In the small mill town of Brunskill, Pennsylvania, World War
II is coming to an end and America is ready for change.
The time for sensible fashion is over and all of the woman
are longing to wear the NEW LOOK, launched in Paris by
designer, Christian Dior and well received all over the
world. It features a wasp waist, padded hips, loose
sleeves and long, full skirts that touch
the ankle. Gorgeous fabrics such as Taffeta and all the
colors of the rainbow are shown in the fashion ads. The
Brink Mills used to loom the finest woven materials now sits
empty waiting for new life perhaps?
Three war widows. Thelma, the Brink sisters, Jeanne and
Peggy and Peggy's daughter, Tommie, live toger in Thelma's
mortgaged house. They pool their resources, pay the bills
and hope for a more prosperous future, and hope their
dreams to come true.
Thelma, the mother-in-law who never wanted Peggy as her
daughter-in-law has made the best of a sad situation when
her son, Thomas was killed in action. Her granddaughter is a
disappointment to her too, but she tries her best to help
raise her and dreams of re-opening the Mill where she worked
until its close, as an accountant and keeper of its books.
She has plans and dreams that for now are her secret.
Jeanne Brink always thought she would marry Charles. He
became a doctor and was in practice with his father, when he
decided to join the fight. He was killed and Jeanne's
dreams of a house and family with Charles is over. Jeanne
is clever, creating lovely original designs using their
Vintage attire, scraps, and buys end of the bolt materials.
She has sold her wares to several wealthy clients and wants
to do more but takes a job as a typist to help pay her
share. When she talks about using patterns like
Butterick, Simplicity, McCalls, and Vogue, they are all
familiar to me in my long ago, and once-upon-a-time- sewing
experiences.
Peggy loves to sketch and she is very talented. She
starts a book of her sketches and designs and one day she
takes her book to Fyfe's Department Store and gets a job as
a runner in the luxurious Crystal Salon. Peggy works hard,
listens carefully to how the clients are handled and spoken
to. She begins to fill her book with her own designs and
becomes PEGGY PARKER DESIGNS, her American ready-to-wear
line that becomes a sensational.
Each chapter begins with a short explanation of a fabric
which I found to be an added attraction to this story of
fashion, sisterhood, jealousies, love and dreams come true.
THE DRESS IN THE WINDOW is the perfect fit for my reading
tastes. I love fashion and the author introduces a colorful
bunch of characters that you will enjoy and root for. Sofia
Grant knows how to tell a story that is a must have for your
reading pleasure. I loved it. You will too.
A perfect debut novel is like a perfect dress—it’s a
“must have” and when you “try it on” it fits perfectly.
In this richly patterned story of sisterhood, ambition,
and reinvention Sofia Grant has created a story just
right for fans of Vintage and The Dress Shop of Dreams.
World War II has ended and American women are shedding
their old clothes for the gorgeous new styles. Voluminous
layers of taffeta and tulle, wasp waists, and beautiful
color—all so welcome after years of sensible styles and
strict rationing.
Jeanne Brink and her sister Peggy both had to weather
every tragedy the war had to offer—Peggy now a widowed
mother, Jeanne without the fiancé she’d counted on, both
living with Peggy’s mother-in-law in a grim mill town.
But despite their grey pasts they long for a bright
future—Jeanne by creating stunning dresses for her
clients with the help of her sister Peggy’s brilliant
sketches.
Together, they combine forces to create amazing fashions
and a more prosperous life than they’d ever dreamed of
before the war. But sisterly love can sometimes turn into
sibling jealousy. Always playing second fiddle to her
sister, Peggy yearns to make her own mark. But as they
soon discover, the future is never without its surprises,
ones that have the potential to make—or break—their
dreams.
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