If you're anything like us, you have probably been really into the moment the color pink is having in fashion this summer, thanks to a certain iconic doll. It's been really fun and inspiring to see people from all different aesthetic groups and fashion spaces

Learn how a lady's 18th-century pocket would have been decorated and get inspiration for our design competition celebrating the release of 'The Pocket'.

The following are a brief sampling of period paintings showing common everyday attire for women after which one might model a living history wardrobe. This might be considered a companion piece to …

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

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

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

Every once in awhile I do some handiwork that I'm then very proud of later, and always glad I took on. Last time, it was an embroidered 18th century pocket, and this time it shall be an embroidered 18th century stomacher, to go with my

The Laundress, 1761, by Greuze Mules! (AKA Slippers!) Did you know that mules were incredibly common in the 18th century? Women of all social classes wore them in various materials (silk, wool, leather), both as indoor and outdoor wear, and it's easy to see why. Mules easily

The 18th Century Bedgown As I prepare my notes for an upcoming speaking engagement, I find myself researching 18th Century Bedgowns. I thought you might be interested in sharing in the information that my research has provided. Chardin Painting of a Woman working in her Bedgown. Bedgowns could be worn as undress wear or by the lower to middle class for work and daily activities, as pictured here. An Original Bedgown in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg Original Patterning Instructions for an 18th Century Bedgown The Bedgown is a simple jacket that could be worn as a working woman's everyday garment or by non-working women as an undress garment. Diderot describes bedgowns as a "kind of short clothing which the women wear the bed, and which they keep in the morning in the fashion of undress." This is the description of an upper class woman's bedgown. He also describes them as made of "cotton cloth more or less fine, of plain or embroidered muslin or other similar material." They could also be made of quilted silk or linen. The bedgown is a loose, unfitted garment, with the sleeves cut in one piece with the body of the garment - there is no shoulder seam. The bedgown falls below the hip in length. Reproducing an 18th Century Bedgown: Several Patterns are available for the authentic reproduction of 18th century bedgowns. The Kannik's Korner Bedgown pattern provides historical documentation notes and excellent directions for constructing an authentic bedgown. The lines of this pattern are especially pretty with pleated fullness at the sides and back. www.KanniksKorner.com J.P. Ryan also offers an excellent pattern. I have used several of her patterns before and was always very happy with the directions and the quality of the patterns. www.JPRyan.com Mill Farm Patterns offers this pattern for a European Bedgown. The sides of this bedgown slope out to add fullness rather than having the pleated sections like the Kannik's Korner pattern. Available from Burnley & Trowbridge or Wm. Booth Draper.

