Bibliograph

The dressmakers of Auschwitz, the true story of the women who sewed to survive, Lucy Adlington

Type

Label

The dressmakers of Auschwitz, the true story of the women who sewed to survive, Lucy Adlington

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The dressmakers of Auschwitz

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1262795052

Responsibility statement

Lucy Adlington

Sub title

the true story of the women who sewed to survive

Summary

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 H̲ss, 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, this book 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

Table Of Contents

Introduction -- One of the few who survived -- The one and only power -- What next, how to continue? -- The yellow star -- The customary reception -- You want to stay alive -- I want to live here till I die -- Out of ten thousand women -- Solidarity and support -- The air smells like burning paper -- They want us to be normal?

Classification