By Her Own Design

By Her Own Design (2022) by Piper Huguley is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Ann Lowe, a pioneering African American fashion designer who overcame racial barriers to achieve remarkable success in the mid-20th century. The narrative follows Ann’s journey from the segregated South to the heights of New York’s high-society fashion scene. During her journey, Ann becomes the designer behind Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress.

This guide refers to the 2022 Kindle e-book edition published by Haper Collins.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss enslavement, racism, rape, verbal abuse, and deaths of family members.

Plot Summary

Ann Lowe, a young girl in Alabama, is born into a seamstress family. Her mother, Janie, who she calls “Mama”; her grandmother Georgia, who she calls “Grandma”; and her older half-sister, Sallie, work for elite women. As the youngest, Ann isn’t allowed to work directly on the clothing. Instead, she makes popular cloth flowers from fabric scraps. She sells the flowers often.

One day, a man named Andrew Lee Cone (called Lee hereafter) comes to their home speaking about Ann’s father, whom she has never met. Ann is only 12, but she becomes infatuated with Lee. Mama warns her not to get too close to Lee, but he sweet-talks Ann, pursues her, and insists that they get married. Ann agrees, thinking that if she’s a married woman, her family will let her sew more. Mama kicks her out of the house and disowns her for not listening to her warnings. Lee quickly changes, and he isn’t kind or gentle anymore. He physically and sexually abuses Ann.

Grandma Georgia brings Ann a tea that will prevent her from getting pregnant. Since he’s a tailor, Lee keeps Ann busy working on his suits. Ann’s creativity is stifled. Over time, Mama comes to visit her daughter, imploring Lee to let Ann come and work on high-society ladies’ gowns again since women are asking for Ann’s flowers. Lee grudgingly lets Ann go.

At age 16, Ann decides that she wouldn’t mind being a mother. She stops drinking the tea and gets pregnant. She gives birth to Arthur. Janie and Grandma explain that she is so young that her body will never carry another child. Arthur is an easy, sweet child who never gives Ann trouble. Lee barely connects with Arthur.

Grandma Georgia has a stroke, leaving the work to Ann and Mama. Not long after, Mama dies suddenly. Ann is heartbroken, but she continues with their sewing duties. Grandma dies not long after, so Ann goes back to work for Lee.

One day at the market, a woman named Mrs. Josephine Lee notices Ann’s suit. She is amazed that Ann is the designer. Mrs. Lee sees promise in Ann and invites her to move from Alabama to Tampa to work for her and her family of many children as their seamstress. Ann takes the opportunity and runs away with Arthur to Tampa. For her, this is a dream come true.

Mrs. Lee’s family provides Ann with a room in their home, food, and all her other needs. The family is extremely wealthy. Over the years, Ann sews their clothing, including debutante dresses and wedding gowns for the eldest children. When Ann is 21, Mrs. Lee encourages her to go to design school in New York City. Ann is uncertain, but Mrs. Lee’s patronage helps her get accepted at S. T. Taylor Design School.

Ann leaves Arthur with Lee’s kind mother for six months while she stays in New York. Lee sends Ann divorce papers, like she wanted, and takes a new child bride.

At first, Ann faces racism at the design college, but she’s finally allowed to study. She works from a separate classroom, but the other classmates and Mr. Taylor notice her incredible designs. They’re amazed that Ann never uses patterns and can make cloth flowers. Mr. Taylor allows Ann to advance in her classes due to her experience, and she graduates early.

When she returns to Tampa, Ann marries a man from her church named Caleb West, who adores her. Mrs. Lee hosts their wedding, and Ann designs her gown, a beauty that brings her more business. Ann, Caleb, and Arthur are happy. Ann dreams of having her own couture shop someday.

A few years later, Ann and her family move to New York City to pursue her dress shop ambition. They earn a living and have savings for Arthur to go to college. Ann receives more high-class clients, including actresses. Caleb and Ann have wonderful years of love, but Ann can’t focus much on Caleb. She is often consumed by her sewing and design ideas. They adopt an orphan named Ruth since Ann can’t conceive anymore. Ruth learns the sewing trade. Arthur grows up and attends college, but he continues to help in Ann’s dress shop, especially with accounting.

One day, Ann finds Caleb cheating on her. He explains that he hasn’t had her attention in some time, and they get a divorce. Caleb moves away, though Ruth sees him every summer. Ann continues to work with high profile clientele. She’s never named directly as a designer in the papers, even though she’d like credit.

Mrs. Janet Bouvier, mother of Jacqueline Bouvier (soon to be Kennedy), comes into the shop for her upcoming wedding. They make a connection, and Mrs. Bouvier is a loyal customer. Ann designs Jacqueline’s debutante dress and then her sister’s wedding dress.

Sallie, Ann’s sister, who had many children and is now a grandmother, moves to New York for an adventure and to sew with her sister again. Ann is thrilled to have Sallie’s help.

Years later, Ann is asked to design Jacqueline’s wedding dress for her marriage to Senator John Kennedy. Ann does her very best, unique work as always, though John has more say in the dress than Jacqueline.

About a week before Jacqueline’s wedding, a pipe bursts in Ann’s dress shop. She gets help from church ladies, her staff, and others to finish the dresses just in time. At the wedding venue, Jacqueline doesn’t like the dress. This is the first bad review of Ann’s work, so she fixes up the areas that Jacqueline doesn’t like, such as the bodice. Jacqueline is upset that her father doesn’t attend her wedding, but Ann tells her that her father is present in her heart.

Arthur dies in a car accident. After this loss, Ann can barely function. Arthur’s wife, Cora, comes by. She believes that Ann took Arthur’s time and energy instead of letting her have time with him. Ann realizes that Cora was the one who burst the pipe in her store. Cora wanted revenge. Joined by grief, they settle their conflict and work together in the store afterward.

Over time, Ann loses her eyesight and gets glaucoma. Nevertheless, she keeps working and training because it is her passion. Although she has her right eye removed and surgery on her left, she doesn’t retire until she’s almost 70.

Nell, Mrs. Lee’s youngest daughter, invites Ann back to Tampa, where they’re hosting a ball in her honor with all her designs. Ann is delighted. At the ball, they show off her accomplishments, from going to Paris to cover the fashion week to designing presidential dresses. Ann gives a speech about being accepted, seen, and grateful for the help of people like Mrs. Lee.