0.5. Pin’s Promise
Penelope “Pin” Billings and Jonathan Evers have loved one another since childhood in the English village surrounding Crompton Hall. Pin’s talent lies in sewing and teaching other women; Jonathan has trained as a doctor and hopes to serve neighbours who cannot easily obtain care. Their long-standing…
1. The Pattern Artist
English housemaid Annie Wood arrives in New York in 1911 with the wealthy family she serves, but the city’s scale and energy make lifelong domestic service seem less inevitable. She leaves the household, finds work in Macy’s sewing department and attracts the attention of the Butterick…
2. The Fashion Designer
In 1912 Annie Wood Culver is offered financial backing to launch a clothing line with her husband Sean and her colleagues Maude and Edna. Leaving secure positions for an untested business gives the women creative control, but it also makes every design decision, delay and personal…
3. The Shop Keepers
In 1919 the women of the Unruffled dress shop try to rebuild ordinary life after the First World War. Annie waits for news of Sean, who is still missing; Henrietta’s husband has returned with psychological wounds; Maude faces family conflict and a threatening figure from her…