There’s a piece of advice attributed to her grandmother, Georgia Cole, that serves as a key element in the story. The story traces Lowe’s origins to Alabama, where she learned dressmaking at the feet of her mother and grandmother, a former enslaved person.

It’s even more meaningful when there is a shift that takes place because of this transfer of information.Īuthor Piper Huguley clearly poured her soul into the creation of By Her Own Design, which focuses on Ann Lowe, one of the most famous Black fashion designers from the 1920s to the 1960s.

When a writer can reach out from a printed page and grab a reader’s attention, that signifies something special. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.īased on the true story of one of the most famous designers of the twenties through the sixties who has since been unjustly forgotten, By Her Own Design is an unforgettable novel of determination despite countless obstacles and a triumph celebrated by the world. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity-the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them.

Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. The incredible untold story of how Ann Lowe, a Black woman and granddaughter of slaves, rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create one of America’s most famous wedding dresses of all time for Jackie Kennedy.

The Preacher's Promise by Piper Huguley