A New York Times Bestseller

A Cosmopolitan Best Nonfiction Book of 2024

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

Julie Satow is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” and “The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel.” A regular contributor to the New York Times, her work has also appeared on National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg Businessweek.