Unsinkable Lucile: How a Farm Girl Became the Queen of Fashion and Survived the Titanic
by Hugh Brewster (Author) Laurie McGaw (Illustrator)
Before Chanel there was Lucile.
She was one of the world's most glamorous women and the most famous fashionista of the Edwardian age. Yet, couturiere Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon was born as just plain Lucy Sutherland and grew up in a stone farmhouse in Ontario, Canada. How she went from a backwoods farm to presiding over an international fashion empire is a remarkable story of unshakeable determination and female achievement at a time when it was thought that a woman's place was in the home.
Unsinkable Lucile is a lavishly illustrated story of Lucile's lively childhood, her rise to the top of the fashion world and her survival of the Titanic disaster and its aftermath, during which she was unjustly vilified. Time and time again, she proved that nothing could sink her spirits or stop her drive to innovate and create.
Among Lucile's many innovations were the first fashion shows, the first fashion models and the Edwardian craze for oversized hats. She also helped free women from the corset and coined the word "chic." Lucile was also a fashion adviser to millions and the creator of clothes seen in over 115 movies.
Replete with historical photos and beautiful paintings by award-winning illustrator Laurie McGaw, Unsinkable Lucile is a humorous, touching and empowering tale of a woman who beat the odds, never backed down and changed the world of fashion forever.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Employing novelistic flare and ample quotations, Brewster captures the life of 19th-century fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon (1863-1935) in this text-heavy biography. Organized into chapter-like sections that provide snapshots of Gordon's life from a particular time and place, the book starts with her childhood in rural Canada before segueing to life in Britain, marriage, and postdivorce triumph: an international fashion empire, the popularization of elegant undergarments, and the innovative use of models and fashion shows. Drama appears briefly with wrenching descriptions of Gordon's escape from the Titanic on a tragically half-empty lifeboat, but the chronicle is largely one of business savvy. McGaw's realistic paintings mingle with historical photographs and evoke the spirit of the age, allowing readers a glimpse of both the subject's life and the era. A brief glossary concludes. Ages 9-12. (Sept.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Hugh Brewster is an award-winning author, editor, historian and playwright who has written 13 books for young readers. Hugh worked with Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic, to create the international bestseller The Discovery of the Titanic and Exploring the Titanic. Hugh oversaw the creation of Titanic: An Illustrated History, a book that provided inspiration for James Cameron's film. His other titles include 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to All Your Questions About the Titanic; Deadly Voyage (I Am Canada series); Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage; Anastasia's Album; Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose; The Other Mozart; and Dinosaurs in Your Backyard.
Laurie McGaw has previously collaborated with Hugh Brewster on a number of award-winning illustrated books, including Polar the Titanic Bear, which has sold over 680,000 copies and was nominated for a Governor General's Award. Her other titles include To Be a Princess, African Princess and Journey to Ellis Island. She is a renowned portraitist and has painted portraits of Oscar Peterson, Norman Jewison and David Suzuki among others. She has also been commissioned to create 34 coins for the Royal Canadian Mint.
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
Great Britain
Biographies
20th century
Women
Women fashion designers
Women costume designers
Duff Gordon, Lucy
