Fashion History with American Duchess

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)...

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...

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...