Banners of Silk - Large Print Author:Rosalind Laker But for the kindness of seamstress Catherine Allard, ten year old orphan Louise Vernet would have had little chance of survival in 1840s Paris. Louise's skill with a needle is soon recognized and as she grows up, her enthusiasm and gift for the fashion world grow apace, as does her driving ambition. Louise's life is inextricably linked w... more »ith the young Englishman, Worth, who was to change the face of fashion. Then there is Will Russell, a superb fabric cutter and, above all, there is aristocrat Pierre de Gand.