A perfect fit How Lena "Lane" Bryant changed the shape of fashion

Lane Bryant is still a recognizable name in fashion, but few may realize that the company's history spans over a century--or that Lane Bryant was an actual person. Lena "Lane" Bryant learned to sew at a young age, eventually immigrating to New York to join her sister in working at a garment factory. Bryant marveled at the material and machinery, soaking up knowledge and eventually purchasing a sewing machine of her own. Her list of clients increased, but one customer had a special request: Could Bryant make her a fashionable gown capable of growing with her pregnant belly? Bryant met the challenge with ease, attracting a swath of new customers. As the successful enterprise grew to include ready-to-wear fashion, Bryant saw a chance to innovate again, altering basic patterns to incorporate a much wider variety of body shapes. She quickly became a pioneer in plus-size fashion, and her extraordinary legacy lives on in the company even decades after her passing. Rockliff's marvelous story highlights a refreshingly unfamiliar face, and the text is bursting with action and cheer. The soft illustrations, rendered in subtle shades but dazzling detail, are replete with gorgeous, textured nods to art nouveau stylings and golden Klimt paintings. An elegant ode to a delightfully different kind of designer who wanted fine fashion accessible to all, not just a privileged few.

Rockliff (Sweet Justice) and Martinez-Neal (Tomatoes for Neela) tell how a Lithuania-born Jewish emigrant to America became a name that's now a mainstay of shopping centers and malls. Once in the U.S. with her sister, young Lena Bryant (1877--1951), ever looking for a "perfect fit," refuses an arranged marriage, then quickly proves she is both a brilliant seamstress (she "never used a pattern or a tape measure"), and a determined entrepreneur (a necessity when she is widowed with a baby). But what sets this classic immigrant story apart is how the advice of her rabbi grandfather--"help another person"--results in Bryant's liberating fashion innovations. Her maternity wear offers pregnant clients elegance and comfort, "with room to grow," and her awareness that "all dress patterns were the same shape. But all women were not" informs the creation of "clothes that didn't squeeze or pinch." Measured prose and sepia-textured pages--filled with velvety drawings of flowing fabric, Gibson Girl hairdos, and elaborate gowns--suit the historical moment, while making Bryant's contributions to feminist fashion always evident. An author's note details her progressive commitment to her employees and customers. Ages 4--7. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator's agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Apr.)

Gr 1--4--Leaving the facts of Bryant's life--her birth in 1879, for example--to the back matter, Rockliff dwells instead on the theme of a "perfect fit" to underscore Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin's early life in Lithuania that was filled with love, but was not easy. At 16, Lane Bryant joined her sister in New York City to escape poverty and antisemitism in Europe. Sewing from dawn till dusk in the garment district allowed her to work with "Lace! Ribbons! Silk! [and] sewing machines!" She soon met and then lost her husband, David Bryant, becoming a widow with an infant and a pair of diamond earrings. Undaunted, she used the earrings to buy a sewing machine and got to work making clients fabulous gowns without benefit of patterns or tape measures. After successfully inventing an expandable maternity dress at a client's request, Bryant's business took off. While getting a bank loan to fund her expansion, she was so nervous during the signing process that she mixed up the letters in her first name, which is how her business came to be known as "Lane Bryant." She went on to transform the clothing industry by designing clothes for all body shapes and sizes. The accessible and engaging text is brought to life by the delightful illustrations. Using mostly sepia tones with pops of color, they convey an old-fashioned era, but with clever details, plump humans, and delightful textiles and patterns that leave readers wanting more. Back matter includes selected sources and an author's note that fills in the details of Bryant's life and business. VERDICT This biography deftly covers the highlights of Bryant's life in an enjoyable and accessible manner, a one-of-a-kind origin story of a retail success whose foundations were based on helping others feel great.--Catherine Callegari