In “The Dressmakers of London,” Julia Kelly weaves a compelling narrative that skillfully balances the personal drama of estranged sisters with the larger historical backdrop of World War II-era London. Set primarily between 1941 and 1942, this historical novel explores how unexpected inheritance, conscription, and the restrictions of wartime England force two vastly different sisters to confront their shared past and uncertain future through the lens of their mother’s dress shop.
Kelly has established herself as a masterful chronicler of women’s lives during periods of historical upheaval with previous works like “The Lost English Girl” and “The Last Garden in England.” With “The Dressmakers of London,” she continues this tradition, crafting a richly detailed story that highlights how seemingly ordinary businesses—in this case, a modest dressmaker’s shop—became microcosms for the larger challenges, sacrifices, and occasional triumphs of the British home front.
Sisters at Odds: A Study in Contrasts
The heart of the novel lies in the complex relationship between sisters Isabelle “Izzie” and Sylvia Shelton. The characterization of these women is one of Kelly’s greatest strengths. At 28, Izzie is practical, loyal, and somewhat sheltered, having devoted herself to her mother’s dress shop. She has artistic talent but lacks the confidence to assert her own designs. Sylvia, by contrast, escaped her working-class roots through marriage to Hugo Pearsall, a wealthy Harley Street doctor, reinventing herself as the perfect society wife while severing ties with her family.
The sisters’ estrangement is believable and multifaceted. Izzie resents Sylvia for abandoning their mother and the shop, while Sylvia harbors guilt about leaving but also shame about her humble origins. When their mother’s will reveals that she has left Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions to both daughters equally, the sisters must navigate past hurts and present realities.
Kelly excels at depicting how family members can interpret the same events very differently. Izzie believes their mother favored her, while Sylvia reveals that their mother blamed her for their father’s accidental death. These contrasting perspectives add layers of complexity to their relationship, avoiding simplistic reconciliation in favor of gradual, often painful, understanding.
Fashion Under Fire: The Wartime Dress Shop
One of the novel’s most fascinating aspects is its meticulous portrayal of the clothing industry during wartime. Kelly clearly conducted extensive research (as she acknowledges in her enlightening author’s note) on clothing rationing, the Board of Trade’s restrictions, and the “Make Do and Mend” ethos that defined wartime fashion.
The struggles of Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions—from managing customer accounts during economic hardship to adapting designs to comply with increasingly restrictive government regulations—provide both historical insight and narrative tension. When the Board of Trade introduces the “Making-Up of Civilian Clothing (Restrictions) Orders” that dictate everything from the number of pleats in a skirt to the placement of buttons, the shop faces an existential threat that requires both sisters’ talents to overcome.
Kelly’s attention to detail shines in passages describing the technical aspects of dressmaking, from pattern creation to fittings. These descriptions never feel like information dumps but rather illuminate character and advance the plot. When Izzie evaluates fabric or Sylvia organizes a fashion show, readers gain insight into not just the mechanics of the business but also the characters’ strengths and values.
Love in Wartime: Relationships Under Pressure
While the sisters’ relationship forms the core of the novel, Kelly includes romantic storylines that further explore themes of identity, sacrifice, and authenticity. Sylvia’s discovery of her husband’s longtime affair with her supposed friend Claire leads to her reexamination of her marriage and eventual embrace of her true self. Meanwhile, Izzie’s whirlwind romance with American staff sergeant Jack Perry initially seems perfect until their divergent post-war plans reveal fundamental incompatibilities.
William Gray, the neighborhood solicitor who has quietly loved Sylvia since childhood, offers a contrasting vision of love based on acceptance rather than transformation. His patient devotion serves as a counterpoint to Hugo’s controlling nature and Jack’s unexamined assumptions about Izzie’s willingness to abandon her career for marriage.
These romantic plotlines could have felt like distractions from the central sisterly relationship, but Kelly integrates them skillfully, using them to highlight how wartime both accelerated relationships and exposed fundamental values. Through these romances, both sisters must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for love and what is non-negotiable.
