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Lucy Adlington

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Adlington speaks about The Dressmakers of Auschwitz in 2023

Lucy J. Adlington (born 1970[1]) is a British social and textile historian, collector of vintage clothing, and author. Many of her books examine women's lives and fashion during the Second World War and the Holocaust. The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive has been translated into 22 languages and listed on The New York Times Best Seller list.[2][3] Adlington also writes young adult fiction. Her YA work typically delves into themes of historical fiction, fantasy, and adventurous storytelling. The Red Ribbon was shortlisted for a "Young Quills Award" in the 14 to young adult category in 2018.[4]

Early life and education

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Adlington was born in 1970 in London.[1] She has a master's in medieval studies from the University of York. She researched women's lives and their clothes from the Second World War in detail.[5] As a social and textile historian, Adlington is also interested in the evolution of clothing.[6]

Clothing collection

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Adlington is the founder of History Wardrobe, a company that specializes in historical costumes.[7] In 2023 the Bankfield Museum in Halifax, England, hosted an exhibition of Adlington's collection of vintage dresses and school uniforms.[8][9] She has appeared on BBC Radio's Woman's Hour to discuss the history of underwear.[7]

Books

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Through her writing, Adlington examines women's lives and the importance of clothing. Stitches in Time: The Story of the Clothes We Wear (2015) examines the evolution of clothing.[6] Several of Adlington's books focus on the Second World War and the Holocaust.[10] Great War Fashion: Tales from the History Wardrobe (2013) describes the impact of the war on the women's labour market. Women lost jobs in the 'luxury' trades of dressmaking and millinery, and were faced with harder work and longer hours in unregulated workshops that made clothing and equipment for soldiers.[11] Women's Lives and Clothes in WW2: Ready for Action is credited with filling "a gap in the scholarship on women's clothing and service during the war". In it, Adlington focuses on the women who wore the clothing and their experiences, and emphasizes the similarities between nationalities.[5]

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz (2021) centres on the subject of clothes, seamstresses, and hardships faced by female internees in concentration camps. It is a factual account of women who worked as seamstresses in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Nazi commandant's wife, Hedwig Höss, used female prisoners as workers in a fashion salon known as the "Obere Nähstube", or "upper tailoring studio".[3] Marta Fuchs, Berta Berkovich Kohut and other young women survived Auschwitz by designing and tailoring high-fashion clothing for elite Nazi women.[10][12] After Adlington published a fictional account, The Red Ribbon (2017), descendants of some of the dressmakers contacted her with more information about the women who had worked in the camp.[3][13] The Dressmakers of Auschwitz has been translated into 22 languages and recorded on The New York Times Best Seller list.[2][14]

Adlington has written several young adult novels, including The Red Ribbon (2017), a fictional story about a woman named Ella who was a seamstress in a concentration camp during the Holocaust in the Second World War. The book was shortlisted for a "Young Quills Award" in the 14 to young adult category in 2018.[4] Her work has earned recognition through nominations and shortlistings for awards including the Carnegie Medal, Manchester Book Prize, Leeds Book Prize, and Rotherham Book Award, for her books The Diary of Pelly-D and Burning Mountain.[7]

Nonfiction

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  • Great War Fashion: Tales from the History Wardrobe (2013, ISBN 978-0-7509-5677-2)[15]
  • Stitches in Time: The Story of the Clothes We Wear (2015, ISBN 978-1-84794-726-0)[6]
  • Women's Lives and Clothes in WW2: Ready for Action (2019)[5]
  • The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive (2021)[10][16][17]

Young adult fiction

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "SFE: Adlington, L J". sf-encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Paperback Nonfiction Books – Best Sellers – Books". The New York Times. 24 October 2021. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Historian brings to light story of the dressmakers of Auschwitz". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Young Quills Awards 2018 – Winners and Reviews". The Historical Association. 30 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Turner, Nan (3 July 2021). "Women's Lives and Clothes in WW2: Ready for Action: Lucy Adlington Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword History, 2019". Dress. 47 (2): 225–227. doi:10.1080/03612112.2021.1929638. ISSN 0361-2112. S2CID 238584910. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Clarke, Norma (12 February 2016). "Hobble and hose". TLS. Times Literary Supplement (5889): 34–35. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "ReadingZone". ReadingZone. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Bankfield Museum in Halifax opens the wonderful wardrobe of fashion historian Lucy Adlington". The Yorkshire post. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  9. ^ Kellett, Abigail (23 January 2023). "'Opening the wardrobe' to a world of fashion at Bankfield Museum's upcoming exhibition". www.halifaxcourier.co.uk. Halifax Courier. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Camerlengo, Laura L. (3 July 2022). "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive". Dress. 48 (2): 195–197. doi:10.1080/03612112.2022.2071030. S2CID 248931982. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  11. ^ Witkowski, Jacqueline (2015). "Knit for Defense, Purl to Control". Invisible Culture (22): 1. doi:10.47761/494a02f6.99d337a3. S2CID 249035037. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  12. ^ "THE DRESSMAKERS OF AUSCHWITZ: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed To Survive". Kirkus Reviews. 89 (15). 1 August 2021.
  13. ^ Lucy Adlington — The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive, archived from the original on 1 February 2023, retrieved 1 February 2023
  14. ^ "History Wardrobe – About Us". www.historywardrobe.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  15. ^ Buruma, Anna (1 June 2015). "New and Recent Books". Costume. 49 (2): 231–235. doi:10.1179/0590887615Z.00000000081.
  16. ^ Ray, Amanda (2021). "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed To Survive. Review". Library Journal. 146 (9): 75–76.
  17. ^ Deahl, Rachel (2 December 2019). "Deal of the week". Publishers Weekly. 266 (49): 9.
  18. ^ "Burning Mountain, Lucy Adlington's new novel for teenagers". York Press. 17 July 2010. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  19. ^ "York author Lucy Adlington reveals the secret sewing rooms at Auschwitz in her new novel". York Press. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  20. ^ Kiverstein, Angela (6 November 2017). "Sewing for survival, with a ribbon of hope". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  21. ^ Krajewski, Ellen (Spring 2020). "Summerland". The School Librarian; Wanborough. 68 (1): 52. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
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