The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive [Paperback]

A powerful work of narrative nonfiction, this chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps.

At the height of the Holocaust, this true story of survival follows twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration campmainly Jewish women and girlswere 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 workshopcalled the Upper Tailoring Studiowas established by Hedwig H?ss, the camp commandants 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 Berlins upper crust.?

Drawing on diverse sourcesincluding interviews with the last surviving seamstressin this unforgettable piece of women's history,The Dressmakers of Auschwitzfollows 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.

This deeply moving history illuminates a little-known story of the Holocaust, revealing:

• A Little-Known Chapter of Holocaust History:The incredible true account of the Upper Tailoring Studio, a fashion salon established by the camp commandants wife, Hedwig H?ss, inside Auschwitz.
• Based on Meticulous Research:Drawing on years of archival work and firsthand interviews with the last surviving seamstress, this accoulÓ-