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Monday, July 11, 2022

A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen

Dresses, dresses, dresses...who can pass up a book about a famous dress designer.

Lucy married a drinker and a philanderer.  To her surprise and relief he left her. 

Divorce isn't something women did in the 1800’s, but it happened.

Her mother was horrified because she said Lucy would be ostracized.

That didn't stop Lucy....she started her own dressmaking business and created gowns for famous Americans and Europeans.

A DRESS OF VIOLET TAFFETA is about a real person Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon.

She is famous not only for her designs, but that she was a survivor of the Titanic.

Facts about investigations into the wealthy who survived was something I didn’t know.

We get to join the workers in the designing houses and learn how they works and also how some design houses would steal designs by only changing a very tiny detail and call it their own.

I do have to say it did drag on a bit, but I enjoyed it.

Fashion fans and fans of this era will love this book. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

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Evening dress of bright leaf green and red shot silk designed by Lady Duff-Gordon 1918

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Lucy Lady Duff Gordan
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ADVANCE PRAISE

“Fans of the 1991 BBC series The House of Eliott will find familiar comfort in Arlen’s descriptions of fabrics, colorworks, and evolving fashions.” —Library Journal

“Tessa Arlen’s novel is as elegant as a Lucille gown, full of movement, color and beauty…For anyone interested in fashion, in the Gilded Age, in stories about strong, visionary woman, Tessa Arlen’s novel is a must read!” —Jeanne Mackin, author of The Last Collection

“A sumptuous treat of elegant prose, evocative descriptions, and compelling emotions. Arlen’s writing absolutely shines.” —Anna Lee Huber, USA TODAY Bestselling author of A Perilous Perspective

“Tessa Arlen delivers a fascinating tale based on the real-life fashion icon, Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, who went up against a male dominated industry and revolutionized it…A must read for fashion fans everywhere.” —Renee Rosen, USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces

“…written in a sumptuous, engaging style that appeals to all the senses and brings Lucy, her creations, and her world vividly alive.” —Alyssa Maxwell, author of The Gilded Newport Mysteries

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tessa Arlen writes historical fiction when she is not toiling away in her garden.

She is the author of the Edwardian mystery series: Lady Montfort  and Mrs. Jackson; the Woman of World War II mystery series.  Poppy Redfern. And two standalone historical novels: In Royal Service to the Queen, and A Dress of Violet Taffeta.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

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PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS| BOOKBUB 

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