Hello everyone 🙂
In this post I am showing you my new shoes from the American Duchess that I ordered back in September. I will also give you an overall American Duchess review about my experience with buying from them 🙂 I preordered the Camille Boots and together with them, I got a pair of Kensingtons in black, some sparkly buckles (Dauphine) as well as two pairs of silk stockings.
If you prefer watching a video over reading a blogpost, here you go 🙂
Since I bought these two pairs of shoes, I have also ordered two others, if you are interested, you can have a look at them here.
Ordering was really easy. I decided to directly order from the American Duchess eventhough there are resellers in europe (If you’re based in the EU, you might want to order from La Rose Passementarie to avoid to paying additional fees). Since I live in Switzerland it does not make a big difference from the tax point of view and I decided to go with the source.
I ordered everything on the 1st of September which means that I got the 20 $ discount for pre-ordering the Camille Boots. I also got some dollars off because I ordered the buckles with the shoes and multiple stockings which was nice. Including shipping my order was $484.15. This is a lot of money, I understand that, but to be honest, I expected to pay more, I think, the shoes are a great price, if you consider the craftsmanship and the quality you get. I was saving up for these since quite some time and with shipping and taxes and everything, it makes more sense to make a big order.
What I particularly liked were the size charts on the website as well as the measurements they provide you with every shoe. Information wise, the website is absolutely phenomenal. I also liked that I got an account and that I could have a look at my order at anytime.
On the 9th of November I got my shipping notification. Again, very informative and convenient! My address was mentioned, some information on how long shipping might/will take to europe, information on the USPS tracking numbers and system and of course the number itself, already linked to the USPS’ Website for tracking. Super convenient. In case you miss the linked number itself, the link was provided seperately as well. What I did not know until then is that I can track parcels with my local post service as well. They provided me with the link to track the parcel with the Swiss Posts system as well! Loved that 🙂
So I tracked the parcel and, unfortunately, our customs seemed to be quite interested in historical shoes, so they kept the shoes for a couple of days, leaving me a bit nervous, since I had leave for Hong Kong the 21st of November. But it all worked out, the parcel arrived for pick up at my local post office the 19th of November and I got another email from The American Duchess, informing me about it’s whereabouts and information about their return policies etc. I have to say, I am really blown away, I felt well informed and everything worked great.
I picked up my shoes the day of my flight. The outside box was plain, not giving away the content. I could not wait three weeks so I hastily unboxed the shoes that day.
Inside were two boxes with The American Duchess’ Logo. I really like these boxes and I think I’ll keep them to store sewing supplies in.
I’ll start with the smaller things 🙂 The buckles were inside of the box with my Camille Boots and nicely packaged in a grey velveteen sachet.
I have purchased the most sparkly buckles the Americhan Duchess do offer ;P Since the shoes are black and more toned down, I thought I’d go all in with the buckles. These are the “Dauphine” 18th Century Shoe Buckles with Rhinestones:
Since the buckles are seperate, I’ll have to attach them myself, which I’ll cover later on. I did not do it so far because I am a little bit concerned that I will destroy my beautiful shoes… But I will look up some tutorials on it, I am sure there are some (There’s a section in one of Angela Clayton’s Vlogs, at approximately 29 minutes, as well as a video, the American Duchess uploaded themselves).
Next up are the silk stockings. As already mentioned, I got two pairs and they were packed together with my Kensingtons. I have not much to say about them other than that they fit and feel comfortable.
Note in between 😛 I found candy in each box as well 😀
Here are some detail shots of the shoes. They came well packaged and protected, the laces were separate (I worked with the pictures from the website to get them nice) and theres also a spare set of heel covers (for the lack of a better word, I don’t even know it in german…). The quality is amazing, a few threads here and there where the lining is sewn in but other than that perfect. I am totally in love with these shoes.
Here’s a picture of me wearing them:
The Kensingtons were just as nicely packed, the buckles come separate. Quality wise absolutely perfect, I love them! I bought both of these shoes in the size 8.5 (I am usually wearing a european 39).
Oh guys, that was a process… And to be honest, I did not go fully through with it… They work, but I did not put them in completely, I still have to do that. I procrastinated until I needed the shoes for a photoshoot. And I still did not find the courage to completely put them in… Well, it works, they don’t fall off and it looks decent and I think I will not get any closer to the destruction of these shoes in the near future…
There are two videos on youtube that helped me a lot:
As I said, they unfortunately did not help enough to go through with poking big holes in my shoes but maybe you are less sensitive with yours 😉 I can slip in and out of the shoes without opening the buckles so it is fine for me this way.
Most important final thought first: I want more! I already have an eye on the “Manhattan” Button Boots.
Both of the shoes fit really well, 100 points for the size charts on the website! The Kensingtons feel a little more roomy than the Camille Boots and fit very well from the beginning. The Camille Boots felt a bit tight around my foot at first, but after walking around in them a little bit, they felt perfect.
I think, the price is more than justified for what you get, the quality of the shoes is amazing, I love the materials, shipping and everything went super smooth. If you want to save some money on the shoes, preordering is a good idea, the shoes usually cost less if you preorder. Or keep an eye on the company’s Instagram: They often have a sale or special deals going on and announce those there.
So, all in all, I will definitely buy from the American Duchess again, should I crave more historical footwear. I’m more than happy with my shoes and everything!
Thanks a lot for reading and have a nice morning, afternoon or evening, whatever time it is when you read this.
Ella
PS: If you prefer watching a video, I’ve also uploaded a review in video form on my YouTube channel:
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