I needed a change from murder mysteries and thrillers, so I checked out By Her Own Design : A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register by Piper Huguley. What a wonderful historical fiction novel – I hated for it to end! The timeline spans from the early 1900’s to the 1970’s and touches on the changes in our country – both in fashion and in our society. But the main character, Ann Lowe, touched my heart. Her story is SO amazing!
Ann Cole Lowe was a tremendously talented fashion designer and artist who was underappreciated during her lifetime. She overcame hardships and obstacles to achieve her goal of becoming a dress designer for the women in elite society. Huguley brings Ann’s spirit and determination to life in her writing, and I found her story so captivating! (Did you know that she designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress – twice??!!)
I confess that By Her Design kept me up quite late because I didn’t want to put this novel down. When I finished, I googled Ann Lowe so that I could see some of her dresses and read more about her accomplishments. If you like historical fiction, don’t miss this novel!!
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