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

A portrait of the golden age of American department stores and three women who led them. In the twentieth century, department stores functioned as palaces of consumption where shoppers could find everything from afternoon tea to fashion to wedding planning services. While men owned the buildings, women—both shoppers and employees—wielded significant power within them. Three women rose to prominence in this environment. In the 1930s, Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller began as a housewife tasked with attracting female shoppers and eventually ran the company. Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor championed American designers during World War II, when US fashion had previously relied on Parisian copies, and became the first businesswoman to earn a $1 million salary. In the 1960s, Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel reinvented the modern department store's aesthetic, developing a devoted following of sophisticated shoppers and inspiring numerous imitators. Journalist Julie Satow examines these three visionaries who took significant risks and created new opportunities for women. The account explores the department store's glamour and decadence while highlighting the women instrumental to its success.