Friday, March 12, 2021

A historical fiction microtrend: World War II and fashion

When a historical period becomes fashionable, microtrends develop. Such is the case with novels set in and around the Second World War, focusing on seamstresses, designers, and other fashion trendsetters. These nine novels, mixing recent releases with older selections, dramatize women's creative ingenuity during challenging times.



If you search for "dressmaker" on Goodreads, you'll find mostly historical fiction. Two of these are Kristy Cambron's new release The Paris Dressmaker, focusing on women who used fashion as a tool for Resistance work during the Nazi occupation, and Mary Chamberlain's The Dressmaker's War (UK title The Dressmaker of Dachau), about a naïve young British dressmaker taken prisoner and forced to work for the Nazis. María Dueñas' debut novel, The Time in Between, recounts the journey of a Spanish seamstress in Morocco during the Spanish Civil War and back in Europe during the lead-up to WWII. I've had this one on my TBR for way too long.



The full life of designer and businesswoman Coco Chanel is envisioned in C. W. Gortner's Mademoiselle Chanel, while Pamela Binnings Ewen's The Queen of Paris centers on the controversies surrounding Chanel's WWII-era life in Paris. Sofia Grant's The Dress in the Window, set just after the war in America, focuses on the relationship between two designer sisters.



Georgia Kauffman's The Dressmaker of Paris sweeps from Italy to Switzerland, Paris, Rio, and New York as its heroine reveals her unusual story.  As you can guess from the covers, the remaining two novels also evoke the City of Light: Natasha Lester's The Paris Seamstress is a dual-time novel set in WWII-era Paris and contemporary times. The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy, another multi-time saga, follows three intrepid seamstresses, the secrets they keep, and how these mysteries reverberate two generations later.

12 comments:

  1. I've read two from the list, and find all the others equally exciting. Thanks for the post and the links.

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    1. I've read just one (Mademoiselle Chanel), which was great. But the others do sound good.

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  2. I would read any of these! A nice slant to WWII. Thanks!

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    1. I thought so too!
      On another topic, I'm hoping the problem with the Like button is fixed - it was glitchy for a while, but it's working for me again. I always get nervous when I have to mess with the HTML code for the blog!
      Thanks for mentioning it.

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    2. Looks like it's back and functioning - glad you had the know-how!

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    3. Yay, I'm relieved it's working!

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  3. The Time in Between was also made into a TV movie with subtitles available on Netflix. It was very good; even my husband enjoyed watching it. Now I'll look for the book. Thanks for all the great reviews!

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    1. Thanks for reminding me of the Netflix version! I remember reading about it earlier but forgot it was out there. Now I have to decide which to read or watch first...

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  4. I read The Dressmaker's Gift and enjoyed it very much.

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    1. It does look good, and it has a beautiful cover.

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  5. I've been noticing this trend, too. And librarians are also beginning to be a WWII trend as well.

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    1. I've seen that too and have actually been collecting library/book-related WWII novels for a future post! I think it's great. I love books about books, and it's nice to see librarians getting more attention in fiction.

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