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Dressing the Dearloves
One crumbling grand manor house, a family in decline, five generations of women, and an attic full ofbeautiful clothes with secrets and lies hidden in their folds. Kelly Doust, author of Precious Things, spins another warm, glamorous and romantic mystery of secrets, love, fashion, families - and how we have to trust in ourselves, even in our darkest of days. One for lovers of Kate Morton, Belinda Alexandra, Fiona McIntosh and Lucy Foley.
Failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England - broke, ashamed and in disgrace - only to be told her parents are finally selling their once-grand, now crumbling country house, Bledesford, the ancestral home of the Dearlove family for countless generations.
Sylvie has spent her whole life trying to escape being a Dearlove, and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, charismatic and successful women. Beset by self-doubt, she starts helping her parents prepare Bledesford for sale, when she finds in a forgotten attic a thrilling cache of old steamer trunks and tea chests full of elaborate dresses and accessories acquired from across the globe by five generations of fashionable Dearlove women. Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret which has been hidden - in plain sight - for decades, a secret that will change the way she thinks about herself, her family, and her future.
Romantic, warm, and glamorous, moving from Edwardian England to the London Blitz to present day London, Dressing the Dearloves is a story of corrosiveness of family secrets, the insecurities that can sabotage our best efforts, and the seductive power of dressing up.
Praise for Precious Things:
'Precious Things tells the compelling story of a modern woman while weaving the fascinating and mysterious stories of many women from the past two centuries. What links each of them is a beautiful, precious thing - a bejeweled and mysterious coronet ... A wonderful and unusual story... an impressive debut.' Good Reading
'Wonderful storytelling - I was bewitched' Charlotte Smith, bestselling author of Dreaming of Dior
'Beautifully written and downright enchanting. Every character had a story and each story connected and drew me in to the point that I couldn't put the book down until I found out all their endings.' mybookdiary.com
Failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England - broke, ashamed and in disgrace - only to be told her parents are finally selling their once-grand, now crumbling country house, Bledesford, the ancestral home of the Dearlove family for countless generations.
Sylvie has spent her whole life trying to escape being a Dearlove, and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, charismatic and successful women. Beset by self-doubt, she starts helping her parents prepare Bledesford for sale, when she finds in a forgotten attic a thrilling cache of old steamer trunks and tea chests full of elaborate dresses and accessories acquired from across the globe by five generations of fashionable Dearlove women. Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret which has been hidden - in plain sight - for decades, a secret that will change the way she thinks about herself, her family, and her future.
Romantic, warm, and glamorous, moving from Edwardian England to the London Blitz to present day London, Dressing the Dearloves is a story of corrosiveness of family secrets, the insecurities that can sabotage our best efforts, and the seductive power of dressing up.
Praise for Precious Things:
'Precious Things tells the compelling story of a modern woman while weaving the fascinating and mysterious stories of many women from the past two centuries. What links each of them is a beautiful, precious thing - a bejeweled and mysterious coronet ... A wonderful and unusual story... an impressive debut.' Good Reading
'Wonderful storytelling - I was bewitched' Charlotte Smith, bestselling author of Dreaming of Dior
'Beautifully written and downright enchanting. Every character had a story and each story connected and drew me in to the point that I couldn't put the book down until I found out all their endings.' mybookdiary.com
416 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 2018
13 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Doust
15 books32 followersKelly Doust is the author of the novels 'Dressing the Dearloves' and 'Precious Things'; 'A Life in Frocks' (a memoir); vintage fashion bible 'Minxy Vintage: how to customise & wear vintage clothing' and The Crafty Minx series of craft books.
With a background in book publishing and publicity, Kelly has worked in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia, and has freelanced for Vogue, Australian Women’s Weekly and Sunday Life Magazine.
She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and daughter and works as a Lifestyle Publisher for Murdoch Books.
With a background in book publishing and publicity, Kelly has worked in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia, and has freelanced for Vogue, Australian Women’s Weekly and Sunday Life Magazine.
She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and daughter and works as a Lifestyle Publisher for Murdoch Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 10, 2018
*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Kelly Doust has had much involvement in fashion and publishing so to write a fictional novel with fashion at its core seems like a natural progression.
Dressing the Dearloves is a rich multi-generational story that moves effortlessly from present-day to the late 1920’s through to the early 1940’s spanning five generations of Dearloves.
Sylvie Dearlove returns home to England, her life in New York in ruins. Her fashion label has crashed and she has been declared bankrupt. Haunted by failure and wracked by guilt she runs to the only place she feels safe, the family’s estate Bledesford, only to find it in rack and ruin her parents barely able to afford the upkeep. Doust highlights the dire straits some families found themselves in trying to keep up with mounting expenses on these rambling estates and the work of the National Trust in helping owners open their homes to the public for viewing, tea rooms and weddings.
The Dearlove women are all strong, outspoken women. They are all very arty and clothing and fashion is a passion passed down through the generations. All the beautiful gowns and day wear have been stored in the attic from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. I loved how the items of clothing were tied to memorable moments in the Dearlove women’s lives and Doust seamlessly moved from an unearthed fashion piece to the relevant time and story concerning that piece.
Dressing the Dearloves is an engaging story of love and war and doing what’s expected in times where skeletons were pushed firmly to the back of the closet only to be released with a lot of poking and questions asked.
The story evolved with the unique addition of internet search items, newspaper excerpts and diary entries. I particularly liked the for sale advertisement for Bledesford which described the estate beautifully.
I was captivated by this story from beginning to end and my mind was reeling as the secrets just kept coming and coming.
*This review is part of the Beauty & Lace Book Club. You can read the original review here
Kelly Doust has had much involvement in fashion and publishing so to write a fictional novel with fashion at its core seems like a natural progression.
Dressing the Dearloves is a rich multi-generational story that moves effortlessly from present-day to the late 1920’s through to the early 1940’s spanning five generations of Dearloves.
Sylvie Dearlove returns home to England, her life in New York in ruins. Her fashion label has crashed and she has been declared bankrupt. Haunted by failure and wracked by guilt she runs to the only place she feels safe, the family’s estate Bledesford, only to find it in rack and ruin her parents barely able to afford the upkeep. Doust highlights the dire straits some families found themselves in trying to keep up with mounting expenses on these rambling estates and the work of the National Trust in helping owners open their homes to the public for viewing, tea rooms and weddings.
The Dearlove women are all strong, outspoken women. They are all very arty and clothing and fashion is a passion passed down through the generations. All the beautiful gowns and day wear have been stored in the attic from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. I loved how the items of clothing were tied to memorable moments in the Dearlove women’s lives and Doust seamlessly moved from an unearthed fashion piece to the relevant time and story concerning that piece.
Dressing the Dearloves is an engaging story of love and war and doing what’s expected in times where skeletons were pushed firmly to the back of the closet only to be released with a lot of poking and questions asked.
The story evolved with the unique addition of internet search items, newspaper excerpts and diary entries. I particularly liked the for sale advertisement for Bledesford which described the estate beautifully.
I was captivated by this story from beginning to end and my mind was reeling as the secrets just kept coming and coming.
*This review is part of the Beauty & Lace Book Club. You can read the original review here
April 25, 2019
Sylvie Dearlove was shattered when her fashion business failed, so she fled the US for her childhood home in England, leaving her boyfriend Ben behind. Heading back to Bledesford with her best friend from London, they were both shocked at the state of the beautiful old country house. Sylvie hadn’t seen her parents in years, so had no idea the home was in such a state of disrepair. With her great-grandmother, Lizzie – in her nineties and frail – plus her mother and father, living in Bledesford, and grandmother Gigi in a cottage on the property, Sylvie had been trying to convince them for a decade to sell. Now that it was going to happen, she was a little disconcerted – especially after the discovery in the attic.
Uncovering secrets from her family’s long ago past, along with the dusty and faded clothing of an era when women’s dress was elaborate and the height of fashion, Sylvie felt bemused by it all. But she was also excited. Could it change the family’s future – the future of Bledesford? The more she learned about the past, the more she knew she needed the answers before her future was assured.
