Of all the reasons the hand of fate allowed people to survive the Holocaust, the ability to sew a straight seam, design and create a beautiful haute couture garment seems the most unlikely of them all. But this was the case of the women who worked in the ‘Upper Salon’ established by Hedwig Höss, the wife of the Auschwitz camp commander. The salon’s official mission was to provide stylish clothing to the wives of top-ranking Nazis, in a time when the Jewish garment industry was obliterated and international trade was severely limited. And so, in the world’s most infamous concentration camp, under the supervision of Marta Fuchs, a pragmatic Jewish prisoner from Slovakia, women created beautiful outfits for their torturers.
Adlington draws on her historical skills to provide a wider overview of the garment industry prior to Nazi occupation and elaborates on how the Nazis viewed fashion as a powerful propaganda tool (think Hugo Boss and his highly stylised SS uniforms). But she is also careful to tell the individual stories of the real women who lost everything but found support in caring for each other and taking pride in their work. Their histories and skills are recorded for prosperity, and she is enormously respectful in her narration.
The Dressmakers of Auschwitz is the story of friendship, skill and survival, and retaining your humanity while surrounded by none. It is very well done.
Reviewed by Lesley West
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lucy Adlington is an author, presenter, and keen collector of vintage & antique costume. She writes both history-inspired fiction and fascinating social history books.
When not on the sofa reading & writing, she likes exploring vintage fairs, flea markets and car boot sales, looking for historical treasures.
She lives on a working farm in the north of England, with a patient farmer and a cat the size of a small armchair.
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