By Her Own Design is a wonderful novel about Ann Lowe who I had never heard of until reading this book! I had no idea Jackie Kennedy's wedding gown was designed by a Black woman--an amazing Black woman at that! This is an excellent read and an important piece of history everyone should know about.

Piper's enthusiasm for history is well displayed on the pages. I have followed her from early in her career and she gets better each and every time. By Her Own Design is well written, engaging and brings a warmth and sense of pride and accomplishment as the main character overcomes obstacles to achieve her goals in life.

By Her Own Design is a biographical novel of Ann Lowe, who was the first African American to be a renowned fashion designer. She was most notable for designing the dress of Jacqueline Kennedy. Ann Lowe was born and raised in Alabama. One day in a department store in Dothan, a rich woman noticed Ann’s dress and asked her to make dresses for her daughters. Under her benefactor, Ann was given the opportunity to attend school and fashion her craft. She quickly became one of the most successful designers of her time.

I had never heard of Ann Lowe so I found this to be a very engrossing read. Ann came from a family of accomplished fashion designers. She had always dreamt of establishing her own shop as a young girl. However, Ann’s childhood was very traumatic. At twelve years old, she married a man that was almost three times her age. He was very controlling and abusive. When the opportunity came her way, she did not hesitate to cease it. Ann worked tirelessly to make her dreams come true. She loved designing and never gave up. She was hardworking, artistic, humble, and had a strong faith in God that would help her through all of her difficulties. Therefore, Ann was a very compelling character.

Overall, this novel brought to light a long forgotten figure. I found all the characters to be very complex. However, there were a few graphic scenes in the beginning that made me uncomfortable to read but the rest of the novel focuses on Ann’s relationship with her clients. I loved learning about her designs, especially how she designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s dress. The story was very well-written, and it showed the prejudices that Ann Lowe faced as she strives for success. Ann made many sacrifices to pursue her dream, but her greatest love was her art. By Her Own Design is an enthralling read for fans of the Kennedys because there were a lot of focus on Jacqueline Kennedy before her marriage to JFK. I recommend this novel for fans of The Gown, A Dress of Violet Taffeta, and The Paris Dressmaker!

This is a wonderful story about Ann Lowe, a Black woman from rural Alabama. She comes from a poor family, but her hard work and talent, with a little luck, carry her to the heights of the social register. I grew up in the rural South, and Huguley has a wonderful ear for people from that background. She depicts the racial segregation of the era realistically, weaving it through the story as it was woven through Lowe's life. I found Lowe's dealings with the social elite interesting and sympathetic, and I was intrigued that she designed Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding gown.

By Her Own Design is engaging, moving, and beautifully written.

I’m a fan of historical fiction and this novel doesn’t disappoint. Richly told,, characters truly come to life. I enjoyed learning about this incredible designer and her impact on fashion and history. Read this!

This is an excellent book. I enjoy reading about fashion designers, and this is a fictionalized account of the life of one of the greatest unsung fashion designers in American history. Ann Lowe designed Jackie Kennedy's iconic wedding gown, as well as many other notable garments. Ms. Lowe received very little recognition because she was an African American woman.
I felt that I knew Ann Lowe after reading this book. I rooted for her success throughout the story. It was often difficult to read about the discrimination, abuse, bad marriages, and personal tragedies that Ann and her relatives and friends faced on a daily basis. The author portrayed Ann's circumstances with great sensitivity and respect. This is a beautifully written book about a courageous, talented and strong woman. Her story is inspirational and historically significant.
Recommended for people who are interested in Black history, fashion, and the 20th century US. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction with strong female characters will appreciate this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Not only did it legendary Black clothing designer Ann Lowe make Jacqueline Kennedy‘s wedding dress, most of her designs came straight out of her imagination. Very much influenced by her incredibly talented mother and grandmother, Ann had remarkable talent. Despite growing up at a time when the Jim Crow law was in full effect, and also being the grandchild of a former slave, Ann’s dreams of becoming a well-known designer were never far from her imagination.

