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. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Vogue, Smithsonian, New York Post, and Financial Times "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"Compelling and colorful" —The Washington PostThe twentieth century American department store: a palace of consumption where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York, 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 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 and inspired a devoted following of ultra-chic shoppers as well as decades of copycats. Journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain on three visionaries in this stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round.

A New York Times BestsellerA Cosmopolitan Best Nonfiction Book of 2024'Compulsively readable: I found myself dashing through it like a novel' The Wall Street Journal 'Riveting' Financial Times The New York Times bestselling story of the golden age of luxury department stores, and the trailblazing women who ran them.The twentieth century department store: a wonderland of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof. Dropping off the baby at nursery; an afternoon tea; a stroll through the latest fashions. A wedding (or funeral) could be planned. A Bengal Tiger cub could be purchased.Inside these towering price-tag palaces, anything was possible. They were beacons of modernity, and within this atmosphere of glamour and luxury, women dominated. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside women ruled.Among the rising prices and growing opulence, three women climbed to the top: Hortense Odlum, Dorothy Shaver, and Geraldine Stutz. Julie Satow draws back the curtain on these 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.'If you liked Mad Men then you'll love When Women Ran Fifth Avenue' #1 New York Times bestselling author Kate Andersen Brower, author The Residence and First Women

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. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Vogue, Smithsonian, New York Post, and Financial Times "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"Compelling and colorful" —The Washington PostThe twentieth century American department store: a palace of consumption where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York, 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 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 and inspired a devoted following of ultra-chic shoppers as well as decades of copycats. Journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain on three visionaries in this stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round.

A New York Times BestsellerA Cosmopolitan Best Nonfiction Book of 2024'Compulsively readable: I found myself dashing through it like a novel' The Wall Street Journal 'Riveting' Financial Times The New York Times bestselling story of the golden age of luxury department stores, and the trailblazing women who ran them.The twentieth century department store: a wonderland of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof. Dropping off the baby at nursery; an afternoon tea; a stroll through the latest fashions. A wedding (or funeral) could be planned. A Bengal Tiger cub could be purchased.Inside these towering price-tag palaces, anything was possible. They were beacons of modernity, and within this atmosphere of glamour and luxury, women dominated. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside women ruled.Among the rising prices and growing opulence, three women climbed to the top: Hortense Odlum, Dorothy Shaver, and Geraldine Stutz. Julie Satow draws back the curtain on these 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.'If you liked Mad Men then you'll love When Women Ran Fifth Avenue' #1 New York Times bestselling author Kate Andersen Brower, author The Residence and First Women