I struggled at the beginning of Dressing the Dearloves by Aussie author Kelly Doust, putting it aside and reading another book before getting back to it today. I’m glad I kept going as it improved greatly from about half way through. I didn’t like Sylvie that much at the beginning either, but she came into her own as the novel moved forward. And Lizzie wasn’t a nice character at all. But the rest of the characters, both current day and in the long ago past were well drawn – Victoria was exceptional. Dressing the Dearloves is a slow burning historical fiction novel which I can confidently recommend.
Uncovering secrets from her family’s long ago past, along with the dusty and faded clothing of an era when women’s dress was elaborate and the height of fashion, Sylvie felt bemused by it all. But she was also excited. Could it change the family’s future – the future of Bledesford? The more she learned about the past, the more she knew she needed the answers before her future was assured.
I struggled at the beginning of Dressing the Dearloves by Aussie author Kelly Doust, putting it aside and reading another book before getting back to it today. I’m glad I kept going as it improved greatly from about half way through. I didn’t like Sylvie that much at the beginning either, but she came into her own as the novel moved forward. And Lizzie wasn’t a nice character at all. But the rest of the characters, both current day and in the long ago past were well drawn – Victoria was exceptional. Dressing the Dearloves is a slow burning historical fiction novel which I can confidently recommend.
August 26, 2018
I so enjoyed Dressing the Dearloves as it contains many of my favourite themes woven into its story: fashion, an old crumbling English estate, a few family secrets, a story that dips into the past, and a later than usual coming of age. Kelly Doust has such a warm writing style, witty and absorbing, as though you are a fly on the wall in these characters lives. Dressing the Dearloves is a comfortable novel, for want of a better description, a little slice of literature you want to crawl into. It’s sparkling and fun and has all the feels at all the right moments.
Sylvie Dearlove has returned home to lick her wounds and do her best to hide her fashion business failings from her family. She’s ashamed, not doing too well with her health, and she’s nursing a guilty conscience about quite a few things. When she arrives back at her family’s historic estate after a six year absence, it’s to find it extremely run down with her parents doing barely there patch up jobs in order to put it on the market. What a house! It seems incredible that a family would have ever thought they needed so much space. And when you consider the historical aspect, that some of these houses were built as far back as the 1600s, then the value of saving them is significant. Some have architectural and/or garden designs from historically noteworthy figures. And then there’s what these houses contain, in terms of artefacts and antiquities. I love this sort of thing, although I do have a hard time wrapping my head around the money that some families must have had down through time and the means by which they sourced it in order to have afforded all of this. For families who have these houses today, the maintenance is beyond most financial means, the taxes are crippling, selling an estate rarely wipes the debt because there are so many taxes associated with it; and in the end, old English estates are no longer tied up with old English wealth, so the owners can realistically be living in grand poverty, contained to a few rooms while vermin invade the rest. Historically, it’s certainly a loss for the English countryside. There is a push on listing estates with the National Trust so that owners can turn them back into working estates with a tourism/event/cottage market/tea house focus. It’s a brilliant idea but means a lot of hard work and only suits families who really want to hang on to their heritage, and who also have an estate that is historically noteworthy in some quantifiable manner.
“Sylvie looked down, far out over the Colm Valley, and shook her head. What a legacy this place was. Not perfect, but something worth saving. Funny, she used to feel the opposite; now she was utterly petrified they were going to lose it.”
For the Dearloves, there is a certain social history aspect attached to their estate because the family have been well known down through time as ‘society folk’. When Sylvie’s mother Wendy asks her to get stuck into cleaning out the attic, Sylvie unearths a wealth of fashion history. Now, this gave me goosebumps, because these were extremely wealthy women back in the day, trendsetters for the English upper class scene, so these are not ordinary clothes and they span decades, with original couture and famous pieces that can be traced back to monumental moments captured in paintings and society photographs. For Sylvie, going through these clothes becomes a real turning point for her. She lives and breathes fashion, but desperately needs a new career focus. It’s all just a matter of joining up the dots and having a little faith, trust and pixie dust…in the form of some focused friends who know just when to push Sylvie’s motivation buttons.
“She finally began to understand where her passion for clothes and dressmaking had been born – it was stored in her very blood. Somehow it gave Sylvie the confidence to know she was on the right path after all.”
The three lynchpins of this novel are the estate, the vintage clothes collection, and the family itself. The Dearloves are very much a family of matriarchs, with great-grandmother Lizzie at the helm, despite being on her deathbed. While I’m loathe to normally dislike an ailing woman in her 90s, with Lizzie, it was unavoidable. Through well timed slips back to the 1920s and 1940s, along with the present day, we are able to form a fairly complete picture of Lizzie, and honestly, it wasn’t pretty. So twisted by her own spite and jealousy, bitter about never being everyone’s favourite, and obsessed with class to the point of surpassing snobbery, she was as toxic as they come. But the story itself, of these women and what had unfolded within their lives, was incredible, and so sad too. This family was so bad at communication, saying things when they shouldn’t and withholding the things they needed to impart. I really enjoyed seeing Sylvie unravel all of this with her parents and her grandmother Gigi, airing everything out in order for them all to begin afresh. And one of the most beautiful things to have come out of this emotional declutter was Sylvie’s realisation that her grandmother Gigi is a wonderfully wise woman and she almost missed knowing it, being too wrapped up in Lizzie’s grandiose and outdated snobbery. There’s a couple of poignant secrets that comes to light and another that remains hidden, and all in all, I adored this family’s story.
“Sylvie lingered for a moment on the landing to look at the portrait of Rose. All that success she’d been chasing in her life, Sylvie thought ruefully, all the effort she’d expended, to project the perfect image, to create the perfect life, striving to live up to the legacy of those perfect, impressive Dearloves – Rose, her father, even Gigi – and it had all been for nothing. Such a pointless way to live. They weren’t perfect, they were flawed, messy people in complicated situations, just doing the best that they could. Sylvie looked up at Rose’s portrait, and where before when she looked at it all she could see was cool composure and mocking regard, now she thought the expression on her great-great-grandmother’s face was of sympathy and understanding.”
Dressing the Dearloves is a novel that is arranged in a very engaging layout. Present day chapters alternate with those from the past, but interspersed between these are old news clippings from society pages, current news stories on Sylvie’s failed career, articles on country life from bygone days featuring the Dearlove family, letters and diaries, excerpts out of memoirs – a whole host of information presented in different formats designed to give an alternate perspective, yet complete picture, of this story. It was incredibly well done. I highly recommend Dressing the Dearloves to those who love their novels draped in fashion, steeped in the atmosphere of old estates, with a smattering of family secrets to uncover. Brilliant, warm, witty, and beautiful!
Thanks is extended to HarperCollins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Dressing the Dearloves for review.
Sylvie Dearlove has returned home to lick her wounds and do her best to hide her fashion business failings from her family. She’s ashamed, not doing too well with her health, and she’s nursing a guilty conscience about quite a few things. When she arrives back at her family’s historic estate after a six year absence, it’s to find it extremely run down with her parents doing barely there patch up jobs in order to put it on the market. What a house! It seems incredible that a family would have ever thought they needed so much space. And when you consider the historical aspect, that some of these houses were built as far back as the 1600s, then the value of saving them is significant. Some have architectural and/or garden designs from historically noteworthy figures. And then there’s what these houses contain, in terms of artefacts and antiquities. I love this sort of thing, although I do have a hard time wrapping my head around the money that some families must have had down through time and the means by which they sourced it in order to have afforded all of this. For families who have these houses today, the maintenance is beyond most financial means, the taxes are crippling, selling an estate rarely wipes the debt because there are so many taxes associated with it; and in the end, old English estates are no longer tied up with old English wealth, so the owners can realistically be living in grand poverty, contained to a few rooms while vermin invade the rest. Historically, it’s certainly a loss for the English countryside. There is a push on listing estates with the National Trust so that owners can turn them back into working estates with a tourism/event/cottage market/tea house focus. It’s a brilliant idea but means a lot of hard work and only suits families who really want to hang on to their heritage, and who also have an estate that is historically noteworthy in some quantifiable manner.
