*** The New York Times Bestseller *** '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 'Compelling... Adlington
tells the stories of the women with clarity and steely precision' - Jewish Chronicle '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 'Powerful... a fascinating account.' - Woman 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.
