Holding what remains of her mother and grandmother’s legacies, Blythe Bricard stiches together the painfully beautiful fabrics of three generations of heartbreak to create something that will shake the foundations of fashion while trying to answer the question: what really happened to her mother? - (Baker & Taylor)

"In 1973, fashion icon Astrid Bricard disappeared at the legendary Versailles designer show-down. All that remained was a scrap of fabric...and a family unraveled. Everyone remembers her daringly short, silver lamâe dress. An iconic photo capturing an electric moment, where emerging American designer Astrid Bricard is young, uninhibited, and on the cusp of fashion and feminism's changing landscape. She and fellow designer Hawk Jones are all over Vogue and the disco scene. Yet she can't escape the legacy of being the daughter of Mizza Bricard, infamous "muse" for Christian Dior. Astrid would give anything to take her place among the great houses of couture - on her own terms. I won't inspire it when I can create it. But then Astrid disappeared... Now Astrid's daughter, Blythe, holds what remains of her mother and grandmother's legacies. Of all the Bricard women, she can gather the torn, shredded, and painfully beautiful fabrics of three generations of grief, heartbreak, and abandonment to create somethingthat will shake the foundations of fashion. The only piece that's missing is the one question that no one's been able to answer: What really happened to Astrid?"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

New York Times bestselling author Natasha Lester delivers a brilliant blend of feminism, fashion, and history in this bold novel set against the real-life designers’ showdown in Versailles in the 1970s.

French countryside, Present Day: Blythe Bricard is the daughter of famous fashion muses but that doesn't mean she wants to be one. She turned her back on that world, and her dreams, years ago. Fate, however, has a different plan, and Blythe will discover there is more to her iconic mother and grandmother than she ever knew. 

New York, 1970: Designer Astrid Bricard arrives in bohemian Chelsea determined to change the fashion world forever. And she does?cast as muse to her lover, Hawk Jones. And when they're both invited to compete in the fashion event of the century?the Battle of Versailles?Astrid sacrifices everything to showcase her talent. But then, just as her career is about to take off, she mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind only a white silk dress.

Paris, 1917: Parentless sixteen year old Mizza Bricard has made a vow: to be remembered on her own terms. Her promise sustains her through turbulent decades and volatile couture houses until, finally, her name is remembered and a legend is born?one that proves impossible for Astrid and Blythe to distance themselves from.

Booklist Reviews

The Bricard women are legends in the fashion world, but for all the wrong reasons. Mizza is remembered as the scandalous muse of Christian Dior, and Astrid, the daughter Mizza didn't raise, has garnered a similar reputation. Blythe, the daughter Astrid didn't raise, is as gifted as either of them, but her success is muted by past perception. When Blythe is offered the chance to resurrect her mother's MIZZA fashion line, she must first move past the rumors and uncover the truth behind Astrid's mysterious disappearance from a pivotal 1973 competition. The story shifts back and forth among Astrid in the '70s, Blythe in the present day, and Mizza from 1917 through WWII and beyond. The women are chronically underestimated by society, with their immense talent credited to the men in their orbit. In circumstances well beyond their control, they make the best decisions they can, knowing how the rest of the world will perceive them but determined to remain true to themselves. Themes of family, power, resilience, and finding a way back to love will resonate with readers. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.