Thanks to a wonderful benefactor, Ann gets the opportunity to further her education in fashion. In fact, having only completed the eighth grade going to any college was never something she ever expected. The fact that she married an abusive, alcoholic man at the age of 12 and mothered a son at the age of 16 did not stop Ann from being able to take this fabulous opportunity.

This book was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. Heartbreaking in the fact that Ann went through more than most people should have at her tender age, but heartwarming as she fought for what she deserved despite her tender age and the prejudices that existed at that time.

Sometimes in our day and age we can forget how much of a fight people in the 1950s and 1960s experienced when it came to the lack of equality. This lack of equality was enforced as laws for Black American citizens. When Ann was able to go to design school, she was at first declined because of her race. But because of her talent, she was accepted, only to discover that she would be learning in a room that was not much more than a broom closet while the other students were in a real classroom with all of the expected benefits of an education in design. However, Ann thrived even in that environment.

Then we have Jacqueline Bouvier as a customer of Ann’s. This gave Ann the opportunity to design a very unique wedding dress, which brought her into contact with more and more elite clients. Sadly, she was not even given credit for creating that wedding dress. In fact, an article in the Ladies Home Journal called the designer “a colored dressmaker”. Ann faced many hardships over the years, including a terrible experience when a broken pipe ruined Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding dress as well as several bridesmaids dresses, giving her less than two weeks to recreate these dresses.

This hard hitting book by Piper Huguely was a one-sitting read from cover to cover. The book was impossible to put down. Impossible not to feel for Ann. Impossible not to feel for countless Black Americans who experienced such hateful prejudice then, and now. Impossible not to feel for someone not being recognized for their talent. Impossible for many other reasons.

I just have to borrow a quote from a book I read months ago called My Seven Black Fathers by Will Jawando. He states in his book that “enthusiasm, eagerness, and a desire to be acknowledged for something positive – all qualities that were encouraged and rewarded in my white peers while they were discouraged and penalized in me…” I thought of Mr. Jawando‘s statement while reading this book because that’s exactly what Ann Lowe experienced during the course of her lifetime. In fact, now in 2022, I still experience this same phenomenon of not being allowed to excel, and this is at least, in part, because of the color of my skin.

Kudos to Miss Huguely for writing such an amazing book that brings notability to a woman forgotten and hidden in American history. She did tremendous research and even referred to several reputable sources, as well as an excellent YouTube video that I was able to watch, and that I will also link in this review.

Many thanks to William Morrow & Company and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/4HMDv-dvwPk

Ann Lowe is a hidden figure. She hasn't received much credit until now, but she was the first black woman to design high end fashion for the rich and elite from the 1920's to the and 60's, at the height of the civil rights movement. Two top people she is credited for styling were Olivia de Havilland for the Academy awards, and Jacqueline Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy. This is a wonderful adaptation of her life. I was transported during that time and felt all kinds of emotions while reading the story. Although I wish she had gotten credit and recognition sooner, I'm so glad she got it now. This book has turned out to be one of my favorite books as well as historicals of the year.

An absolutely beautifully written and elegant novel that spotlights the contributions of a woman often lost to fashion history. I am looking forward to interviewing Piper on my fb live series later this month.

