not modify vintage pieces, or what do we consider "vintage" today - we cover a multitude of different topics all centered around vintage fashion. You can find the original article from Racked here: https://www.racked.com/2017/6/12/15750196/vintage-how-raccoon-coat If you wanna connect with Chelsea you can find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chelseagsummers And - if you wanna hang out with Lauren and Abby, you can find us here... Royal Vintage Shoes: http://blog.royalvintageshoes.com / www.facebook.com/royalvintageshoes / www.instagram.com/missroyalvintage www.royalvintageshoes.com American Duchess: www.americanduchess.com http://blog.americanduchess.com www.facebook.com/americanduchess www.instagram.com/americanducess

We were so lucky to be introduced to Constance MacKenzie while attending Costume College in LA in July. Constance works as a costumer in England, and has worked in theater, opera, tv, and film. She was kind enough to sit down with us for a short while and tell us about her experiences in the pursuit of her career, how she got started, where she has worked, and what her advice is for young people who want to work in this industry. By the end of the interview, Lauren and Abby were left with a deep respect and admiration for Constance's drive and determination to be true to herself and not settling for anything. You can see photos of some of Constance's work, links to her facebook & instagram(and that gif we talk about!) on our blog: http://blog.americanduchess.com Don't forget that you can check us out on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter (@AmericanDuchess) or visit our website at www.americanduchess.com! Thanks for listening! :D

Cathy Hay is the Founder and CEO of Foundations Revealed - an Online Subscription Education Database filled to the brim with articles regarding everything you could possibly wonder about corset making, patterning, etc! Lauren & Abby were able to sit down with Cathy while attending Costume College in LA to pick her brain about her business, the Symington Corset Company Collection in Leicestershire, England, and just have an all around jazzy discussion about all sorts of corsetry goodness! You can visit & join Foundations Revealed at http://www.foundationsrevealed.com Also you can check out our blog at http://blog.americanduchess.com Visit our website: www.AmericanDuchess.com Or be our Friend on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Abby sits down with Samantha McCarty (again! See Episode 2 for more with Samantha!) to pick her brain about women's fashion and clothing from the first quarter of the 17th century (1600-1625-ish). This is an often over looked time period that Samantha has had time to really study since she works for a historic site that is from the 17th century. Ranging in subjects from what a woman was issued in a new "suit of clothes" before she arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, upper bodies, petticoats vs. kirtles, what the hell a "gown" is - in every sense of the word, and quite a bit on oorijzers (ear irons) - one of Samantha's specialties. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn about something totally new a different! If you like what you've heard today, or you want more information (pictures!) related to this episode check out our blog at http://blog.americanduchess.com and don't forget to check out Samantha's blog at http://couturecourtesan.blogspot.com too! You can also find American Duchess on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and www.AmericanDuchess.com!

Part 2 of our 18th Century Women's Hair Series brings Lauren and Abby together to create a terribly punny episode. (Sorry, Harry!) Sit back and listen as we go through the evolution of different hair styles for women in the 18th century, how the hair styles were created, and work on debunking some more myths about women's hair! For images and more information check out the blog http://blog.americanduchess.com! You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Lauren sits Abby down to pick her brain about Abby's most favorite research subject - 18th Century women's hair! Abby's been researching this topic for the past 4 years, and even spent 1 year actively practicing 18th century hair care - using pomatum and powder to keep her hair clean and smelling fresh! Abby's time spent studying this topic has provided her with a lot of insight on such a surprising social practice from the 1700s. So, sit back, relax, and let you hair down - it's time to bust some myths & set the record straight on hair, hygiene & the 1700s! If you would like more information regarding this episode check out the American Duchess blog at http://blog.americanduchess.com! You can also visit us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and our website www.americanduchess.com. Also - You can Pre-Order our book "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking" at your favorite bookseller today!

Abby is joined by Cheyney McKnight (Not Your Momma's History) to discuss what enslaved women and men would have worn in the United States of American during the 18th & 19th century. Going over everything from a brief explanation of slavery in the USA, to the "Reward System", Resistance in Dress, Textile Choices, and what Freed women and me could have worn and how that differed. Cheyney is owner of Not Your Momma's History, a living history consulting & interpretation business as well as being a wonderful & informative presence on social media. You can catch her on YouTube, Facebook, and at her website: http://www.notyourmommashistory.com/ For more information regarding this week's episode - check out our American Duchess Blog (http://blog.americanduchess.com) If you've enjoyed today's episode please remember to Subscribe to our channel & leave a review where ever you like to listen!

Abby & Lauren sit down and discuss how to deal with the harsh summer temperatures while dressed out for a living history event. We delve into how important fiber content and color is for summer clothing (hint: we love linen!), whether unlined garments existed, our tips and tricks on how we like to deal with the heat, and more - including Abby making up parody songs on the fly! So sit back, have a listen, and enjoy! If you would like to see the blog post that accompanies this episode please visit: http://blog.americanduchess.com! You can also check out our website www.AmericanDuchess.com & find us on Instagram (@americanduchess), Twitter & Facebook!

Abby sits down with Mark Schneider, the world's best Napoleon reenactor in the world, to discuss all things related to the former Emperor of France. Mark takes the time to dispel some myths about Napoleon, his particular uniform choices, how Napoleon viewed fashion, and more! So sit back, relax, and enjoy! For more information and pictures related to this episode check out our blog - http://blog.americanduchess.com Don't forget to Subscribe to get a new episode delivered every week!

Abby & Lauren sit down and have a chat about the most recent Exclusive shoe for American Duchess - the Louis! We talk all about what makes our Exclusive shoes special, what the Louis was inspired by, and what Abby & Lauren would sew to go with their Louis shoes! You can read more by going to http://blog.americanduchess.com and you can check out the Louis at www.AmericanDuchess.com!

Abby sits down with Samantha McCarty (http://couturecourtesan.blogspot.com) to discuss her research on mourning dress during the American Civil War. Samantha currently works as a Tailor for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Virginia, and though she spends most of her time studying and recreating 17th & 18th century dress for interpreters, one of her first passions was researching all things to do with mourning during the American Civil War. Topics discussed: Types of Mourning, What to Wear, Fabrics & Textiles, Jewelry, Society & Custom, and more! For images & additional info check out http://blog.americanduchess.com/2017/05/Podcast-Episode-2.html

Welcome to Fashion History with American Duchess! We've started this podcast to talk about different aspects of fashion history & historic costuming. Whether it's interviews, casual chats, in-depth discussions, pattern reviews, sewing tips, etc., there will be something for everyone! Please subscribe to get the latest episodes & check us out at http://blog.americanduchess.com or www.AmericanDuchess.com!