In the New York Times Best Seller When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion, award-winning journalist and author of the widely acclaimed 2019 book, The Plaza, Julie Satow draws on her expert knowledge of New York City history and culture to whisk readers back to a bygone era of innovation and glitz. Satow chronicles the rise of the department store through dazzling portraits of three female powerhouses who broke barriers and created new and evolving possibilities for working women.

In the golden age of the American department store, every wish could be met under a single roof: one could take afternoon tea, browse the latest fashions, and even plan a wedding or funeral. From bustling big cities to Main Street, USA, women—shopper and shopgirl alike—found newfound opportunities for independence. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. Though the names of these iconic stores, from Bendel’s to Lord & Taylor, are infamous, the stories of the women who ran them have been largely lost to history—until now. 

Moderated by Fran Hauser.  Books will be available for sale and signing.

A native New Yorker, Julie Satow is an award-winning journalist and the author of The Plaza, A New York Times Editors’ Choice and NPR Favorite Book of 2019. She is a regular contributor to the New York Times, and her work has also appeared on National Public Radio, Bloomberg Businessweek, Travel + Leisure, and elsewhere. For more information visit www.juliesatow.com. 

“A treat for anyone who yearns to time travel back to some of those palaces of consumption at the height of their grandeur. But even more revelatory are the stories Satow excavates of the women who presided over three of the greatest and now-vanished New York department stores” –Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air

“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.” –Wall Street Journal

“Julie Satow celebrates the savvy leaders who made Bonwit, Bendel’s and Lord & Taylor into retail meccas of their moment. . . Clever . . . considered in aggregate [Odlum, Shaver, and Stutz] are a force.” –The New York Times

“The latest example of great shopping writing . . . Satow could have focused on the stores alone, with their array of delightful bygone details. But by following Odlum, Shaver, and Stutz, she posits that women, in shaping retail, invented the American fashion industry. . . the worlds they built were largely forgotten, until Satow revived their legacies.” —The Washington Post

“[Satow] sheds a spotlight on the three women who changed the shopping landscape in the country . . . Amid the floors of chiffon and other luxuries is drama with Salvador Dali, spying, and divorce. Need we say more?” —Town & Country

Fran Hauser is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, book coach, champion of women in the workplace, and a LinkedIn Top Voice. She has spoken at over 200 organizations and authored two books, The Myth of the Nice Girl and Embrace the Work, Love Your Career, that have been hailed as modern-day bibles for professional women. Fran’s own publishing journey proved so rewarding that she created Bookbound, a venture dedicated to launching female non-fiction authors. As a former Fortune 500 executive and active start-up investor – who has funded over 40 female-founded companies – Fran’s insights have appeared in media outlets including Fortune, CNBC, Fast Company, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and Business Insider.