“Sylvie looked down, far out over the Colm Valley, and shook her head. What a legacy this place was. Not perfect, but something worth saving. Funny, she used to feel the opposite; now she was utterly petrified they were going to lose it.”
For the Dearloves, there is a certain social history aspect attached to their estate because the family have been well known down through time as ‘society folk’. When Sylvie’s mother Wendy asks her to get stuck into cleaning out the attic, Sylvie unearths a wealth of fashion history. Now, this gave me goosebumps, because these were extremely wealthy women back in the day, trendsetters for the English upper class scene, so these are not ordinary clothes and they span decades, with original couture and famous pieces that can be traced back to monumental moments captured in paintings and society photographs. For Sylvie, going through these clothes becomes a real turning point for her. She lives and breathes fashion, but desperately needs a new career focus. It’s all just a matter of joining up the dots and having a little faith, trust and pixie dust…in the form of some focused friends who know just when to push Sylvie’s motivation buttons.
“She finally began to understand where her passion for clothes and dressmaking had been born – it was stored in her very blood. Somehow it gave Sylvie the confidence to know she was on the right path after all.”
The three lynchpins of this novel are the estate, the vintage clothes collection, and the family itself. The Dearloves are very much a family of matriarchs, with great-grandmother Lizzie at the helm, despite being on her deathbed. While I’m loathe to normally dislike an ailing woman in her 90s, with Lizzie, it was unavoidable. Through well timed slips back to the 1920s and 1940s, along with the present day, we are able to form a fairly complete picture of Lizzie, and honestly, it wasn’t pretty. So twisted by her own spite and jealousy, bitter about never being everyone’s favourite, and obsessed with class to the point of surpassing snobbery, she was as toxic as they come. But the story itself, of these women and what had unfolded within their lives, was incredible, and so sad too. This family was so bad at communication, saying things when they shouldn’t and withholding the things they needed to impart. I really enjoyed seeing Sylvie unravel all of this with her parents and her grandmother Gigi, airing everything out in order for them all to begin afresh. And one of the most beautiful things to have come out of this emotional declutter was Sylvie’s realisation that her grandmother Gigi is a wonderfully wise woman and she almost missed knowing it, being too wrapped up in Lizzie’s grandiose and outdated snobbery. There’s a couple of poignant secrets that comes to light and another that remains hidden, and all in all, I adored this family’s story.
“Sylvie lingered for a moment on the landing to look at the portrait of Rose. All that success she’d been chasing in her life, Sylvie thought ruefully, all the effort she’d expended, to project the perfect image, to create the perfect life, striving to live up to the legacy of those perfect, impressive Dearloves – Rose, her father, even Gigi – and it had all been for nothing. Such a pointless way to live. They weren’t perfect, they were flawed, messy people in complicated situations, just doing the best that they could. Sylvie looked up at Rose’s portrait, and where before when she looked at it all she could see was cool composure and mocking regard, now she thought the expression on her great-great-grandmother’s face was of sympathy and understanding.”
Dressing the Dearloves is a novel that is arranged in a very engaging layout. Present day chapters alternate with those from the past, but interspersed between these are old news clippings from society pages, current news stories on Sylvie’s failed career, articles on country life from bygone days featuring the Dearlove family, letters and diaries, excerpts out of memoirs – a whole host of information presented in different formats designed to give an alternate perspective, yet complete picture, of this story. It was incredibly well done. I highly recommend Dressing the Dearloves to those who love their novels draped in fashion, steeped in the atmosphere of old estates, with a smattering of family secrets to uncover. Brilliant, warm, witty, and beautiful!
Thanks is extended to HarperCollins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Dressing the Dearloves for review.
April 14, 2019
Another wonderful read from Kelly Doust, appealing to my visual preference with her rich and detailed descriptions of clothing, decor and landscape.
Fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove returns from New York to her crumbling ancestral home in Somerset after the humiliating collapse of her eponymous fashion label. She hasn't visited Bledesford in 6 years, so she's surprised to see how far the estate has been let go. But as it happens, her arrival coincides with her parents' decision to sell up, so Sylvie is asked to help make the property ready for sale. In particular, she is to sort out the attic, where the clothes of generations of Dearlove women have been stored. Meanwhile, Sylvie's childhood friend Nick, now a successful landscape designer, has been called on to help with the external makeover.
After watching an acclaimed and sympathetic TV documentary on Nancy Astor, Sylvie's mother mentions that the director had approached her about doing something similar on the life of Rose Dearlove, Sylvie's great-great-grandmother. While she thought it could be helpful in generating interest in the sale of Bledesford, she hadn't taken it any further in anticipation of objections from Rose's still-living daughter, Lizzie. But when the director contrives a chance meeting with Sylvie in London, and reveals some interesting research, Sylvie starts to take an interest in her family's recent history.
These are the two big strands of the story; the makeover and the family tree. Doust weaves them together to create a really satisfying tale of five generations of strong women, against a glamorous backdrop that most readers will only know from their imagination or the silver screen. I loved it!
Fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove returns from New York to her crumbling ancestral home in Somerset after the humiliating collapse of her eponymous fashion label. She hasn't visited Bledesford in 6 years, so she's surprised to see how far the estate has been let go. But as it happens, her arrival coincides with her parents' decision to sell up, so Sylvie is asked to help make the property ready for sale. In particular, she is to sort out the attic, where the clothes of generations of Dearlove women have been stored. Meanwhile, Sylvie's childhood friend Nick, now a successful landscape designer, has been called on to help with the external makeover.
After watching an acclaimed and sympathetic TV documentary on Nancy Astor, Sylvie's mother mentions that the director had approached her about doing something similar on the life of Rose Dearlove, Sylvie's great-great-grandmother. While she thought it could be helpful in generating interest in the sale of Bledesford, she hadn't taken it any further in anticipation of objections from Rose's still-living daughter, Lizzie. But when the director contrives a chance meeting with Sylvie in London, and reveals some interesting research, Sylvie starts to take an interest in her family's recent history.
These are the two big strands of the story; the makeover and the family tree. Doust weaves them together to create a really satisfying tale of five generations of strong women, against a glamorous backdrop that most readers will only know from their imagination or the silver screen. I loved it!
October 8, 2018
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4.5 stars
Kelly Doust, the author of Dressing the Dearloves, has a true passion for fashion. Her debut novel has fashion as a focus and she also has quite the collection of non fiction books up her sleeve concerning craft, vintage clothing and fashion. Kelly Doust’s second work of fiction is a gleaming testament to the fashion world, with a particular focus on vintage couture. Combined with a meaningful coming of age story, a cache of family secrets, a crumbling British estate and some romantic complications, Dressing the Dearloves is a novel not to be missed!
It is a dramatic fall from grace for failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove. Once the darling of the fashion world, Sylvie returns home to Britain with her tail between her legs. She is broke and her fashion empire is in tatters. When she arrives home, she discovers her family’s estate is in just the same state of disrepair as her life. Her parents also reveal that they have no choice but to sell the family estate, as it continues to sink in debt. As Sylvie joins in the preparations to make Bledesford sale worthy, she discovers a treasure chest of sorts in her family’s attic. There are dresses, outfits and accessories, worn by each generation of the Dearlove women. This is a life changing discovery, as it heralds the transformation of Sylvie and it also signals the revelation of a closely held family secret. Dressing the Dearloves moves effortlessly from present day London, through to the perilous times of the Blitz and the gaiety of the Edwardian times.
I do have a weakness for fashion, mostly dresses and vintage fashion is an area that I find absolutely fascinating. Combining this overall theme with a genuinely compelling story of a young woman’s search for identity, an explosive family secret and the fight to save a struggling British estate, I knew I was going to love Dressing the Dearloves. This is a novel that I cherished for the time I spent reading it. There is plenty to keep readers absorbed; from the mystery, intrigue, romance, historical references, family politics and of course the fashion!
