A Dress of Violet Taffeta

Arlen’s (“Woman of World War II” mysteries) new Belle Époque–set novel is based on the true life of the historical fashion icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, in an era when divorce (scandalous and rare in 19th-century British social circles) could easily bring ruin to a woman and her family. When Lucy’s wealthy husband abandons her and their children to run away with a pantomime dancer, she successfully sues for divorce to claim an independent life (albeit with her mother and sister keeping watch from the wings). Turning to her lifelong joy in the world of color and fabrics, Lucy begins creating dresses with the help of her maid, Celia. The growth of Lucy’s fashion house (the word-of-mouth local sensation becomes Lucile Ltd., a haute couturier in high demand around the world) is chronicled here in all its sumptuousness, in an era when women’s fashions changed dramatically. On one trip between Europe and the States, readers watch as Lucy, her second husband, and Celia live through one of the most harrowing experiences imaginable—the sinking of the Titanic.