Dressed For War, Julie Summers
Dressed For War, Julie Summers
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Dressed For War
The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue editor extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties

Author: Julie Summers

Narrator: Kristin Atherton

Unabridged: 11 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/06/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, History

Synopsis

Dressed For War: The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue editor extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties is the untold story of our most iconic fashion magazine in its most formative years, in the Second World War. It was an era when wartime exigencies gave its editor, Audrey Withers, the chance to forge an identity for it that went far beyond stylish clothes. In doing so, she set herself against the style and preoccupations of Vogue’s mothership in New York, and her often sticky relationship with its formidable editor, Edna Woolman Chase, became a strong dynamic in the Vogue story.
 
But Vogue had a good war, with great writers and top-flight photographers including Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton – who loathed each other – sending images and reports from Europe and much further afield – detailing the plight of the countries and people living amidst war-torn Europe. Audrey Withers’ deft handling of her star contributors and the importance she placed on reflecting people’s lives at home give this slice of literary history a real edge. With official and personal correspondence researched from the magazine’s archives in London and in New York, Dressed For War will tell the marvellous story of the titanic struggle between the personalities that shaped the magazine for the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond.

About Julie Summers

Julie Summers is a bestselling author and historian. Her books include: Fearless on Everest:  The Quest for Sandy Irvine; The Colonel of  Tamarkan, a biography of her grandfather, the man who built the ‘real’ bridge on the River Kwai; Stranger in the House, a social history of servicemen reuniting with their families after the Second World War, and When the Children Came Home, which tells the story of returning evacuees. Her book Jambusters was the inspiration for ITV’s hit drama series Home Fires, which ran for two seasons in 2015–16. She lives in Oxford.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Christina on March 18, 2021

I am afraid I did not find this book to be that interesting. Audrey Withers who became editor of British Vogue in 1940 came from an upper middle class family who encouraged her to be successful and she comes across as a pleasant and hardworking woman but the only aspect of the book that was interest......more

Goodreads review by Judy on July 24, 2020

I loved this book. Fascinating story about the editor of British Vogue during WWII. Great insight to living during the Blitz in London, and the part played by British Vogue in the war effort. Audrey Withers is an inspiration.......more

Goodreads review by Lee on November 15, 2021

I spotted this book on a shelf and was intrigued by the cover. I was also curious to read about someone of whom I had heard nothing - Audrey Withers - who had guided British Vogue as editor for one of the most challenging periods of its history, through World War II. Such a fascinating account of fas......more

Goodreads review by Jill on August 07, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Summers' biography of Audrey Withers, the war-time British editor of Vogue. 'Dressed For War' was a riveting read, although at first I didn't see how a story about a fashion magazine during World War II could possibly be worthwhile. But it was fascinating to read about the......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on February 23, 2021

As I sit here in my usual sweatpants, and a history of almost zero interest in fashion, no one including myself would have expected me to read this book. And I loved it. Imagining a time when arts editors worked with glue and scissors. A remarkable woman guiding a magazine through World War II and be......more

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