Sylvie Dearlove, the fashion designer in disgrace, is the central protagonist that propels Dressing the Dearloves forward. Sylvie’s story is colourful and fascinating. Her work in the fashion world is interesting, along with her rise to fame and her spectacular fall from grace. I liked how Doust structured Dressing the Dearloves. We receive a great insight into Sylvie and her family via flashbacks, newspaper reports, media releases, documentary coverage, blog entries, articles, letters and more. Combined with a shift from the past to the present, this novel will keep you on your toes, in a good way!
The focal point of this novel for me personally was the discovery of the vintage clothing, nestled between the old trunks and tea chests in the attic of Bledesford. If you can visualise it, I was literally rubbing my hands together in glee! This is no doubt my favourite style of novel. I just adore it when a discovery is made in the present day that sets off a chain in motion to events in the past, it gets me every time! The unearthing of these key fashion pieces offers quite the lifeline to Sylvie. There is a metamorphosis process attached to Sylvie through these items and it helps her to reconsider how it would be possible to save her family home. Once her creativity and faith is ignited again it seems Sylvie can achieve anything and this was truly great to bear witness to. A nice side serve of romance also comes into play for Sylvie and I liked this touch very much.
Dressing the Dearloves presents a rich fabric of the past. Through the five generations of the Dearloves and the impetuous of the vintage articles unearthed in the attic, the reader is taken on a timeless journey into the past. We are graced with the opportunity to visit the dangerous moments of the Blitz, through to high society Britain in Edwardian times. I enjoyed basking in the glory of each and every one of these historical sequences. I also appreciated playing an active role in piecing together these key historical moments and how they formed the characters today.
Doust has a firm handle on her characters and I loved how this book offered a tribute to women, both in the past and the present day. Dressing the Dearloves presents a fascinating glimpse into a complicated family tree and despite the communication issues, as well as unnecessary squabbles, the Dearlove women endured. The final curtain call offered a sense of optimism for the Dearlove family.
Before I close off this review it would be remiss of me not to give recognition to Bledesford, the main locale for the book and the nucleus of this story. Bledesford has a commanding presence and it was presented to perfection by Kelly Doust. It was great to have my attention to drawn to the plight of these opulent manors and estates that are dotted up and down Britain. Through Bledesford, Doust exposes the pitfalls and issues these estates face. In particular, Doust covers the bind that the owners of these properties confront with having their private lives opened up to the public, in order to generate revenue from their family homes. We now see estates just like Bledesford that act as function rooms, museums and cafes. It is a difficult decision, but with the help of the National Trust and the public’s support, hopefully these stately homes can be saved from ruin.
Told with plenty of finesse and finite detail, Dressing the Dearloves is a chic novel, showcasing the charismatic flair and passion of the author, Kelly Doust. I look forward to many more fashion infused stories from the craftsmanship of Kelly Doust.
Dressing the Dearloves, is book #122 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
Kelly Doust, the author of Dressing the Dearloves, has a true passion for fashion. Her debut novel has fashion as a focus and she also has quite the collection of non fiction books up her sleeve concerning craft, vintage clothing and fashion. Kelly Doust’s second work of fiction is a gleaming testament to the fashion world, with a particular focus on vintage couture. Combined with a meaningful coming of age story, a cache of family secrets, a crumbling British estate and some romantic complications, Dressing the Dearloves is a novel not to be missed!
It is a dramatic fall from grace for failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove. Once the darling of the fashion world, Sylvie returns home to Britain with her tail between her legs. She is broke and her fashion empire is in tatters. When she arrives home, she discovers her family’s estate is in just the same state of disrepair as her life. Her parents also reveal that they have no choice but to sell the family estate, as it continues to sink in debt. As Sylvie joins in the preparations to make Bledesford sale worthy, she discovers a treasure chest of sorts in her family’s attic. There are dresses, outfits and accessories, worn by each generation of the Dearlove women. This is a life changing discovery, as it heralds the transformation of Sylvie and it also signals the revelation of a closely held family secret. Dressing the Dearloves moves effortlessly from present day London, through to the perilous times of the Blitz and the gaiety of the Edwardian times.
I do have a weakness for fashion, mostly dresses and vintage fashion is an area that I find absolutely fascinating. Combining this overall theme with a genuinely compelling story of a young woman’s search for identity, an explosive family secret and the fight to save a struggling British estate, I knew I was going to love Dressing the Dearloves. This is a novel that I cherished for the time I spent reading it. There is plenty to keep readers absorbed; from the mystery, intrigue, romance, historical references, family politics and of course the fashion!
Sylvie Dearlove, the fashion designer in disgrace, is the central protagonist that propels Dressing the Dearloves forward. Sylvie’s story is colourful and fascinating. Her work in the fashion world is interesting, along with her rise to fame and her spectacular fall from grace. I liked how Doust structured Dressing the Dearloves. We receive a great insight into Sylvie and her family via flashbacks, newspaper reports, media releases, documentary coverage, blog entries, articles, letters and more. Combined with a shift from the past to the present, this novel will keep you on your toes, in a good way!
The focal point of this novel for me personally was the discovery of the vintage clothing, nestled between the old trunks and tea chests in the attic of Bledesford. If you can visualise it, I was literally rubbing my hands together in glee! This is no doubt my favourite style of novel. I just adore it when a discovery is made in the present day that sets off a chain in motion to events in the past, it gets me every time! The unearthing of these key fashion pieces offers quite the lifeline to Sylvie. There is a metamorphosis process attached to Sylvie through these items and it helps her to reconsider how it would be possible to save her family home. Once her creativity and faith is ignited again it seems Sylvie can achieve anything and this was truly great to bear witness to. A nice side serve of romance also comes into play for Sylvie and I liked this touch very much.
Dressing the Dearloves presents a rich fabric of the past. Through the five generations of the Dearloves and the impetuous of the vintage articles unearthed in the attic, the reader is taken on a timeless journey into the past. We are graced with the opportunity to visit the dangerous moments of the Blitz, through to high society Britain in Edwardian times. I enjoyed basking in the glory of each and every one of these historical sequences. I also appreciated playing an active role in piecing together these key historical moments and how they formed the characters today.
Doust has a firm handle on her characters and I loved how this book offered a tribute to women, both in the past and the present day. Dressing the Dearloves presents a fascinating glimpse into a complicated family tree and despite the communication issues, as well as unnecessary squabbles, the Dearlove women endured. The final curtain call offered a sense of optimism for the Dearlove family.
Before I close off this review it would be remiss of me not to give recognition to Bledesford, the main locale for the book and the nucleus of this story. Bledesford has a commanding presence and it was presented to perfection by Kelly Doust. It was great to have my attention to drawn to the plight of these opulent manors and estates that are dotted up and down Britain. Through Bledesford, Doust exposes the pitfalls and issues these estates face. In particular, Doust covers the bind that the owners of these properties confront with having their private lives opened up to the public, in order to generate revenue from their family homes. We now see estates just like Bledesford that act as function rooms, museums and cafes. It is a difficult decision, but with the help of the National Trust and the public’s support, hopefully these stately homes can be saved from ruin.
Told with plenty of finesse and finite detail, Dressing the Dearloves is a chic novel, showcasing the charismatic flair and passion of the author, Kelly Doust. I look forward to many more fashion infused stories from the craftsmanship of Kelly Doust.
Dressing the Dearloves, is book #122 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge
May 11, 2019
Most readers will have encountered a Lizzie(Elizabeth), an intransigent person that makes life a living hell for friends/family members who in order to cope reduce encounters or completely remove themselves from this person. To add to the mix of the Dearloves, there's Gigi, grandmother, the colourful bohemian groupie. Sylvie Dearloves has run home to the family estate of Bledesford with bankruptcy and failure under her belt as a New York fashion designer. After a successful career things have turned sour for Sylvie. Returning home she discovers that the estate is crumbling around her parents ears, heavily in debt it seems there is no option but to sell. Lizzie, Sylvie's very aged grt grandmother it seems is still calling the shots and all plans need to be kept secret from her. Sylvie has always thought she had a good relationship with Lizzie but the truth of Lizzie's life and narcissistic personality are eventually revealed to Sylvie. Sylvie is the main character but is really colourless and weak. The continual self-debasing is boring and rather surprising given the colourful backgrounds of her extended family. The author moves the story around from 1926 to current day, however the current day is not defined and at times merges with the twenties and war years along with using abbreviated family names to that of the formal names, Victoria/Tori, (eg) the reader will have to be mindful of this to keep track of everyone. Out of the blue Bledesford is thrown a lifeline which turns events around for the Dearloves.
September 18, 2018
Title: Dressing the Dearloves
Author: Kelly Doust
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia, 20 August 2018
Pages:
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction
My Rating: 4 Cups
Synopsis:
“One crumbling grand manor house, a family in decline, five generations of women and an attic full of beautiful clothes with secrets and lies hidden in their folds.”
Fashion designer, Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England, ashamed and feeling like she has disgraced the family name. When she arrives home, her parents inform her they are finally selling the crumbling, old, and no longer, grand manor, Bledesford, where her family, The Dearloves, has lived for generations. Sylvie has spent her whole life wanting to escape being a Dearlove and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, important and successful women.
Tail between her legs, Sylvie begins to help her parents prepare the house for sale and discovers an attic full of old trunks and tea chests filled with elaborate old dresses and accessories from all over the world, belonging to her female ancestors, five generations of Dearlove women.
Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret, which has been hidden in plain sight for many generations. A secret that will change the way she thinks about herself and her family.
My Thoughts
Even though this is the first book I’ve read by Kelly Doust, I knew, straight away, I was really going to enjoy her writing.The book opens with internet search results for Sylvie Dearlove with glowing reviews on her designs and how successful she was and then…
“So there you have it-a star is born. We have every single item on order, and can’t imagine a future now-nay, even a second-without Sylvie Dearlove’s sumptuous designs adorning it. Order *here…[*there appears to be a problem with this link]’
This automatically gives you the impression something is wrong and there is!
“I was devastated to hear the news today that Dearlove-beautiful brainchild of English aristo Sylvie Dearlove-is shutting down!!!”
Kelly writes in a way that makes you feel great empathy for Sylvie and her successful, but fleeting career.
“Either way, this fashionista for one will be sad to see Dearlove go. Sylvie’s pieces always seemed to echo some truth beating strongly in my own heart. She created clothes I didn’t even know I wanted until I saw them, in all their heavenly, must-have glory.”
I really enjoyed Kelly’s descriptions of Sylvie’s designs and I felt sad that she had to close down.
Her trip back to England, feeling so ashamed that she had disgraced the Dearlove name, was also fraught with complications.
“It’s not news that the Dearloves have fallen upon tough times, with the family seat a shadow of its former glory, but the tiny brunette was looking worse for wear in what appeared to be pyjamas and stripped of makeup...She allegedly stole coins belonging to a homeless person.”
It also appears that her fall from stardom could have resulted in a secret liaison, she would rather forget and as she is trying to distract herself, she stumbles upon a photo which causes her great guilt.
“There was one of Gisele...pictured beside Ben and his best friend Josh...She was filled with a fresh wave of shame.”
I loved the descriptions of Edwardian England and the garments and events of those times.
The link between Edwardian England and modern day England was very well constructed and I was looking forward to the connections between these places and the characters and Kelly did not disappoint. The links were very obviously explained and beautifully woven in together.
The character of Lizzie was portrayed extremely well and it soon became evident that, she and not the more famous, Gigi Dearlove was the link between them. I didn’t like some of the things she did, but I certainly understood why she did them. There was one event which I thought was very cruel.
“Victoria had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep, and when she’d woken, she could have sworn that her baby had been on her chest, suckling at her breast, mewling contentedly...but when she was properly awake and able to focus...she saw Lizzie’s sombre expression...and realised, with horror, that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.”
Not a spoiler, but I I think Lizzie did the right thing in the end. It did cost her and it eventually explained her relationship with her daughter, Gigi. I enjoyed watching Sylvie’s relationship with her parents change and as she grew to know more about the Dearloves, she appreciated her mother a lot more. As the book progressed to the end, Kelly answered all the questions and all the puzzle pieces were connected nicely together.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It was a very entertaining and at times deeply moving read, with lots of twists and turns along the way.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
Author: Kelly Doust
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia, 20 August 2018
Pages:
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction
My Rating: 4 Cups
Synopsis:
“One crumbling grand manor house, a family in decline, five generations of women and an attic full of beautiful clothes with secrets and lies hidden in their folds.”
Fashion designer, Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England, ashamed and feeling like she has disgraced the family name. When she arrives home, her parents inform her they are finally selling the crumbling, old, and no longer, grand manor, Bledesford, where her family, The Dearloves, has lived for generations. Sylvie has spent her whole life wanting to escape being a Dearlove and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, important and successful women.
Tail between her legs, Sylvie begins to help her parents prepare the house for sale and discovers an attic full of old trunks and tea chests filled with elaborate old dresses and accessories from all over the world, belonging to her female ancestors, five generations of Dearlove women.
Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret, which has been hidden in plain sight for many generations. A secret that will change the way she thinks about herself and her family.
My Thoughts
Even though this is the first book I’ve read by Kelly Doust, I knew, straight away, I was really going to enjoy her writing.The book opens with internet search results for Sylvie Dearlove with glowing reviews on her designs and how successful she was and then…
“So there you have it-a star is born. We have every single item on order, and can’t imagine a future now-nay, even a second-without Sylvie Dearlove’s sumptuous designs adorning it. Order *here…[*there appears to be a problem with this link]’
This automatically gives you the impression something is wrong and there is!
“I was devastated to hear the news today that Dearlove-beautiful brainchild of English aristo Sylvie Dearlove-is shutting down!!!”
Kelly writes in a way that makes you feel great empathy for Sylvie and her successful, but fleeting career.
“Either way, this fashionista for one will be sad to see Dearlove go. Sylvie’s pieces always seemed to echo some truth beating strongly in my own heart. She created clothes I didn’t even know I wanted until I saw them, in all their heavenly, must-have glory.”
I really enjoyed Kelly’s descriptions of Sylvie’s designs and I felt sad that she had to close down.
Her trip back to England, feeling so ashamed that she had disgraced the Dearlove name, was also fraught with complications.
“It’s not news that the Dearloves have fallen upon tough times, with the family seat a shadow of its former glory, but the tiny brunette was looking worse for wear in what appeared to be pyjamas and stripped of makeup...She allegedly stole coins belonging to a homeless person.”
It also appears that her fall from stardom could have resulted in a secret liaison, she would rather forget and as she is trying to distract herself, she stumbles upon a photo which causes her great guilt.
“There was one of Gisele...pictured beside Ben and his best friend Josh...She was filled with a fresh wave of shame.”
I loved the descriptions of Edwardian England and the garments and events of those times.
The link between Edwardian England and modern day England was very well constructed and I was looking forward to the connections between these places and the characters and Kelly did not disappoint. The links were very obviously explained and beautifully woven in together.
The character of Lizzie was portrayed extremely well and it soon became evident that, she and not the more famous, Gigi Dearlove was the link between them. I didn’t like some of the things she did, but I certainly understood why she did them. There was one event which I thought was very cruel.
“Victoria had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep, and when she’d woken, she could have sworn that her baby had been on her chest, suckling at her breast, mewling contentedly...but when she was properly awake and able to focus...she saw Lizzie’s sombre expression...and realised, with horror, that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.”
Not a spoiler, but I I think Lizzie did the right thing in the end. It did cost her and it eventually explained her relationship with her daughter, Gigi. I enjoyed watching Sylvie’s relationship with her parents change and as she grew to know more about the Dearloves, she appreciated her mother a lot more. As the book progressed to the end, Kelly answered all the questions and all the puzzle pieces were connected nicely together.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It was a very entertaining and at times deeply moving read, with lots of twists and turns along the way.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
April 27, 2021
Gorgeous, dazzling and stylish.
Loved every second of this book.
Brilliant storytelling - I was mesmerised.
Loved every second of this book.
Brilliant storytelling - I was mesmerised.
May 20, 2022
5⭐️ En dik verdiend. Een verhaal wat begint bij Sylvie Dearlove, die haar modebedrijf failliet ziet gaan. Thuis in Engeland ziet ze de problemen van hun familie bezit. Als haar ouders haar vragen de zolder onder handen te nemen in de hoop dat daar verborgen schatten liggen (die er zeker ook zijn) en ze opnieuw in de vriendschap met buurjongen Nick geraakt ontvouwt zich een geschiedenis over 5 sterke vrouwen. De Dearlove Ladies. En die tuin, hoe past die in het plaatje van de Dearloves en een mogelijke redding van het familie bezit.
July 1, 2020
Sylvie grew up in the family manor of Bledesford, escaping the expectations that accompanied the Dearlove family name and fleeing to New York where she established her fashion label. Years later she returns home, her business in ruins and full of shame for tarnishing the Dearlove name.
Discovering Bledesford has deteriorated to the point of no return, Sylvie begins to help her parents prepare the estate for sale. In doing so, she discovers an attic full of vintage garments from the glory days of Bledesford, gets to know her mother and Grandmother better and begins to uncover some long-kept family secrets.
Dressing the Dearloves by Kelly Doust is a multi-generational family saga encompassing five generations. This is an historical fiction novel of secrets, family, love and relationships tied together by a thread of fashion. I don't know anything about fashion, but I enjoyed the sense of history Sylvie attaches to vintage clothing.
"She'd always wondered at the things those clothes had seen. Great parties between the wars, certainly, but also the insides of souks or palaces, or some clever dressmaker's studio on the Left Bank in Paris. But it was more than that, Sylvie thought - a dress could be a beautiful thing but it also held something of what the wearer had experienced when they were wearing it - love, joy, sadness, desire, anger." Page 89
This novel reminded me very much of The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley. There too the main character's home is a run down family estate (Admiralty House) on the verge of bankruptcy. Vintage garments worth a lot of money are discovered in the attic and are an inspiration to the main character. Of course, this isn't the fault of the author Kelly Doust; Dressing the Dearloves was published first in 2018 but if you enjoyed The Butterfly Room you'll love this.
Dressing the Dearloves by Australian author Kelly Doust will appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoy a feel good story about strong and determined women, secrets, family, romance and fashion. Also recommended for fans of Kate Morton.
* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *
Discovering Bledesford has deteriorated to the point of no return, Sylvie begins to help her parents prepare the estate for sale. In doing so, she discovers an attic full of vintage garments from the glory days of Bledesford, gets to know her mother and Grandmother better and begins to uncover some long-kept family secrets.
Dressing the Dearloves by Kelly Doust is a multi-generational family saga encompassing five generations. This is an historical fiction novel of secrets, family, love and relationships tied together by a thread of fashion. I don't know anything about fashion, but I enjoyed the sense of history Sylvie attaches to vintage clothing.
"She'd always wondered at the things those clothes had seen. Great parties between the wars, certainly, but also the insides of souks or palaces, or some clever dressmaker's studio on the Left Bank in Paris. But it was more than that, Sylvie thought - a dress could be a beautiful thing but it also held something of what the wearer had experienced when they were wearing it - love, joy, sadness, desire, anger." Page 89
This novel reminded me very much of The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley. There too the main character's home is a run down family estate (Admiralty House) on the verge of bankruptcy. Vintage garments worth a lot of money are discovered in the attic and are an inspiration to the main character. Of course, this isn't the fault of the author Kelly Doust; Dressing the Dearloves was published first in 2018 but if you enjoyed The Butterfly Room you'll love this.
Dressing the Dearloves by Australian author Kelly Doust will appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoy a feel good story about strong and determined women, secrets, family, romance and fashion. Also recommended for fans of Kate Morton.
* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *
October 17, 2018
I absolutely adored this.
Despite the fact that I’m Australian and there probably isn’t a building here older than just over 200 years (or maybe because of?), I’m so into the whole crumbling manor houses that date back to the 1400s or whatever, that populate English novels. There’s something about those graceful old buildings, even as they’re falling into disrepair that’s so romantic and I just sort of long to live in one. Yes they come with crippling upkeep and taxes and whatever and there’s only so much Heritage Trust money to go around but just the idea of living in some 60+ room stone mansion with different wings and sculpted, stately gardens harks back to a completely different time. I love books that take these and give them modern day issues and contexts and this book does this so well.
Sylvie grew up in such a place, a manor that has been in her family for generations. Now she’s returning to it after her foray into New York fashion went horribly wrong, determined to regroup and rebuild her life. She’s surprised to discover that her parents are finally selling the manor as the debts mount and the money runs out and more and more needs replacing. Although Sylvie supported the idea, freeing up her parents to enjoy the later years of their life in comfort, when her mother asks for help clearing out the attic, Sylvie finds generations of clothes belonging to fashionable Dearlove women, most of them designer, all of them beautiful. It inspires her and although she’s suffering from crippling self-doubt, Sylvie slowly comes to understand the importance of the manor to their family, it’s history and the secrets it keeps and she suddenly decides that they must do anything they can to protect it.
I’m not hugely into couture myself but I enjoy reading books set in the fashion world. Sylvie was a hot designer, snapped up for big money in America after a hugely successful range. However she finds herself let go, burned out, struggling with self belief and inspiration until she finds the clothes in the attic. Her friend encourages her to use the clothes as a way to generate income but it takes Sylvie a little time to figure out what the right method of earning money from the clothes should be! I loved the descriptions of the outfits and the fact that the story took you back to some of the times where those outfits were worn, by the generations of Dearlove women who came before Sylvie.
Sylvie’s great grandmother Lizzie is a very strong character in this novel – she’s very elderly now, almost bedridden, which shocks Sylvie although it probably shouldn’t. I think it’s more because of the sort of character she was – a very opinionated, strong minded woman. The book takes you back in time to key moments in Lizzie’s life and how those shaped the woman she became – or perhaps how the woman she was actually shaped those moments! I can’t say that I liked Lizzie, in fact the more I found out about her, the less I liked her. She was very much a product of her privileged and wealthy upbringing and the family name and reputation were everything to her, so much so that she was willing to sacrifice her happiness and that of her sister in order to preserve it. Although I’m not sure Lizzie would’ve considered it a sacrifice for herself…..it was everything to her, seen as her ‘duty’, something she chose to do willingly and was super invested in making sure her sister played the role too. I really liked the character of Lizzie’s sister and her struggle with what Lizzie wanted her to do vs her own desire for a life she chose, a life that would make her happy.
This was a compelling story – well several compelling stories woven together! Loved the different generations and their individual struggles and just the whole manor house setting. I found myself completely invested in Sylvie’s change of heart and her desire to suddenly save it, preserve it and keep it in the family. When it was placed up for sale it was obvious that the only people or corporations likely to buy it would tear it down and build entire housing estates on the land, or something like that and at first Sylvie thought she was fine with it but when it comes to the actual reality, she’s not so keen to let it happen. And so she must find a way to save the house, secure the funds to restore it and work out a way to make it profitable. I really liked the way this played out and the way that Sylvie found purpose again in a place she had kind of avoided.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
Despite the fact that I’m Australian and there probably isn’t a building here older than just over 200 years (or maybe because of?), I’m so into the whole crumbling manor houses that date back to the 1400s or whatever, that populate English novels. There’s something about those graceful old buildings, even as they’re falling into disrepair that’s so romantic and I just sort of long to live in one. Yes they come with crippling upkeep and taxes and whatever and there’s only so much Heritage Trust money to go around but just the idea of living in some 60+ room stone mansion with different wings and sculpted, stately gardens harks back to a completely different time. I love books that take these and give them modern day issues and contexts and this book does this so well.
Sylvie grew up in such a place, a manor that has been in her family for generations. Now she’s returning to it after her foray into New York fashion went horribly wrong, determined to regroup and rebuild her life. She’s surprised to discover that her parents are finally selling the manor as the debts mount and the money runs out and more and more needs replacing. Although Sylvie supported the idea, freeing up her parents to enjoy the later years of their life in comfort, when her mother asks for help clearing out the attic, Sylvie finds generations of clothes belonging to fashionable Dearlove women, most of them designer, all of them beautiful. It inspires her and although she’s suffering from crippling self-doubt, Sylvie slowly comes to understand the importance of the manor to their family, it’s history and the secrets it keeps and she suddenly decides that they must do anything they can to protect it.
I’m not hugely into couture myself but I enjoy reading books set in the fashion world. Sylvie was a hot designer, snapped up for big money in America after a hugely successful range. However she finds herself let go, burned out, struggling with self belief and inspiration until she finds the clothes in the attic. Her friend encourages her to use the clothes as a way to generate income but it takes Sylvie a little time to figure out what the right method of earning money from the clothes should be! I loved the descriptions of the outfits and the fact that the story took you back to some of the times where those outfits were worn, by the generations of Dearlove women who came before Sylvie.
Sylvie’s great grandmother Lizzie is a very strong character in this novel – she’s very elderly now, almost bedridden, which shocks Sylvie although it probably shouldn’t. I think it’s more because of the sort of character she was – a very opinionated, strong minded woman. The book takes you back in time to key moments in Lizzie’s life and how those shaped the woman she became – or perhaps how the woman she was actually shaped those moments! I can’t say that I liked Lizzie, in fact the more I found out about her, the less I liked her. She was very much a product of her privileged and wealthy upbringing and the family name and reputation were everything to her, so much so that she was willing to sacrifice her happiness and that of her sister in order to preserve it. Although I’m not sure Lizzie would’ve considered it a sacrifice for herself…..it was everything to her, seen as her ‘duty’, something she chose to do willingly and was super invested in making sure her sister played the role too. I really liked the character of Lizzie’s sister and her struggle with what Lizzie wanted her to do vs her own desire for a life she chose, a life that would make her happy.
This was a compelling story – well several compelling stories woven together! Loved the different generations and their individual struggles and just the whole manor house setting. I found myself completely invested in Sylvie’s change of heart and her desire to suddenly save it, preserve it and keep it in the family. When it was placed up for sale it was obvious that the only people or corporations likely to buy it would tear it down and build entire housing estates on the land, or something like that and at first Sylvie thought she was fine with it but when it comes to the actual reality, she’s not so keen to let it happen. And so she must find a way to save the house, secure the funds to restore it and work out a way to make it profitable. I really liked the way this played out and the way that Sylvie found purpose again in a place she had kind of avoided.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
August 22, 2018
4.5***** This book was something different, following dress designer Sylvie in the present just after she has had to fold her business. She returns to the family estate which is on the verge of bankruptcy. To help sell the house Sylvie is tasked with clearing out the clothes from the attic, and so begins the uncovering of long held family secrets. The historical timeline starts in 1928 and alternates between Sylvie's great-grandmother Lizzie and her sister Victoria's story. Slowly the past is revealed to us and secrets are uncovered, we the readers know more than Sylvie until the end. There are plenty of twists from the past and as the story unraveled I grew to dislike Lizzie more and more. Born in a time and into a social class where what people think of you and how things look is more important it seems than being happy, Lizzie continues this way of thinking right through to the present day. Sylvie's grandma Gigi is a wonderful supporting character and as things unfolded I started to enjoy her even more. This book is full of interesting characters, both past and present and a very interesting story is told throughout the pages, there's also a bit of romance thrown in there too.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for a copy in return for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for a copy in return for an honest review.
September 17, 2018
Loved it!
January 1, 2021
Fabulous multi-generational fashion themed family saga! DRESSING THE DEARLOVES the second fashion themed novel by Australian author Kelly Doust, and you can really tell that she has a great love for vintage fashion and the stories they hold.
Sylvie Dearlove failed spectacularly in the cut-throat New York fashion design world. With her company bankrupt and her reputation in tatters she has no choice but to return to her family’s upper crust ancestral home in the English countryside. She is shocked to discover that Bledesford is even more run down than she remembered, her grandmother and family matriarch, Lizzie, is terribly ill and her parents seem to have no choice but to sell up and make way for boring and generic sub-divisions.
While helping her parents clean out the overflowing attic with the help of her best uni girlfriends Sylvie discovers more than just the high fashion of five generations of her enigmatic and successful female ancestors. She also stumbles across a shocking family secret that changes the way she feels about her family, what it means to be a Dearlove, and will alter her future plans irrevocably.
I loved the way that Doust tied the stories of the Dearlove ladies in with their clothing. I think it’s so true that the clothes we wear for special occasions do hold onto our stories and the way Doust writes about vintage fashion with such love is a wonderful reminder of the power of dressing up. 5 stars!
Sylvie Dearlove failed spectacularly in the cut-throat New York fashion design world. With her company bankrupt and her reputation in tatters she has no choice but to return to her family’s upper crust ancestral home in the English countryside. She is shocked to discover that Bledesford is even more run down than she remembered, her grandmother and family matriarch, Lizzie, is terribly ill and her parents seem to have no choice but to sell up and make way for boring and generic sub-divisions.
While helping her parents clean out the overflowing attic with the help of her best uni girlfriends Sylvie discovers more than just the high fashion of five generations of her enigmatic and successful female ancestors. She also stumbles across a shocking family secret that changes the way she feels about her family, what it means to be a Dearlove, and will alter her future plans irrevocably.
I loved the way that Doust tied the stories of the Dearlove ladies in with their clothing. I think it’s so true that the clothes we wear for special occasions do hold onto our stories and the way Doust writes about vintage fashion with such love is a wonderful reminder of the power of dressing up. 5 stars!
July 12, 2018
Dressing the Dearloves is the second thoroughly entertaining novel from Kelly Doust. I enjoyed her debut novel, Precious Things, for its intriguing storyline, her believable characters and relatable emotions, all with Kelly Doust’s obvious love for fashion shining through.
Dressing the Dearloves brings all the same skill. It is an engaging, warm and heartfelt story of a twenty-something woman’s rite of passage through self-doubt and insecurities, belonging and acceptance.
Challenged on every level Sylvie Dearlove’s career is in embarrassing tatters, old friendships have been neglected and relationships strained. Questioning her purpose and place she reluctantly stumbles home to England broke and ashamed only to find her ancestral home, the grand country manor, Bledesford, in dire decline and her parents preparing it for sale. The reputation and legacy of the once glamorous and respected Dearlove family are crumbling and Sylvie feels the weight of it all but what can she possibly do to help when she feels she can’t even help herself?
Resigning herself to the task of helping prepare the manor for sale she rediscovers in the attic trunk after trunk of the exquisite dresses, amazing outfits and wonderful accessories all worn and loved by the previous generations of glamorous Dearlove women. It is through this process that Sylvie learns of a family secret, one that will completely change the way she perceives her family, herself and her future.
Kelly Doust deftly takes us on a journey from past to present capturing the stories of the Dearlove women across the generations. With a knack for capturing the voice of a character, Kelly Doust avoids the overly sentimental whilst still giving us heartache, romance and the messiness of life. All her characters feel real in their time and real to us. Her storytelling is wonderful. I found Dressing the Dearloves thoroughly engaging.
Dressing the Dearloves brings all the same skill. It is an engaging, warm and heartfelt story of a twenty-something woman’s rite of passage through self-doubt and insecurities, belonging and acceptance.
Challenged on every level Sylvie Dearlove’s career is in embarrassing tatters, old friendships have been neglected and relationships strained. Questioning her purpose and place she reluctantly stumbles home to England broke and ashamed only to find her ancestral home, the grand country manor, Bledesford, in dire decline and her parents preparing it for sale. The reputation and legacy of the once glamorous and respected Dearlove family are crumbling and Sylvie feels the weight of it all but what can she possibly do to help when she feels she can’t even help herself?
