The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufmann

Synopsis
I need to tell you a story, ma chère. My story.

Rosa Kusstatscher has built a global fashion empire upon her ability to find the perfect outfit for any occasion. But tonight, as she prepares for the most important meeting of her life, her usual certainty eludes her.

What brought her to this moment? As she struggles to select her dress and choose the right shade of lipstick, Rosa begins to tell her incredible story. The story of a poor country girl from a village high in the mountains of Italy. Of Nazi occupation and fleeing in the night. Of hope and heartbreak in Switzerland; glamour and love in Paris. Of ambition and devastation in Rio de Janeiro; success and self-discovery in New York.

A life spent running, she sees now. But she will run no longer.

Review

The Dressmaker of Paris is the debut novel from Georgia Kaufmann and is the story of Rosa. Born in a small town in the Alps, Rosa led a very sheltered life, going to school and helping her mother in the Gausthaus serving food in drink. With the outbreak of War comes the Nazi’s and the loss of Rosa’s innocence leading her to escape to Switzerland to a new life. After her clothing alterations are noticed, Rosa goes to Paris, Rio de Janerio and New York as her fashion empire grows. A story of love, loss, fear and ambition but ultimately one woman’s journey from rags to riches.

I absolutely fell in love with this book, with the narrator Rose, the beautiful world of haute couture and the settings of Paris, Rio de Janeiro and New York. The book is narrated by the protagonist Rosa, always in the first person as she tells the story of her life to an unknown person always addressed as ma chère. I also loved that each chapter opened with a beauty tip from Rosa, how and when to wear false eyelashes how to use eyeliner, what soaps she uses and her favourite perfume. She really is a true heroine as a character, coming from a small Italian village in the Alps to where she led a sheltered life. Her mother was always too busy to notice her and her father gambled away her innocence. As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and after fleeing to Switzerland she gains confidence, and begin her metioric rise in the world of fashion. Along the way she has to make some very hard decisions and sacrifices that brought a tear to my eye on several occasions. What I really got passionate about with this book is the beautiful clothes, Dior, Chanel, Roger Vivier and Schiaparelli (I have always dreamed of owning a vintage Dior dress). Whilst Rosa emay have been successful in her business, her personal life seemd to go in highs and lows and touched by tragedy several times, my heart went out to her. She didn’t let many people into her life, not wanting to get hurt, but her relationship with Graça, who was her maid in Rio de Janerio, was one of mutual respect, and the nearest thing to family either had.

The Dressmaker of Paris is beautifully written and well researched, capturing the atmosphere and the cultural and social scene from all the different locations in the book. It really is like a Grand Tour as Georgia Kaufmann takes us from Italy, France, Brazil, America, Switzerland, England and Germany to name a few. The attention to detail in the locations and characters is amazing and what makes this book such a joy to read, whether it is the details of the clothes in Dior, the sights and sounds of the different locations, or Rosa’s detailed beauty regime. The other thing she captured with great insight was the emotions of the characters, there are so many emotive sitiuations in this book and Georgia Kaufmann played them perfectly.

The Dressmaker of Paris is an immersive, and compelling read that I completely lost myself in. Rosa’s story is fascinating as we follow her from being a simple coutry girl to fashion icon,and I became consummed by her story, and mesmerised by the clothes. Beautifully written I can’t recommend this book highly enough, it is a stunning and sublime read.

I would like to thank Jenny Platt form Hodder & Stoughton for the invite for this blog tour in return for my honest review.