Name: Liana's review of The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington
Item: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz
Rating: 3
Author: Liana

Lucy Adlington

A powerful chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps. At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp--mainly Jewish women and girls--were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. This fashion workshop--called the Upper Tailoring Studio--was established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant's wife, and patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and for ladies from Nazi Berlin's upper crust. Drawing on diverse sources--including interviews with the last surviving seamstress--The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women. Their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance. Weaving the dressmakers' remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation, historian Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at a little-known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust.

The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz

Michelle Guo

Holocaust stories must be told and retold, and The Dressmakers of Auschwitz offers a unique angle—women forced to sew for Nazi wives while enduring the horrors of the camp.

Lucy Adlington’s research is meticulous, but the book is weighed down by it. Auschwitz itself takes up only a small portion, and despite the unimaginable suffering, the narrative sometimes drags.

If you’re interested in this specific story, it’s worth a read. 

Liana

Holocaust stories must be told and retold, and The Dressmakers of Auschwitz offers a unique angle—women forced to sew for Nazi wives while enduring the horrors of the camp.

Lucy Adlington’s research is meticulous, but the book is weighed down by it. Auschwitz itself takes up only a small portion, and despite the unimaginable suffering, the narrative sometimes drags.

If you’re interested in this specific story, it’s worth a read. 

Deborah Kerr

Tracie McMurray

'Lucy Adlington tells of the horrors of the Nazi occupation and the concentration camps from a fascinating and original angle. She introduces us to a little known aspect of the period, highlighting the role of clothes in the grimmest of societies imaginable and giving an insight into the women who stayed alive by stitching' - Alexandra Shulman, author of Clothes...and other things that matter 'An utterly absorbing, important and unique historical read' - Judy Batalion, NY Times bestselling author of The Light of Our Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos The powerful chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps. At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp - mainly Jewish women and girls - were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. This fashion workshop - called the Upper Tailoring Studio - was established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant's wife, and patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and for ladies from Nazi Berlin's upper crust. Drawing on diverse sources - including interviews with the last surviving seamstress - The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women. Their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance. Weaving the dressmakers' remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation, historian Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at a little-known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust.

Michelle Guo &
The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

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Michelle Guo &The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

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Michelle Guo &
The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington