The First Lady of Underfashions

by Christina Erteszek

Overview

The First Lady of Underfashions is a nonfiction saga-like memoir written by Christina Erteszek and including excerpts from her parents' (Jan and Olga) unpublished memoirs. It is a complex, layered, and nuanced story that bridges the violence of war, the innovation of thought, the singularity of religion, the quest for identity, and the intrigues and intricacies of family life. Jan and Olga escape from World War II Europe and arrive in the US with just a few dollars. They turn their paltry savings into a multi-million-dollar fashion business. Olga becomes a leading patent holder of female lingerie, a trendsetter in the industry, and is widely known for her innovative business tactics. But as this husband-and-wife team think of retiring, they decide to merge with another fashion company, which proves to be a fatal move when a loophole in the agreement allows for a hostile takeover. This is also a story of a daughter's need to find herself. Along her path to self-discovery, she discovers her parents have many secrets, some of which will never be revealed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634050173
Publisher:	Chin Music Press Inc.
Publication date:	05/25/2021
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christina Erteszek is the daughter of Polish Immigrant parents who escaped from war-torn Europe in the 1940s and famously started the Olga Company, where Christina eventually worked as a designer of Olga’s Christina line. She taught at-risk youth, created and manufactured her own clothing brands, and works with several nonprofits. Christina lives with her husband and a dog named Blu in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Table of Contents

Part 1 War and Peace

Chapter 1 Fathers Last Wish 2

Chapter 2 May Storm 15

Chapter 3 A Planned Rendezvous 26

Chapter 4 Careful Planning 34

Chapter 5 War in the Air 40

Chapter 6 Refugees 48

Chapter 7 Heading East 57

Chapter 8 Plan B. Lvóv 69

Chapter 9 A Way Out 75

Part 2 Family Business

Chapter 10 The Promised Land 90

Chapter 11 Made in America 103

Chapter 12 The First Church 111

Chapter 13 Growing Up Erteszek 120

Chapter 14 Hothouse Flower 132

Chapter 15 The Ranch and Father's Fervor for Righteousness 141

Chapter 16 "Behind Every Olga…" 148

Chapter 17 Travails of Invention 159

Chapter 18 Changing Times 166

Chapter 19 There Really is an Olga 175

Chapter 20 Olga's Daughter 194

Chapter 21 The Tipping Point 206

Part 3 Beyond Salvation

Chapter 22 A Change of Guard 218

Chapter 23 Last Call 223

Chapter 24 Hostile Moves 233

Chapter 25 W Acquisition 240

Chapter 26 The Big Ending 250

Chapter 27 A Graceful Exit 255

Chapter 28 The Iron Lady 262

Epilogue Sheitl 274

Awards & Recognition 291

Endnotes 294

Acknowledgments 296

About the Author 299

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Beautifully written, tender and poignant, and has so many important lessons."—Sheila Hamilton, five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and author of All the Things We Never Knew


"An unexpectedly sweeping story of courage, survival, passion, and secrecy. Polish refugees Jan and Olga Erteszek risked their lives for a chance at the American Dream, and what followed was nothing short of remarkable."—Wendie Malick, award-winning actor, activist, and author


"What a tale! Starting with their escape from Poland as hidden Jews on the day of the Nazi invasion, through the rise and fall of one of the most important woman-led American companies of its era, Christina Erteszek’s eloquent account of her parents and the Olga company is a gripping read from beginning to end. The kind of story that could only happen in America!"—Sean Murphy, author of The Hope Valley Hubcap King and The Time of New Weather, 2018 National Endowment of the Arts Fellow, and winner of the Faulkner and Hemingway awards for the novel


“Erteszek uses compassion and candor when chronicling the external horrors of WWII Poland and the internal, personal struggles of her parents as they immigrated to America and founded the enormously successful Olga underfashion company. This is also a tender coming-of-age tale of the daughter of the ‘real Olga’ as she forges her own unique path. The complicated strands of this story are deftly woven into a family saga full of both triumphs and secrets. A must read.”--Mandy Mikulencak, The Last Suppers