Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
PRODUCT
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion
Sale!
Product Description:
Price:
Original price was: $32.50.$20.57Current price is: $20.57.
Detailed description:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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
Product group:
Categories: Arts & Photography
Product name:
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion
Price:
Original price was: $32.50.$20.57Current price is: $20.57.
N Don Brown –
Albeit short time period and small number of women a wonderful description of vivid time period from WWI o to late 69s
Importance of fashion and the women who ruled it
ChristineG –
Very intrigued by the stories of these women. Came away convinced they all deserve a proper history. Worth the read nonetheless.
marina crispo –
yes .. reading this book was so pleasant and informative.. A WINNER!!!
Linda Reads –
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.
Readhead –
Interesting historical perspective of women taking leadership roles in retail. But they still were fighting for equal pay. But they were impacted by cultural norms of the times more than men. Very interesting book.
Robyn Bolle –
Enlightening, fun and just goes to show you Women ROCK! I had no idea how Fifth Avenue shops actually came to fruition. It was exciting to get to know the women who were behind making Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue. How their lives were impacted and how they changed. No merchandising experience but knowing what women like to wear. A worthy novel.
Andrea R. –
Learned so much in such a well written accounting of the birth and success of the top department stores and the woman who made them successful. Highly recommend it.
niia –
If this type of thing interests you, this is a really great book. Very well researched and full of very engaging descriptions of these three women. Well written and a lot of fun to delve into a very different era.