There's a set of women's clothing retailers that market their wares to sporty women who, if the catalogs can be believed, are kayaking one minute, rock climbing the next and then jetting off to Nepal for a little yoga. That is so not my style, but these retailers sell comfy little dresses that you can just throw on and look casual and stay cool in hot weather, unlike Anthropologie, where you buy a dress that looks casual in the dressing room and then you show up at the grocery store looking like you confused it with a garden party. Anyway, I was paging through the Athleta catalog, one of the sporty retailers described above, and came across this description for one of their dresses: "Built-in support that helps thwart the headlights." The catalog features other garments that claim they "turn headlights to lowlights." It took me a while to realize that "headlights" means nipples, specifically nipples whose outline is visible through a shirt. Obviously I need to be more in tune with the urban dictionary, but that's not my subject today. I certainly don't have an issue with any woman's sense of personal modesty. I also don't have an issue with slang terms for breasts--I have read the Flashman novels, after all. I don't even have too much of an issue with a catalog aimed at strong, independent women, using a coy euphemism for nipples. It's silly, but not worth working oneself into a rage. I do have an issue with general prudishness. Why is nudity, plain nudity without a sexual context, so offensive in this country? When I was about seven years old I had a Dover Books coloring book of classical ballet. In the Sleeping Beauty pictures--copies of drawings from the 18th century--the ballerinas wear costumes that expose their nipples. I was a little surprised, but since Santa had given me the coloring book, I decided it must be OK and that nipples once were considered appropriate for public display. My sense of delicacy, which didn't want to color in the nipples, got into a battle with my developing OCD, which couldn't bear to see a picture not colored in properly. I was correct in my assumption that this was how people dressed in the 18th century. Not everybody, of course, and probably not anybody in America, but certain daring ladies of fashion did wear dresses that exposed their nipples as evidenced by the 18th century fashion plate below, and the portrait of Pauline Bonaparte. Eventually Queen Victoria came along and nipples were kept firmly in check, along with the rest of the female form, as voluminous skirts disguised any suggestion that women have working parts below the waist, and tight corsets controlled the upper half of their bodies. Indeed, even pianos famously wore skirts, and "legs" was not a word to use in polite conversation and was replaced with the more ambiguous "limbs." Queen Victoria herself was painted wearing some daring necklines but the prudishness of the Victorian era lingers to this day. During the women's movement, women allegedly burned their bras, or at least stopped wearing them, as they were uncomfortable and created an unnatural and extremely silly silhouette. I assume that secondary to bra-spurning, nipples were visible in the seventies and that people just got used to it. Now the nipple is under attack again. In 2004, the nation had a collective heart attack when Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" exposed her entire right breast, for a split second, at the Super Bowl. A few years ago, I read an article that ranted about the new T-shirt bras as being prudish and anti-women. This surprised me, as I was an enthusiastic purchaser of tee-shirt bras. The author's point was that T- shirt bras were specifically designed to prevent nipples from being visible through thin cotton tee shirt material. I was a little dismayed to discover that I had unwittingly been participating in a backward movement to bring shame to the nipple. I can't find a link to the original article I read, but here's a similar one: The Tyranny of the T-Shirt Bra. Not only must we now put a foam barrier between our nipples and the outside world, we still have yahoos who complain about public breastfeeding. It's curious that in a germophobic society like ours, women are still told to nurse their babies in public bathrooms. I have some sympathy for men. It would be embarassing for most men to accidentally blunder into a women's locker room. For some of them, a sudden exposure to public breastfeeding must feel something like that. However, there is no excuse for one woman to hate on another woman for public breastfeeding. We have babies and babies need to be fed. If nipples are exposed for a split second during this process, we need to be grown up about it and not make a fuss and start spluttering about bathrooms. One response to the anti-breastfeeding prudes is this brilliant beanie. As Jerry Seinfeld said, " What? So what? It's a nipple. A little brown circular protuberance. What's the big deal? See everybody's got them. See I got them." The sight of one will not hurt you, it will not corrupt your children. Nowadays, women expose their knees and they wear trousers, things that the nipple-barers of the 18th century would have considered shocking. The leggings-as-pants trend has inspired tongue-in-cheek criticism such as the Am I wearing pants? flowchart, but no serious outcry that I've been aware of or fashion backlash in the form of a new trend for hoop skirts. Why then, are nipples so reviled? If some women prefer to keep their nipples well-shielded, that's perfectly fine. It would be foolish and misguided to take a stance against personal modesty and that is not my intention in writing this post. Some women feel more comfortable in a bra and prefer to wear them and modern bras are certainly more comfortable than the ones that predate the women's movement. Other women find bras to be uncomfortable, particularly in the summer, and if they prefer to go braless or wear dresses that don't come equipped with nipple armor, they should be able to without encurring the disapproval of society.

Introduction In terms of gender identity and masculine expression, the eighteenth century was an important time of transition. While in 1700, there was a certain amount of tolerance for effeminacy, and for bisexuality, by 1800...

Robe a la Francaise, 1770, LACMA M.2007.211 - beautiful and expensive printed cotton One of the top questions I get from budding 18th century costumers is

The Laundress, 1761, by Greuze Mules! (AKA Slippers!) Did you know that mules were incredibly common in the 18th century? Women of all social classes wore them in various materials (silk, wool, leather), both as indoor and outdoor wear, and it's easy to see why. Mules easily

