When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / PRH Audio for the ALC and Doubleday #partner,  for the advanced copy of When Women Ran Fifth Avenue in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Doubleday / Random House Audio

Published: June 4, 2024

Summary:

A glittering, glamorous 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.

The American department a palace of consumption that epitomized modern consumerism. 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. Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel’s took risks, innovated and competed as very different kinds of career women, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. In the 1930s, Hortense came to her husband’s department store as a housewife tasked with attracting more shoppers like herself, and wound up running the company. Dorothy championed American designers during World War II–before which US fashions were almost exclusively Parisian copies–and beyond, becoming the first businesswoman to earn a salary of more than $1.5 million. And Geraldine re-invented the look of the modern department store in the 1960s, and had a preternatural sense for trends, inspiring 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 American women who made twentieth-century department stores a mecca for women of every age, social class, and ambition. 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.

My thoughts:

This was such a fascinating read. I grew up going to department stores, some that are no longer around. Reading this book brought back so many good memories, like visiting my aunt who used to work at Sterns or getting my 1st pair of Jordache Jeans in a checkered pattern – oh the fashions of my youth! ⁣
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This books takes us back to the early days of the department store and shines a light on three women who were instrumental in changing how things were done in terms of the way we shop in these stores as well as in the workplace at department stores. These women were Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord and Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel. ⁣
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It is quite evident the vast research the author did for this book and yet it is so readable, especially with all the intriguing history that is packed inside. This truly is a page turner and I cannot recommend it enough!!!⁣

Audio thoughts:

I primarily listened to this one, occasionally flipping to the print copy as there are some photos. The narration by Karen Murray was fantastic…she really made this nonfiction piece come alive!⁣

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