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

Fashion narratives often center male European designers, but New York Times contributor Satow (The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel) tells a different story in her compact and compelling history of the American department store as a uniquely woman-centered realm, distilled through the careers of Hortense Odlum at Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver at Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz at Henri Bendel. Satow shows department stores as equalizing spaces for talented women to find careers outside their homes, though her three protagonists struggle to balance roles as leaders of their companies against society’s expectations of them. Sidebars on Maggie Walker establishing St. Luke Emporium for Black shoppers, Elizabeth Hawes surreptitiously sketching Paris runways, Adel Rootstein creating modern mannequins, and other short takes expand the story. Satow concludes with perhaps excessive optimism about the democratizing nature of online retail and the expanded career options open to women today.