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

Modern-day France has an ambivalent relationship with its Revolutionary past. There are almost no public monuments, with one strange exception - the Place de Révolution française in a modern development in distant Montpellier. Created in 2007 the project was the brainchild of the controversial mayor of Montpellier and président of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Georges Frêche, and the design of a well-respected architect, Adrien Fainsilber. It is tucked away from the main town, on the opposite side of the River Lez, and is small-scale and slickly metropolitan in concept. Reproductions of iconic 18th-century sculptures sit on slender pillars set in smooth paving, surrounded by administrative offices. In the pictures there is no-one much around; one imagines the occasional office worker out for some air in their lunch break. Mortal enemies rest immobilised on their respective plinths and the blood of the Terror feels comfortingly remote. No-one in Montpellier seems to have been much bothered as to the political correctness of the display (though M. Frêche's subsequent plan to erect statues of Lenin and Mao in a "Place du XXe siècle" caused rather more ill-feeling....). Google Streetview There are several websites which have nice illustrations of the various statues, which are bronze on steel bases. Here is a summary list of the original works: Robespierre Pierre-Jean David d'Angers Louis-Marie de la Révellière-Lépeaux [Angers deputy] (1824) Joseph Lakanal (1839) Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (1830) Louis-Antoine de Saint-Just (1848) Georges Couthon (1844) Marie-Joseph de La Fayette (1829) André Chénier (1839) Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1837) Jean-Antoine Houdon Antoine Barnave (between 1789 and 1793) Louis-Pierre Deseine Jean Sylvain Bailly (1789) Emile Carlier Madame Roland (1893) Claude-André Deseine Maximilien de Robespierre (1791) François Martin Camille Desmoulins (fin XVIIIe siècle) Paul Eugène Victor Bacquet Georges Danton (vers1883) Anon Jean-Paul Marat References Feature from Harmonie (Montpellier Agglomération) October 2007: http://www.montpellier-agglo.com/servlet/com.univ.collabqoratif.utils.LectureFichiergw?ID_FICHIER=1191234603602&ID_FICHE=5604 Nella Buscot "Sculptures à Montpellier - place de Révolution française" [website] http://www.nella-buscot.com/jardins_montpellier_prf_1.php

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

I keep a Pinterest Board called

Apparently it’s not a particularly modern practice for fashion designers to make yesterday’s clothing look dated and outmoded. Even though the time gap (from the 1770s – 1815) sho…

The Georgian period brought with it extravagance and opulence- this was certainly reflected in 18th century table settings!

A blog about interesting and entertaining information I find while researching for my supernatural/science/historical fiction novels.

“Fashionable” hairstyles for women began their vertical climb in the late 1760s, and with them rose the ire of social critics, writes Paul K. Editorials appearing in London periodicals immediately decried the large headdresses that English ladies were all too eager to copy from their French counterparts. Chronicling the rise and fall of the fashion … Continue reading "Ridiculous Hair – 18th Century Skyscrapers"

Watteau, Toilet articles chez Gersaint ......(1720) An 18th-century lady might a spent several hours a day in dressing, surrounded by ...

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

Lately I've been working on a waistcoat to go under my Snowshill riding habit. I really love the look of this menswear inspired style, but before jumping in, I needed to take a closer look at the evolution of the waistcoat throughout the 18th century. Lancret,

Learn how a lady's 18th-century pocket would have been decorated and get inspiration for our design competition celebrating the release of 'The Pocket'.

Ladies, now it's time to get started on our Simplicity 18th Century inspired patterns! You've got two pattern packs - one with underpinnings and one with the outfit itself - but where do we begin? I'm going to host this

Yes, the Revolutionary Tribunal really did order the execution of a dog! Here is the story as told by Hector Fleischmann in his splendid Behind the scenes in the Terror, and this time it is clear Fleischmann had full documentary evidence for his tale. Even I feel a bit sorry for this particular mutt! 18c French study of a spaniel, Ashmoleon Museum (formerly attributed to Watteau)

We created our blog with a purposeful mission: American Duchess Blog is a costume blog designed to educate and entertain those interested in learning more about the fashions of the 18th century and other periods of dress. We believe in the free-flow of information, and strive

Howdy! After many moons we finally get to announce the release of our new collaboration with Simplicity Patterns - Simplicity 8411. Now right off the bat many of you will be rolling your eyes over the back-lacing bodice, and questioning some of the other choices we made,

The Laundress, 1761, by Greuze Mules! (AKA Slippers!) Did you know that mules were incredibly common in the 18th century? Women of all social classes wore them in various materials (silk, wool, leather), both as indoor and outdoor wear, and it's easy to see why. Mules easily

