A Perfect Fit
How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Discover how the Lane Bryant clothing brand changed the way we buy clothes forever by celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes in this inclusive picture book biography of a Lithuanian immigrant with a brilliant eye for fashion and business. With stunning artwork from Sibert medalist Juana Martinez-Neal.
Lena came to America with nothing but a dream—and an exceptional ability to drape and snip and stitch. She never used a pattern or a tape measure, but every dress she sewed turned out to be a perfect fit.
Then, one day, a customer presented her with a new challenge. Could she design a stylish, comfortable gown for a body shape that did not meet the current standards of fashion?
Lena took the challenge. Under the company name Lane Bryant, she became famous for flattering and modish clothing designed for all different shapes and sizes. The world of fashion would never be the same.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rockliff (Sweet Justice) and Martinez-Neal (Tomatoes for Neela) tell how a Lithuania-born Jewish emigrant to America became a name that's now a mainstay of shopping centers and malls. Once in the U.S. with her sister, young Lena Bryant (1877–1951), ever looking for a "perfect fit," refuses an arranged marriage, then quickly proves she is both a brilliant seamstress (she "never used a pattern or a tape measure"), and a determined entrepreneur (a necessity when she is widowed with a baby). But what sets this classic immigrant story apart is how the advice of her rabbi grandfather—"help another person"—results in Bryant's liberating fashion innovations. Her maternity wear offers pregnant clients elegance and comfort, "with room to grow," and her awareness that "all dress patterns were the same shape. But all women were not" informs the creation of "clothes that didn't squeeze or pinch." Measured prose and sepia-textured pages—filled with velvety drawings of flowing fabric, Gibson Girl hairdos, and elaborate gowns—suit the historical moment, while making Bryant's contributions to feminist fashion always evident. An author's note details her progressive commitment to her employees and customers. Ages 4–7. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator's agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary.
