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A Dress of Violet Taffeta

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of La Belle Époque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, who shattered the boundaries of fashion with her magnificently sensual and enchantingly unique design from the USA Today bestselling author of In Royal Service to the Queen.
Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, and texture in ways few people can begin to imagine. But is the male dominated world of haute couture, who would use her art for their own gain, ready for her?
When she is deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is left penniless with an aging mother and her five-year-old daughter to support. Desperate to survive, Lucy turns to her one true talent to make a living. As a little girl, the dresses she made for her dolls were the envy of her group of playmates. Now, she uses her creative designs and her remarkable eye for color to take her place in the fashion world—failure is not an option. 
Then, on a frigid night in 1912, Lucy’s life changes once more, when she becomes one of 706 people to survive the sinking of the Titanic. She could never have imagined the effects the disaster would have on her fashion label Lucile, her marriage to her second husband, and her legacy. But no matter what life throws at her, Lucy will live on as a trailblazing and innovative fashion icon, never letting go of what she worked so hard to earn. This is her story.
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    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      Arlen's (In Royal Service to the Queen; "Woman of World War II" mysteries) latest, skillfully narrated by Hannah Curtis, tells the fictionalized biographical story of Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, a ground-breaking entrepreneur and fashion-world luminary in the 1890s. Gordon is married, with a daughter, until her husband abandons her for a pantomime dancer. In a move that shocks society, Lucy divorces him and follows her heart to begin designing fashionable clothing with the help of her maid, Celia. Great success follows, eventually leading to the development of Lucile Ltd., a fashion house known throughout the world. Romance arrives too, when Lucy meets the man destined to become her second husband. In a nail-biting development, she, her husband, and her daughter all survive the Titanic tragedy. Curtis adeptly captures Arlen's many characters, voicing them with appropriate accents and bearing. Her presentation of Lucy's mother, who positively bristles with petulance, is priceless. The recounting of the Titanic episode is suitably fraught. VERDICT Fans of fashion, historical fiction, and women's history will especially appreciate this novel. Share with those who enjoy the works of Marie Benedict and Jennifer Chiaverini.--B. Allison Gray

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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