I am drawn to stories about strong women from history whose lives were all but forgotten. This is an excellent example of the use of historical fiction to bring to our attention life and career of Ann Lowe. Lowe was a Black woman who grew up in the Jim Crow south. Raised by her mother and grandmother, she learned her seamstress skills from them, but went on to become a designer and dress maker to the social elite in Tampa and later New York City. Her prolific career spanned from the 1920s through the 1960s. She is most famous for designing Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy’s iconic wedding dress, although she was not given credit at the time when the Ladies Home Journal article said that the dress was made by a “colored dressmaker”; an insult to Lowe’s talent and importance.
Lowe faced many hardships and setbacks throughout her life, including a burst pipe in her New York studio that ruined Jackie Kennedy’s original wedding gown, as well as many of the bridesmaid dresses. Refusing to accept failure, Lowe gathered help from her employees, women from church, and her beloved sister; and in one week, recreated the wedding dress and all of the bridesmaids’ dresses.
As Lowe looks back on her life in the novel, she imparts the struggles of her childhood; her first marriage at the age of 11; her flight from her abusive husband, with her young son in tow to start again in Tampa; and her time in a design school in New York City where she was segregated (literally to a closet in the back of the room). Each time she was faced with obstacles Lowe persevered and could not be kept down.
This was an engrossing and inspirational novel, beautifully written and excellently researched. Lowe’s character and personality shine throughout the novel, as do the delectable descriptions of the dresses and gowns she created. I could not put this novel down once I started. I highly recommend this book to lovers of not just historical fiction, but those desirous of learning about amazing women lost to history. This will definitely be on many a book clubs list.

A historical fiction about another woman who has remained not only in the shadows, but in a closet - literally. Ann Lowe was told to listen in on her NYC design school classes from a cloak room at the back of a classroom, the instructor believing the other students (all white) wouldn't want a black woman sitting next to them. Piper G Huguley shares Ann's story as the granddaughter of an Alabama slave who never gives up on her dream of her own fashion label with her name prominently sewn into her one-of-a-kind designs. It's wedding season. Celebrate it with the beautifully written By Her Own Design, coming out June 7.

Im so happy Piper got to share the story of Anne Lowe. I admit to not knowing a single thing about the woman that designed dresses for so many of society and political elite and felt like a fly on the wall to read about making Jackie’s dress. I love when I learn something from reading a novel and this book was rich with storytelling and history. Lemme just say though? Lee Cone and whatever her second husband’s name was…I have already forgot that brother’s name… HMPH! I was ready to fight.

Huguley has stitched together an amazing story - the story of Ann Lowe, the best kept secret of the social register and designer of Jackie Kennedy's wedding gown. The story begins in the 1920s, when Ann, the granddaughter of a slave, was a girl living in Alabama and stitching flowers out of scraps of fabric. Married at twelve, Ann learned how to fight for the life she wanted and the career she wanted - despite being Black, despite being a woman and a single mother.

The story weaves together the lives of the women surrounding Ann: her mother and grandmother, her sister, Mrs. Lee, her daughter in law, her mother in law, her adopted daughter, and sometimes even her clients. All of these women had a part in raising Ann up to find her success - a sisterhood of support. It explores Ann's role as daughter, wife, mother, sister, business owner, artist. And it explores this story in all its raw glory. Huguley's voice shines as we are drawn into Ann's world, and the author leaves it all on the page - the love, the anger, the frustration, the sadness...every emotion is sewn into the pages with a talented, deft hand.

We need this book. We need these stories to be told - stories of invisible women doing incredible things. Not just highly recommended - this is a Must Read.

If you like historical fiction, stories about strong women, and/or stories about fashion, then By Her Own Design needs to be in your TBR pile. Piper Huguley brings to life the story of Ann Lowe, the granddaughter of a slave who became THE fashion designer to the social register. She designed gowns for Olivia DeHaviland and Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, yet never received the credit or the compensation she deserved.

Huguley does a wonderful job of humanizing Ann Lowe, highlighting her strengths while never shying away from her flaws. Ann Lowe was a strong, gifted woman who placed art ahead of business and many personal relationships. She was also a black woman in pre-Civil Rights America and Huguley does a wonderful job depicting the racism - both overt and subtle - that black people were forced to endure.

Ultimately, By Her Own Design is an uplifting story about female empowerment. You'll find yourself impressed with Ann's achievements and angry on her behalf that she failed to get the recognition she deserved. You'll cry a few times too. I highly, highly recommend this book.