Historical Authenticity and Period Detail
“The Dressmakers of London” excels in its depiction of daily life during the war years. Kelly portrays a London where:
- Clothing coupons dictate wardrobe choices
- Blackout curtains are necessities
- Air raids are routine interruptions
- Barrage balloons dot the skyline
- Public transportation is unreliable but essential
- Class distinctions persist despite wartime rhetoric of unity
The novel’s handling of Izzie’s service in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force feels particularly well-researched. Kelly portrays both the tedium of training and the genuine danger of working with barrage balloons, creating a convincing picture of women’s wartime service that avoids both glorification and trivialization.
Stylistic Elements: Letters and Dual Perspectives
Structurally, Kelly alternates between the sisters’ perspectives and incorporates letters that allow readers to witness their evolving relationship. These epistolary elements are particularly effective, capturing each sister’s voice while revealing what they choose to share and what they withhold. The letters also serve a practical narrative purpose, enabling the story to continue when the sisters are physically separated by Izzie’s service.
Kelly’s prose is fluid and accessible, occasionally rising to moments of genuine lyricism, particularly when describing clothing or emotional epiphanies. The pacing is generally strong, though some readers might find the first third of the novel slightly slow before the dual catalysts of Izzie’s conscription and Sylvia’s discovery of Hugo’s infidelity accelerate the plot.
A Few Loose Threads: The Novel’s Limitations
Despite its many strengths, “The Dressmakers of London” isn’t without flaws. The supporting cast, while colorful, sometimes lacks the depth of the protagonists. Miss Reid, the cranky but talented seamstress, and Alexandra, Izzie’s aristocratic WAAF friend, are memorable but occasionally border on types rather than fully realized characters.
The novel’s treatment of class issues, while generally nuanced, occasionally simplifies the complexities of Britain’s rigid social stratification. Lady Winman, the former magazine writer who marries an earl, serves as a somewhat idealized bridge between social worlds. The contrast between the snobbish Lady Nolan and the progressive Lady Winman, while effective dramatically, creates a somewhat binary division between “good” and “bad” aristocrats.
Additionally, some plot resolutions—particularly the fashion show that saves the shop’s reputation—arrive a bit too neatly. While Kelly avoids an entirely fairy-tale ending (Izzie doesn’t get her American), the novel’s conclusion might strike some readers as overly optimistic given the continued hardships of post-war Britain.
Final Assessment: A Well-Crafted Historical Novel
Despite these minor shortcomings, “The Dressmakers of London” succeeds as both an engaging story and a window into a specific historical moment. Kelly balances personal drama with historical context, creating a novel that entertains while educating.
The book will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy:
- Historical fiction set during World War II
- Stories featuring complex female relationships
- Fashion history and the mechanics of dressmaking
- British home front narratives
- Character-driven plots with romantic elements
For fans of Kelly’s previous work, “The Dressmakers of London” continues her exploration of women finding agency during historical upheaval, though with a more intimate focus than some of her earlier novels. Readers who enjoyed Natasha Lester’s “The Paris Seamstress” or Jennifer Ryan’s “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” will find similar pleasures here.
In the Seams: Final Thoughts
Julia Kelly has crafted a satisfying historical novel that uses the intimate setting of a dress shop to explore larger themes of family obligation, personal reinvention, and wartime sacrifice. Though her protagonists initially seem to represent opposing paths for women—traditional domesticity versus modern independence—Kelly gradually reveals how both sisters must integrate aspects of each other’s strengths to find fulfillment.
“The Dressmakers of London” reminds us that fashion, often dismissed as frivolous, has been historically significant not just economically but also as a means of self-expression during times when many other freedoms were curtailed. By focusing on the practical business of clothing bodies during wartime, Kelly creates a novel that feels simultaneously specific to its historical moment and relevant to contemporary concerns about consumption, sustainability, and the value of women’s work.
Like the best garments from Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions, this novel is carefully constructed, attentive to detail, and designed to endure beyond a single season.