Review by Booklist Review
This picture-book biography features a determined Black woman who succeeded professionally despite widespread discrimination. When Ann Lowe was growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, her mother and grandmother made dresses in their tiny shop. Many Black women worked as seamstresses, but none designed couture clothing at the pinnacle of the fashion industry. Lowe reached those heights through a combination of forces: her powerful work ethic (learned from her mother), her appreciation for craftsmanship, her irresistible designs, and her will to succeed on her own terms. When her New York studio workroom flooded, ruining a bride's and her bridesmaids' dresses 10 days before a notable wedding, she and her staff worked around the clock to recreate the gowns. This near-disaster became a triumph when Lowe personally delivered the flawless dresses in time for the Bouvier-Kennedy wedding. Powell, a decorative arts historian who extensively researched Lowe and her work, collaborated with writer Messner on the concise, poetic text, which flows beautifully when read aloud. Robinson's striking two-page illustrations capture the loveliness of Lowe's ball gowns in scenes that use layers of color to suggest shimmering, graceful fabrics. Readers may not have heard of Lowe before reading this book, but afterwards, they're unlikely to forget her.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Messner and Powell offer a persevering portrait of fashion designer Ann Lowe (1898--1981), from her early achievements in the South to success designing for Manhattan's elite, including Jackie Kennedy's wedding party. Evocative prose describes Lowe's initial training at her Black family's dress shop in Alabama and later accomplishments in Florida and New York, with culminating images showing Lowe in front of her own N.Y.C. boutique. Time and again, Lowe's pride in her work--emphasized through the titular refrain--help her to excel and overcome hardships including structural racism and the death of her mother. Figural renderings by Robinson accompany, foregrounding dreamy ribbons and textile-textured layers that emulate the movement of fabric while picturing Lowe at work on full-skirted gowns. Ages 5--8. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--This picture book biography is as elegant as its subject--African American fashion designer Ann Lowe. Messner works with decorative arts historian Powell to present the life of Lowe who, despite facing immense racism as she developed her career in the early part of the 20th century, prevailed as one of the premier designers of her time. The story is one of determination and perseverance, as Lowe faces obstacle after obstacle, from the death of her mother (also her sewing mentor), to being shunned as the only Black student in her fashion school, and having stores take advantage of her designs but refuse to display her name. In a dramatic climax, Lowe has to recover from a flooded work room just days before the wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy, resewing the majority of the dresses she was hired to create. Using repetition and lyrical language, the authors emphasize her determination and desire to present "only the best." Crisp action words like snip, tuck, pin, drape, and cut provide auditory enjoyment along with abstract ideas such as "measuring fabric against imagination." Mixed-media artist Robinson creates dimension, texture, and movement with her collage illustrations. The textiles float and flow; depictions of Lowe's creations are as lush and effervescent as the real garments. A flower motif true to Lowe's designs courses through the book. VERDICT A stylish biography worthy of inclusion on all shelves.--Clara Hendricks
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
With flowers and fancy fabrics, Black fashion designer Ann Lowe created gowns for the rich and famous, breaking color barriers in dress design. Messner and Powell chronicle Lowe's story; from her Alabama childhood in a dressmaking family to a salon on New York City's Madison Avenue, it's a life of breaking racial barriers, where ugly incidents contrast with the soft fabrics, delicate lace, and sparkles. In New York in 1917, she took sewing lessons at the S.T. Taylor School but was forced to sew in a separate room, away from the White students. For years, her employers didn't credit her work. Lowe is most famous for her dresses for Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding, but even this climactic achievement is balanced with an account of confronting racism in her life--when Lowe arrived to deliver the dresses, she was told to use the back door but refused, threatening to take the gowns with her if she wasn't allowed in through the front entrance. Fittingly, the final spread shows a triumphant Lowe with her own shop, where her name will appear on the labels as well as the door. Robinson's digital art, full of textures, curves, and color, is perfectly suited to the subject, while Messner and Powell's evocative, often alliterative text begs to be read aloud. (Powell had written her thesis on the designer and was in the process of organizing a museum exhibit of her gowns when she died.) (This book was reviewed digitally.) A deserving tribute to a designer who wanted only the best. (author's note, quotations, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
