Blog Tour: “The Dress” by Kate Kerrigan

Hello Everyone,

Today I have the pleasure of opening the Blog Tour for “The Dress” by Kate Kerrigan. I have truly enjoyed reading this novel and I really hope that my review made it justice. This is a beautiful tale and I really hope you will pick it up, read it and enjoy it as much as I did.

Enjoy!!

I have only finished reading “The Dress” a few hours ago and I can say that I have become an instant fan of Kate Kerrigan.

“The Dress” has just made it to my list of 2015 favourite reads (very small list by the way! :)) and I am about to tell you why.

This novel is a tale told throughout two generations of women linked by the most beautiful dress ever made. It will tell you the story of how a garment can make you or break you.

Meet Joy Fitzpatrick New York socialite and Honor Conlon budding designer in the 1950’s. They have forged a friendship over the making of that “One of a kind dress”. However this gorgeous gown gets lost in time. About 60 years later Lily Fitzpatrick designer turned vintage fashion blogger takes on the challenge of making a replica of the dress understanding that it has a story to tell.

I probably will not be able to convey how wonderful this book is through this short review as rambling about it would simply dilute what I would like to share, however here are a few things I felt just jumped out.

The author shared her love of fashion through beautiful story telling. Throughout this book, I felt that I was not only on a journey through time but also travelling to all those places that made each piece of the dress, from the material, exquisite lace and jewellery belonging to Joy in the 1950s to the intimate talisman of love Lily used in our time.

I also really enjoyed how as the reader I was introduced to the 1950’s glitz and glamour with that layer of ugliness behind. This was really well told in Joy and her husband’s Frank Fitzpatrick’s story. He, who was always going to be lost unless he understood that the demons he left behind miles away in Ireland were going to be with him unless he faced them.

This point in time is also the dawn of the feminist movement and Honor and Joy’s tale is a real testament to that period.

However what I felt really came through and what the novel explored throughout is the notion of a woman’s happiness and freedom, what it was back then and what it is now. And the truth is, its essence has remained the same. Freedom to be, freedom to choose and remaining true to oneself. This is a fabulous and moving story and it will stay with me for a while.

LaChouett