"The Sense of Taste" by Philip Mercier (circa 1689-1760) Ah, 'tis the season for raising a toast of good cheer or simply sipping something warm and wonderful by candlelight or a crackling fire. The 18th century had its share of Christmas "spirits" whose tasty descendants still grace our tables and tickle our taste buds today. One of these that made its way from 16th century Tudor England into my own 20th century North Carolina childhood is that creamy, luscious concoction known as Syllabub, a frothy blend of sweetened wine or cider and rich cream. I had such fond memories of this holiday treat, I even named a dear, big, beautiful Maine Coon Cat of mine, "Sir Syllabub" ("Bubba" for short.) Syllabub. The origins of the name are speculative but it's so much fun to say aloud, isn't it? Rolls around your tongue and then just pops right out. A multi-syllabic party in your mouth! Syllabub was a very popular, festive beverage in 18th century Colonial America, as well as in Great Britain, and many recipes of the period show a goodly amount of variations on the theme. There are even recipes that involve milking a cow directly over a bowl of sweetened wine or cider. I think I'll pass on that one this year, thank you very much. There are two basic forms of Syllabub, one in which the sweetened wine/fruit juice is whipped into heavy cream in such a way as to remain consolidated, and one in which the liquid drains out of the mixture leaving the wine in the bottom of the glass and the thick cream on top. For this latter method, there were special Syllabub drinking vessels with a spout from which one could drink the liquid and use a spoon for the creamy froth on top. North Carolina Scuppernong Grapes, photo by Kathryn Louise Wood My childhood memories are of the type that stays consolidated, served chilled, and is a cross between a drink and a dessert to be eaten with a spoon. Now, my family's roots are of the tea-totaling Methodist and Baptist variety and alcohol was not considered acceptable holiday fare so our Syllabub was made with "soft" cider made from apples or Scuppernong grapes. HOWEVER...once in a while (no one claims to know exactly how it happened) that cider might sit in the pantry for quite a spell waiting for Christmas and could (under just the right, mysterious circumstances) have a little extra kick about it, bordering on the "hard" side. When that happened, there would be a bit more of the "silly" in the Syllabub. In the weeks to come I will share other 18th century holiday recipes but, for now, I will give you directions from some historic cookbooks for Syllabub. You may adapt these instructions with modern methods and ingredients and still enjoy a traditional treat with which your ancestors would feel at home. The first is closer to the kind of Syllabub of my youth (replacing the wine-- Rhenish and sack-- with "soft" cider...of course...) The second is of the liquid on the bottom, cream on the top variety. "To Make Everlasting Syllabubs" Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, London 1758 ~Take five half pints of thick cream, half a pint of Rhenish, half a pint of sack, and the juice of two large Seville Oranges; grate in just the yellow rind of three lemons and a pound of double-refined sugar well beat, and sifted. Mix all together with a spoonful of orange flower water, beat it well together with a whisk half an hour, then with a spoon fill your glasses. These will keep above a week, and is better made the day before.~ "Lemon Syllabub" Elizabeth Raffald, The Experienced English Housekeeper, London 1784 Detail from"The Sense of Taste" by Philip Mercier (circa 1689-1760) ~Put a pint of cream to a pint of white wine, then rub a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar upon the out rind of two lemons, till you have got out all the essence, then put the sugar to the cream, and squeeze in the juice of both lemons, let it stand for two hours, then mill them with a chocolate mill, to raise the froth, and take it off with a spoon as it rises, or it will make it heavy, lay it upon a hair sieve to drain, then fill your glasses with the remainder, and lay on the froth as high as you can, let them stand all night and they will be clear at the bottom.~ Enjoy your Syllabub mustaches! Have a good week, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...Y'all come back now! Kate

A beautiful printed cotton gown, 1785-95. The Met. A very condensed version of this essay, without pictures, appears in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. Because there is *so much more* to be said about 18th century printed cottons, we're publishing the original version

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

Well, it appears that, courtesy of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and others that we’re heading back to the 18th century idea of tiny waists, so we had to take a quick peek at the 18th de…

One of the most exciting parts of redisplaying the dolls’ house gallery has been reviving the so-called ‘18th century room setting’. This intriguing group of furniture, cutlery and kitchenware, wooden panels and dolls has been...

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I have a house full of people here for The Wedding, so forgive me for being quite absent. It's all a bit mad here! So in honor of the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #21, and my light green wedding gown, here are some gorgeous 18th century

As evidenced by my habit of waxing poetically about them, hats are one of my passions! Today I thought we would take a look at a few of t...

Did you know that American Duchess has been designing 18th-century shoes since 2011? In fact, our very first design ever was the “Georgiana,” a satin 18th-century latchet shoe. (Oh, and here’s a bit of company lore — the very first shipment actually caught on fire.)

Lately I've been working on a waistcoat to go under my Snowshill riding habit. I really love the look of this menswear inspired style, but before jumping in, I needed to take a closer look at the evolution of the waistcoat throughout the 18th century. Lancret,