Resigning herself to the task of helping prepare the manor for sale she rediscovers in the attic trunk after trunk of the exquisite dresses, amazing outfits and wonderful accessories all worn and loved by the previous generations of glamorous Dearlove women. It is through this process that Sylvie learns of a family secret, one that will completely change the way she perceives her family, herself and her future.
Kelly Doust deftly takes us on a journey from past to present capturing the stories of the Dearlove women across the generations. With a knack for capturing the voice of a character, Kelly Doust avoids the overly sentimental whilst still giving us heartache, romance and the messiness of life. All her characters feel real in their time and real to us. Her storytelling is wonderful. I found Dressing the Dearloves thoroughly engaging.
July 10, 2018
Kelly Doust is back with another effortlessly engaging read. Dressing the Dearloves opens with failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove returning from New York to parents who are struggling to hold onto Bledesford, the family’s centuries old home. What if anything can Sylvie do to help out, when she has her own crash and burn career to sort out? Shifting seamlessly between the past and the present, Kelly Doust nails the absorbing messiness of family lives across the generations. The heartbreaks and secrets, then the discovery of lost treasures. This is classic Kelly Doust whose love of fashion shines through in her delicious detailing of forgotten garments belonging to previous generations of Dearlove women. A great gift to yourself and for girlfriends.
April 7, 2019
I’m in two minds about this one - there were aspects that irritated me although I did enjoy the story. Some of the characters irritated me as they seemed to fail to think their actions through (but then I guess where would the story be if they were all sensible and practical…?!), and I was disappointed that there wasn’t as much about the costumes and clothes up in the attic as I’d thought there would be - but there was a little more toward the end than there was in the beginning. The story was fairly interesting, although I found it was partly predictable from just over halfway through, however there were still some twists.
I think, for the most part, it was an enjoyable read.
I think, for the most part, it was an enjoyable read.
November 4, 2018
After reading Precious Things by Kelly Doust I couldn't wait to read new novel and it didn't disappoint. I love how Doust blends her love and knowledge of vintage clothing and historic events and creates a cleverly constructed storyline that delves back into the past whilst we get to know her loveable characters of the present. This book was pure enjoyment and will be on the top of my recommendations, I look forward to see what she writes about next.
August 23, 2018
There is a lot to like about Dressing the Dearloves. A story set across generations of women from the same family, it moves effortlessly between the past and present. I enjoyed reading about contemporary London just as much as I enjoyed reading about life during The Blitz.
I particularly liked the protagonists grandmother Gigi and her wild life in the 60s.
If you have even a mild interest in fashion then this is the perfect book.
It would be great on a big screen, fingers crossed it gets made into a movie or TV series one day.
I particularly liked the protagonists grandmother Gigi and her wild life in the 60s.
If you have even a mild interest in fashion then this is the perfect book.
It would be great on a big screen, fingers crossed it gets made into a movie or TV series one day.
October 24, 2018
A crumbling old English Estate with an attic filled with couture clothes, a lucrative fashion career gone wrong, love, redemption and family secrets all told in the past and present. This novel has it all. Brilliant, I loved it.
August 12, 2018
Another delightful tale by Kelly Doust! Her fashion expertise is woven throughout the tale, but this is more than fashion-fiction. Doust presents us with a rich tapestry of family, mystery, intrigue, love and relationships, peppered with the role fashion plays for the Dearlove women over the past few generations. We meet Sylvie Dearlove at her lowest point - a fashion designer returning to her struggling family estate in England after her career implodes in NYC. Readers are brought back and forth between Sylvie's present struggles (with her career, the family estate, her romantic life back in NYC) and the family's past, in particular the fashionable and complex women in her family, through the clothing found in the estate's attic. I particularly enjoyed the rich details of the clothing and the relationship between Sylvie and her friend Tabs, and the idea of learning about your family's past through their garments. So often fashion is written off as frivolous, and Doust has brought to life the power of clothing to tell a story, hold a memory, and build connections across generations. I also enjoyed the complexity of the characters - whether present-day Sylvie or past Rose, Elizabeth and Victoria, they were complicated, flawed, real, women dealing with issues of their time. I will enjoy reading this again, and definitely will be sharing with my friends.
October 26, 2020
Beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful 💛 I wholeheartedly recommend this book 📚
July 23, 2018
After finding Kelly Doust's first book, Precious Things, wonderfully entertaining, I was keen to read her second novel and wasn't disappointed. Dressing the Dearloves is a fabulous read - family drama with a touch of mystery, sumptuous fashion, snippets of period drama and all with a good dash of romance thrown in. I was thoroughly engaged and would highly recommend it. I can't wait for Kelly's next book!
September 24, 2018
Dressing the Dearloves by Kelly Doust ticked my boxes for pleasure reading, with its crumbling manor house, family secrets, modern-day angst, and vintage clothes creating a fashion parade in my mind.
It’s a book to curl up with, to get lost in – one in which you get caught up in the messy lives of Doust’s flawed, messy and intriguing characters and find yourself hoping they all get their fairytale ending.
It’s a book to curl up with, to get lost in – one in which you get caught up in the messy lives of Doust’s flawed, messy and intriguing characters and find yourself hoping they all get their fairytale ending.
November 11, 2018
Dressing the Dearloves is the second, historical fiction novel from the author of Precious Things, Kelly Doust. The first thing that caught my eye, naturally, was the stunning cover. It's perfect for a book that is an English family saga set around the Dearlove home. The other aspect I enjoyed was the chapters being interwoven with blogs and book excerpts, which added interesting detail to the overall theme. Told in the third person, Dressing the Dearlove's follows three timelines; in 1928 Lizzie experiences the swinging 20s, in 1940, the reader gets a glimpse of Victoria's life and in the present, Sylvie is discovering long held secrets in the family home. All three women are bound together with a love of fashion and family. Part of the Dearlove family for many generations, the house is now falling apart and it is time Lizzie and her parents to decide if they would like to sell it or keep it. At an all time low in her fashion career, Lizzie finds herself inspired when she comes across trunks of vintage clothing. What will the family decide? With themes of fashion, war, love and family, this is the perfect read for fans of Natasha Lester and Fiona McIntosh.
September 19, 2018
This is a beguiling tale of reinvention and family ties bound in a grand ancestral estate bursting with long buried stories and a treasure trove of vintage finery.
Sylvia Dearlove retreats to the now crumbling English estate which has been in her family for generations. Her mission to revitalise her parents' manor coincides with her own call for reinvention after the collapse of her fashion lined the end of a relationship leaves her flailing.
The vintage clothes are as intriguing as the characters themselves, rich in history carrying the stories of their wearers.
This is a book for lovers of vintage fashion as much as family intrigue weaving seamlessly between generations.
Sylvia Dearlove retreats to the now crumbling English estate which has been in her family for generations. Her mission to revitalise her parents' manor coincides with her own call for reinvention after the collapse of her fashion lined the end of a relationship leaves her flailing.
The vintage clothes are as intriguing as the characters themselves, rich in history carrying the stories of their wearers.
This is a book for lovers of vintage fashion as much as family intrigue weaving seamlessly between generations.
August 20, 2018
I loved Dressing the Dearloves. Kelly Doust has delivered another beautiful, deftly written novel, this time exploring the betrayals, love affairs and pursuit of joy across generations of remarkable women from one family. There's a lovely warmth and emotion that shines through Doust's writing - amid the glamour, romance and knowledgeable fashion references, there are believable, flawed characters and a raw portrayal of the messiness of life. The vivid descriptions of the once imposing, now deteriorating family estate Bledesford evocatively capture the real-life fate of many aristocratic households in England, while the mentions of existing fashion houses and famous types give this novel a great buzz. Highly recommended for fashion-lovers and lovers of good fiction alike!
July 9, 2020
Chick-lit tries to move from past to present to explore family secrets, affairs and ambitions. I enjoyed the writing style , but was terribly disappointed with the abrupt ending. It felt like there were at least two chapters missing towards the end. Did the writer run out of ideas?
September 16, 2018
Creativity
Finding peace
Understanding
Finding peace
Understanding
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