Review by Booklist Review
This picture-book biography follows clothing designer Patrick Kelly on his path from being a young child growing up in Mississippi to becoming a beloved fashion designer. Kelly loved fashion even as a kid. Inspired by his matriarchs, church clothes, and fashion magazines, he followed his dreams to Atlanta, New York, and Paris. Thanks to his friends and his vibrant, outrageous style, Kelly eventually became a household name. After a prominent fashion show, he noted that he just wanted to make people smile with his clothes. In its introduction of a fashion icon, this debut also offers representation of a gay Black man, uncommon in picture books. The book features extensive back matter about Kelly's life and death as well, geared to an older audience. The illustrations are bright and vibrant, using button, yarn, acrylic paint, and colored pencil, among other materials, in a way that is appropriately unique, setting this book apart.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Casting the concept of "laughter through the hard parts" as a key to creative practice in this picture book debut, Pritchard pens a resilience-focused chronicle of fashion designer Patrick Kelly (1954--1990). When young Kelly loses a button and has to make do with what's on hand, his grandmother covers his shirt in mismatched buttons so that his classmates will smile, not laugh. Inspired by this moment, the women in his life who wear elegant handmade clothes, and the fashion magazines that make him "feel alive," he painstakingly learns to sew. Kelly's unconventional designs take his Mississippi hometown by storm, but folks in bigger cities reject his designs as "too much." So he sells coats on corners and serves meals to buy fabric, and after befriending fellow creators who love his style, he becomes the toast of Paris. When he directs the fashion show of his dreams, the audience can't do anything but smile. Featuring a combination of fabric scraps, buttons, colored pencils, and miscellaneous ephemera, Wright's mixed-media artwork captures the essence of Kelly's dopamine-sparking aesthetic. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. More about the figure and an author's note conclude. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
As a young child growing up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the 1950s and '60s, Patrick Kelly (1954-1990) was fascinated by clothing and fashion. Money was tight and clothes were made at home; sewing skills were passed down from one generation to the next. While other boys played sports, Patrick pored over the fashion magazines his grandmother brought home from the houses she cleaned. "Sewing seemed like magic" to a young Kelly, and while early projects were messy and imperfect, by thirteen he was creating special-occasion outfits for others. As an adult, he didn't fit into the fashion world; he was a queer southern Black man whose sleek silhouettes combined loud colors with mismatched buttons and oversized bows and hearts. His work was rejected by the fashion elite as "too vibrant...too bright...too much," though he eventually found appreciation and success in Paris. Mixed-media collage illustrations perfectly complement Kelly's design aesthetic, with the mixture of buttons, fabric, yarn, and collaged print mirroring his whimsical and unexpected combinations of materials. An appended biography, an author's note, and a bibliography add context for those who want to learn more about the designer's life and work. This inspiring book is an affirmation of the power of being yourself and trusting in the importance of your unique contributions. Julie Hakim AzzamJanuary/February 2026 p.91 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Designer Patrick Kelly discovers the magic of fashion as a child. Patrick is inspired by the elegant ladies' outfits he sees at church and in magazines, so the women in his life teach him how to sew. It isn't easy, but his grandmother encourages him to laugh in the face of his challenges. Soon Patrick is making clothes for the whole town of Vicksburg, Mississippi--but his dreams are bigger. In Atlanta, New York, and even Paris, designers and store owners alike fail to appreciate Patrick's designs. As a gay, Black, Southern man who often rocks overalls, sneakers, and a colorful hat, Patrick doesn't fit in. But he knows how to laugh, and he doesn't give up, opting to design theater costumes. Finally, major fashion houses start to take notice. Patrick's first runway show features models diverse in skin color, shape, and size; his creative outfits include a fur coat made of teddy bears, plenty of buttons, and dresses festooned with hearts, dolls, and pearls. The backmatter refers briefly to Patrick's sexuality and Bjorn Amelan, his "life and business partner," though his impact on the gay community isn't explored. Cheerful mixed-media illustrations layer angular painted paper collage with photographic elements like buttons and thread. The result is a fabulously tactile visual experience that pops off the page. A playful and poignant look at a designer who dressed the world in joy. (author's note, bibliography, notes)(Picture-book biography. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
