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When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

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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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (June 4, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385548753


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 55


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.43 x 1.21 x 9.54 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #8,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Retailing Industry (Books) #23 in Women in History #58 in Sociology Reference


#1 in Retailing Industry (Books):


#23 in Women in History:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Great reading - best to read it character by character
My book club loved this one. The three women and three stores featured are all fascinating in their own ways. The histories are well researched and bring back great memories. Because the author is a financial reporter, the stories give great insights into the reasons behind some of the business decisions and the reasons for the great success of these stores in their time. Well worth reading! I did find the book hard to follow, however. After reading Part 1, I quickly switched to reading the chapters in this order: the Hortense chapters, the Dorothy chapters, and the Geraldine chapters. That way I was able to get the whole story of each person in sequence. There is no difficulty in reading it this way, because the three characters do not intersect or interact with each other in any way. It's pretty clear that the author did excellent research on each woman independently. There is no reason to separate the stories; they are stand-alones. I suspect an editor or agent stepped in to break up the bios into smaller bits for the purpose of building suspense or something. Fail! But the book survives its awkward organization and is still a great read! Five stars. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024 by Mrs Bridge
    • Study of the fashion industry on Fifth Avenue, NYC with emphasis on three main women
As a well-written archival study, I give it four-stars. As a reader of less academic works, I give it three-stars. I expected something entirely different from this book which is on me. It is definitely a well-researched study of how women played such a contribution to the success of fashion and thereby Fifth Avenue in that era. I was truly blown away with the lives of the principal women’s lives explored: Hortense Odlum, Geraldine Stutz, Dorothy Shaver and her sister Elsie. There were several other women of note and no less impressive in their endeavors. Just some random thoughts: Interesting to see in many photographs that the executive women had cigarettes sophisticatedly held in their hands. Obviously, a sign of the times; Fascinating how differently Hortense accepted her success from the other women; With few exceptions, the women improved their respective stores beyond what the men before them had done; One thing was clear, no matter how successful these women were, they were paid far less than their male counterparts; There were lots of interesting and incidental factoids and pictures; especially enjoyed the gossipy parts the most; Coincidentally, these incidental facts sometimes left the narrative with many shifts in content which was distracting. Segue here, segue there… There were some quotes of the time that could have been written today they were so “au courant” Maxey Jarman, Geraldine’s mentor, “if women are any good, it’s because they are women, not in spite of it” Overall, I think this is an excellent source for research into this era, this topic and/or these people. This gave me real insight into a time and place that is fascinating to me while coincidentally feeling foreign. At the same time, in the quote from “The Wall Street Journal” it referred to “dashing through it.” Well, if that meant skipping pages, I concur. Again, this was an interesting book but not one I expected. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024 by Linda Reads
    • Fascinating!
What a world! New York, fashion, sophistication, empowered women! I knew nothing about these trailblazers, and was swept up into a world I wish I’d lived in when New York was the epicenter of American glamour. Loved this book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2024 by Lwvd
    • An okay start
Very intrigued by the stories of these women. Came away convinced they all deserve a proper history. Worth the read nonetheless.
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2024 by ChristineG
    • The ladies are doing it for themselves
Wonderful, well researched book about the successful woman who created and ran department stores. You'll love it, if you appreciate history and love to shop
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2024 by writeoncindy
    • Pretty cool history
I love nonfiction history and so far this book is pretty interesting because you get insight into daily living that I've never seen on movies or heard much about for women entering high level jobs had a time it was unheard of.
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024 by CookinMaine
    • Nostalgia meets Modern Womens' History
Baby boomer women will love going back in time to the days when shopping in a department was a thrilling adventure. Everywhere you looked, there was something fabulous to see, even if you didn't buy it. Best, B. Altman's, Bonwit Teller, Henri Bendel, A&S, Gimbel's. These where our "theme parks." All of them are gone today or changed out of all recognition. Younger women interested in fashion will find this presentation of the American fashion merchandising business and the women who drove it a fabulous read. This is a terrific read by a skilled story teller. A great gift for the upcoming holidays. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2024 by NolaStJ
    • Just extraordinary
I don’t like malls, I don’t like department stores, but gosh do I love history! This book reveals some truly extraordinary history that’s mostly been ignored, considering that it essentially covers the rise of women in the American workforce. Absolutely fascinating, I wish my Gran was still here, she bought her drivers license at an actual department store in the 1930’s. READ this book! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024 by Sara Gee

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