By Her Own Design is an emotional, compelling, important book that is an absolute must-read for fans of talented women, beautiful clothing, and brilliant writing. I was hooked from page one and kept turning the pages as fast as I could. I never wanted the story to end. Dr. Huguley’s honest portrayal of what one real-life heroine did to overcome impossible odds is both a celebration of the enduring female spirit and a necessary insight into the hard truths of our country’s history. From page one I was invested in Ann Lowe’s life as a Black woman in the Deep South at the turn of the twentieth century and the decades that followed. There is much to learn from this dynamic woman. The challenges she faced, the hardships and discrimination she endured, but also the depth of her determination to succeed. May this book start conversations, touch lives and change hearts. I highly recommend By Her Own Design and will be looking for everything this author writes in the future.

If you read one book this year with a historical background as its setting, this should be the one.

Ms. Huguley knocked it out of the park with this fascinating look at a black fashion designer who should have been recognized like we do Coco Chanel, Furstenberg, and others. Ms. Lowe was a trendsetter before being school trained in New York by working with her grandmother and mother, who were also extraordinary seamstresses and enslaved person. Being raised as the child of an enslaved person didn't stop her from becoming the seamstress/designer for wealthy white socialites. You do not want to miss reading about her rise and all that she overcame to be talked about and sought after for the dress of the season.

This book needs to be in all school libraries and bookstores, and I hope it will be made into a movie. Shout out to Piper Huguley for giving us this incredible story to read. This well-written page-turner stayed with me long after I read the tear-jerker conclusion.

I highly recommend you buy this book!

There are stories that you come across every now and then that are life stories, at least that is what I call them. They are the stories you really can relate to because someone you know in your family or circle has lived it. They resound with you in such a way that you say, "I need to see how they are going to handle this part of their journey and I want to feast on any wisdom they drop."

By Her Own Design is that life story. It's one where I could envision myself sitting around the dinner table with Ann, her mother, and her grandmother, listening to their troubles and triumphs. It reminded me of when I would be in the room with my elders just listening to their conversations. As I was reading, I felt as if I could feel all of Ann's emotions. For example, when she married her first husband, I was saying, "Please don't do this. He's wicked."
Anyway, there is more I could say, but I will leave by saying: GO PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW. Piper Hugley, did an outstanding job. We need a movie.

Though there are a number of writers who focus on historical fiction, not many get it as right as Piper Huguley does. Through her research and her creative storytelling, she brings historical figures to life. I have never read one of her books and not learned something I didn't know.

By Her Own Design is the story of the hard-working, often overlooked designer Ann Lowe. While she's best known for creating Jacqueline Kennedy's dress for her wedding to future president John Kennedy, Huguley broadens our knowledge of this intriguing woman, beginning with her humble beginnings and taking us all the way to her twilight years. While Ms. Lowe faced adversity, the author also pays just as much attention to the kindness shown to her.

Would I love to see a made-for-TV movie or series based on the Ann Lowe? I absolutely would! Am I eagerly anticipating what Piper Huguley writes next? I absolutely am!

I don't always love books written in the first person, but in this case it really works to give voice to an amazing historical character, Ann Cole Lowe.

I had been vaguely aware of Ann Lowe and her story. I've drooled over photos of her dresses - especially the embellishments that were here trademark. I didn't realize just how truly talented she was, and just how much she was marginalized and taken advantage of - even by "good" people who claimed to know and respect her.

I really liked this book for two reasons: 1) the main character Ann had a distinct personality that made me want to cheer her on through her trials and tribulations; and 2) because Ann shows us how important it is to have a purpose, a calling in life. In Ann's case it is her dedication to the craft of sewing. As someone who embroiders, I have a real appreciation for this craft as an artform. Just as an author has a pen or an artist has a paint brush, Ann has her needle and thread. And she does wonders with her tools of trade. It's her life's calling to create that pulls her out of unbearable situations as a too-young bride with an abusive husband, the loss of family members, and the struggle for recognition. This story will resonate for anyone who appreciates the value in finding a purpose in life and sticking by it, no matter what challenges one confronts, This novel would make a great book club read.