Piper Huguley

My book club read By Her Own Design by Piper Hugely, a novel about Ann Lowe, an African American fashion designer who catered to the rich and famous, including Jacqueline Kennedy. The novel spans the years of the early twentieth century to the last days of Ann’s life. It centers on the struggles that women in her family in particular as well as all people of color faced in creating a life of independence amidst the prejudices cemented in place. Ann’s grandmother Georgia instructed Ann to find good white people to help her along. And Ann did just that as she moved from a life of abuse to a life of success. It’s advice that may sound odd today, but in the time and place of the novel, it was prudent for Ann to develop relationships that would smooth the path toward owning her own business and providing for her family. The characters in the book, including Ann, are certainly a product of the social rules, racial prejudices, and laws of the time. It was an interesting look at one woman’s determination not to be defined by circumstances and expectations.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (mehr)

I loved this amazing story of real-life fashion designer Ann Cole Lowe. From a rural cabin in the deep south of Alabama to a New York City showroom, author Piper Huguley tells the story of how a Black woman and granddaughter of slaves rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create one of America’s most famous wedding dresses for Jackie Kennedy.

Huguley meticulously researched and skillfully wrote this incredible historical novel based on the life of an unsung heroine and role model for all women. In addition to learning about Ann (Annie) Lowe, what makes this a memorable novel is the authentic depiction of racial inequality paired with the sexual discrimination of the time from the 1920s through the 1960s.

Lowe’s story contains heartbreak, often transformed to triumph through hope and determination. I appreciated Annie’s genuine faith, which – along with her perseverance – sustained her throughout her life.

Annie was a likable person, from the time we first meet her as a six-year-old girl living with her mother, sister, and grandmother, through her two marriages, her rise as a “colored seamstress” to society’s privileged, to her remarkable and talented career as an amazing designer and seamstress for the enormously affluent crème de la crème. Her designs were breathtaking works of art, and finally appreciated as such. She perceptively explained her talent as “Sewing was my way of seeing the world, of feeling the world.”

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Annie’s life and times, and highly recommend this 5-star read!… (mehr)