Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe

An inspiring picture book biography about the amazing Ann Lowe—the first nationally-known African American fashion designer.

A careful snip, a delicate fold.
Fabric the color of new petals.
Skirts that flare like upside-down blossoms.
A garden bursts into bloom!

There is no "good enough."
For Ann, only the best will do.

Award-winning author Kate Messner, costume historian Margaret E. Powell, and fashion designer and illustrator Erin Robinson tell the powerful story of the ground-breaking Ann Lowe, who grew up in a small Alabama dress shop and became the first nationally-known African American fashion designer. Sought after by millionaires and movie stars, her designs walked the red carpet and graced the wedding of Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier.

At a time when the world around her thought African Americans deserved no more than second-class treatment, Ann expected no less than very best for herself.