Valerie Battle Kienzle: Ready To Wear

    More than 100 emerging designers and boutiques call St. Louis home. Fashion is big business and St. Louis once was a mecca for both the garment and shoe industries for several decades.
    Local author, Valerie Battle Kienzle, explores the rise, fall and comeback of both by delving into their little known history in her colorful coffee table book, “Ready to Wear, A History of the Footwear and Garment Industries in St. Louis.”
    From fur traders in the 19th century to the hustle and bustle of factories along Shoe Street USA (Washington Avenue) and through the 1960’s when the junior dress market caught the attention of New York fashionistas, St. Louis was a force in the manufacturing and sales of shoes and clothing.

    Books available from Left Bank Books: https://www.left-bank.com/event/slcl-presents-valerie-battle-kienzle.

    Presented by the St. Louis County Library and HEC Media.