When Women Ran Fifth Avenue

Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

By: Julie Satow

Narrated by: Karen Murray

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A Best Book of the Year: Amazon, Smithsonian, and Financial Times • A glittering portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them, from the award-winning author of The Plaza. • "Ms. Satow’s carefully researched book is compulsively readable: I found myself dashing through it like a novel. She portrays the women with verve; we get a glimpse into their lives, as well as a sense of what it was like at each of these retail meccas."—The Wall Street Journal

The twentieth century American department store: a palace of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof–afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding (or funeral) planned. It was a place where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago or on Main Street, USA, men owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled.

In this hothouse atmosphere, three women rose to the top. In the 1930s, Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller came to her husband's department store as a housewife tasked with attracting more shoppers like herself, and wound up running the company. Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor championed American designers during World War II–before which US fashions were almost exclusively Parisian copies–becoming the first businesswoman to earn a $1 million salary. And in the 1960s Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel re-invented the look of the modern department store. With a preternatural sense for trends, she inspired a devoted following of ultra-chic shoppers as well as decades of copycats.

In When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain on three visionaries who took great risks, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. This stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, captures the department store in all its glitz, decadence, and fun, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round.

©2024 Julie Satow (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A Cosmopolitan Best Nonfiction Book of 2024

A Town & Country Must-Read for Summer 2024

"A treat for anyone like me who yearns to time travel back to some of those palaces of consumption at the height of their grandeur. But even more revelatory are the stories Satow excavates of the women who presided over three of the greatest and now-vanished New York department stores"—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

"The latest example of great shopping writing . . . Satow could have focused on the stores alone, with their array of delightful bygone details. But by following Odlum, Shaver, and Stutz, she posits that women, in shaping retail, invented the American fashion industry. . . the worlds they built were largely forgotten, until Satow revived their legacies."—The Washington Post

"Ms. Satow’s carefully researched book is compulsively readable: I found myself dashing through it like a novel. She portrays the women with verve; we get a glimpse into their lives, as well as a sense of what it was like at each of these retail meccas."—The Wall Street Journal

Inspiring

This book was so inspiring as it laid out the stories of three incredible women who faced such challenges and appeared to stare these challenges in the face with bravery, courage, determination and vision.

Fascinating textile history!

The story of three women who helped shape 20th century fashion. Fascinating detail about Fifth Ave stores where I shopped
while in college!

Ugh!

I did not like the mixing of all the stories which was not necessary since none of the women met. It was hard for “me” to keep up with who was doing what. Where was the editor?

Meticulous research and detail

I grew up in NY and lived in the Bendel era, and the heyday of Lord and Taylor, especially the introduction of Calvin Klein and standing on long lines as a kid to see their Christmas windows. I believe I tiptoed into Bonwit’s once. Such was the hype. She did get that right. And I had never known there were women at the head of these palaces other than Bendel’s and Dawn Mello at Bergdorf. .
I think her Afterword sums it all up - she uncovered so much material, not enough opportunity to get to the ldepth needed to take it to the next level . Having said that, I enjoyed this book very much. It moved much more quickly than i expected and the stories and highlights
she chose to uplift held my attention throughout.

My 2 peeves certainly don’t stop me from recommending the book to those interested in that slice of time and the connection to what we’re seeing now in retail ( shaking my head) .
It was the narrator, who I thought had a very pleasant voice and was well cast, not being corrected in her pronunciation of certain places and eras; and the author’s constant reference to today’s dollars after saying what the number was at the time of the story, I wanted to know, but I didn’t need to hear that phrase and inflection so repeatedly. Just give us what it is today! Picky picky.
Enjoy!

Fabulous to Read and to Listen

I loved every word and found myself completely absorbed in the beautiful storytelling and writing as well as the Lives of these groundbreaking women. Loved imagining this world of New York.

Great story telling

I thought the book was very interesting and as somebody who was a fashion, major in college and been in the retail business my entire life I found it very fascinating. It was an excellent read. The author was easy to listen to, and I learned a lot! I would highly recommend this book.

Interesting history

I enjoyed learning about women’s history in retail but felt it could have been more concise.

the history of depth stores

I loved the history of the dept. store, women's roles there, fashion, advertising and politics of it all! Fascinating!!

Did not love this book

I don’t know exactly why I didn’t love this. I have 3 decades in the New York fashion business. I wanted more excitement maybe, more than just the facts perhaps.
More of the glamour of the fashion business.

REALLY interesting

Well written & narrated with very interesting and little known history of several amazing women. A great look into the invention and heyday of department stores and the cut throat competition of haute couture fashion marketing. I never knew that Lane Bryant is a misspelling of Lena Bryant that began as a maternity wear line to help a friend. This would be a great book club read.