The Dressmakers of London

Of the many aspects of living in WWII era Britain. one topic rarely covered is that of clothing.  Julia Kelly has tackled this fascinating subject in The Dressmakers of London (#1,320).

Isabelle and Sylvia Shelton are estranged sisters who have one thing in common: each owns a half share of their late mother's modestly successful London dressmaking business.  Sylvia, the beauty of the family, lost touch when she married "up" to a wealthy Harley Street physician.  She has learned to fit in with a sophisticated crowd, always impeccably turned out.  With her husband now serving in Royal Navy she realizes just how far they have grown apart.  Isabelle, on the other hand, has a flair for design and the sewing and tailoring skills to go with it.  Her dream is to take over her mother's business so she can make her sketches a reality.  Both sisters are shocked that their mother has left the business to both of them.

With the war heating up, Isabelle is called up to serve before she can buy out Sylvia.  Somehow, the sisters must work out a way to keep Mrs. Shelton's Dresses open until the end of the war.  Coupons for clothes, rationing of materials and government design requirements make a difficult job even harder.  I was certainly rooting for both of them by the end of the book!

Such a simple thing - the clothes on your back - can make such a difference in your physical and mental wellbeing.  Yet such an important point is seldom discussed with any seriousness outside academic texts.  Here it is handled beautifully, and I found the author's comments at the end of the book interesting in how her research for this novel affected her own thoughts about her wardrobe.  I can't wait to track down and read some of Ms. Kelly's other novels.