【 THE DRESSMAKERS OF AUSCHWITZ 】

Genre: Non-fiction (Holocaust history)
Audience: Adult
Author: Lucy Adlington
Published: September 2021
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Pages: 381 (paperback)

I loved Lucy Adlington’s writing in The Red Ribbon, and while this is non-fiction rather than historical fiction, I loved her writing in this just as much. This is a very poignant and well-researched novel on a group of women who survived Auschwitz in part thanks to their sewing abilities.

This trod the line well between biography and history. While there were a core group of women, and one in particular – whose interviews bookend the whole story – who drive the narrative, Adlington still provides what felt like a comprehensive overview of the history of the concentration camps. Her speciality is in historical fashion, so the entire book was through the lens of how the war impacted the fashion economy and professions.

I always say that I love a historical book (fiction or otherwise) that introduces me to a facet of this well-covered era of history that I haven’t heard of before. It is the era of history I find myself reading the most about, so it’s always a thrill to find out about something else and to continue learning and educating myself.

As an Australian reader, I also found it fascinating to read about the pre-life war of the women – mostly from Eastern Europe – and how different their childhoods were to any today. It was also really interesting to learn more about how the war built up and impacted those in countries like Czechoslovakia, as the history I’ve most commonly read about focuses on countries like France, Germany and England.

Obviously, this an extremely tragic part of history. And I will say that it’s challenging to read at times. I found myself reflecting that much of my understanding of what went on in the camps comes from fictionalised accounts or high-school learning, so this is one of the times where I’ve actually engaged with the horrors of the camp as an adult without the softening influence of fictionalised writing. As such, Adlington doesn’t shy away from detailing the abuses and horrific incidents the women faced on processing into the camp, and also on a daily basis.

But it was a wonderful read to see how resilient these women were, even in the face of such monstrosities. Though there is much sadness in the droves of those who are murdered, for those that did survive, it was humbling and incredible to read about their stories, and also to see how, against all odds, their compassion and friendship towards each other survived.

I highly recommend this as a look into this dark corner of history. Though greatly sorrowful, it is ultimately an uplifting tale, in the way that Adlington has put it together.

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Title: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz
Author: Lucy Adlington
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A 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.