NCW Libraries

"In 1900 Sardinia, a young woman's remarkable talent with a needle earns her a position as a seamstress with a wealthy family. Inside this privileged world far different from her own humble beginnings, the skilled sewer quietly takes measurements, sketches designs, mends hems--and in the silence, hears whispered secrets and stories of all those around her. Through the watchful young seamstress's eyes, this small Italian city and its residents emerge...

Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows--without letting clients know abot her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls--including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow's heart--she is reading to use her magical talents for a great cause. But when Gracie's date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow...

"In London, 1939, Ada Vaughan is a young woman with an unusual dressmaking skill, and dreams of a better life for herself. That life seems to arrive when Stanislaus, an Austrian aristocrat, sweeps Ada off her feet and brings her to Paris. When war breaks out, Stanislaus vanishes, and Ada is taken prisoner by the Germans, she must do everything she can to survive: by becoming dressmaker to the Nazi wives. Abandoned and alone as war rages, the choices...

"Devastated by the sudden death of her mother—a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel, who overflowed with pearls of Ozarks wisdom but never spoke of her own family—Sutton Douglas makes the impulsive decision to pack up and head north to the Michigan resort town where she believes she’ll find answers to the lifelong questions she’s had about not only her mother’s past but also...

One of the most anticipated reads from InStyle, HelloGiggles, Hypable, Bookbub, and Bookriot!

One of Real Simple's Best Historical Fiction novels of the year!

"The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war."—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

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"Kendall Freeman is a self-assured, full-figured seamstress and aspiring fashion designer who loves Christmas. Niya Fine, a shy, introverted, plus-size teen, is dealing with the recent loss of her mother. She's now living with her widowed grandmother Claudia, an elitist who criticizes Niya's every move. While Kendall is working hard to make the season bright, planning Christmas parties and whipping up amazing gowns at the boutique where she works,...

"1953, New York City. Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe's dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create...

"Paris, 1940. With the city occupied by the Nazis, three young seamstresses go about their normal lives as best they can. But all three are hiding secrets. War-scarred Mireille is fighting with the Resistance; Claire has been seduced by a German officer; and Vivienne's involvement is something she can't reveal to either of them.Two generations later, Claire's English granddaughter Harriet arrives in Paris, rootless and adrift, desperate to find a...

In season four, years have passed, and Velvet Galleries continues to stand as the beacon for fashion and taste. Women in the 1960s, however, are no longer content to dream of unaffordable clothes but demand quality apparel for themselves. The store cannot afford to cater exclusively to the wealthy. As the season begins, top designer Ana prepares to bring ready-to-wear fashion to Velvet. A penitent Cristina returns but makes a shocking discovery.

When Fabienne Bissette attends the annual Met Gala for an exhibit honoring her grandmother Estella, a famed designer, she begins to learn more about her grandmother's past, uncovering a story of tragedy, heartbreak, and secrets.