When Women Ran Fifth Ave by Julie Satow
In the television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the title character landed the perfect job as a cosmetic salesgirl at the upscale department store B. Altman and Company. Always stylishly attired in the height of late 1950s fashion, Mrs. Maisel directed customers to the ideal shade of lipstick and generously offered (often unsolicited) advice (often terrible) to her single, female colleagues. B. Altman’s beautiful first floor was lovingly portrayed with nary a man in sight, which is rather the point of Julie Satow’s book,When Women Ran Fifth Avenue.
In the early twentieth century, department stores were glamourous and comprehensive. A customer could drop her baby off at the on-site nursery, enjoy a leisurely lunch, plan a funeral or a wedding, shop for a dining room table, send a telegraph at the Western Union desk, buy a parakeet, visit the hair salon, and plan her dinner menu. But more than the extensive goods and services, the department store represented refuge and opportunity for women. It was an acceptable place for women to socialize safely, and one the few places that offered women job advancement.
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue profiles three women who rose to the top during the golden age of department stores, Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel. (Geraldine was a protégée of Maxey Jarman, for all you long-time Nashvillians.) The three merchant queens had little in common, but their leadership and vision created something memorable at each of their respective stores.
Sadly, the glamourous department store is long gone, and despite the convenience of on-line shopping, I think perusing parakeets and party frocks after an unhurried Saturday lunch sounds delightful.
A fun read.
Last fall, I recommended Empresses of Seventh Avenue about the fashion pioneers, such as Dorothy Shaver, who cultivated and promoted heretofore unrecognized American designers after WWII. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue covers some of the same ground, notably Shaver, but is not repetitive.
(B. Altman’s exceptional building was given landmark status in 1985, and since 2000 has been occupied by the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Graduate School. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel used the building to film some exterior scenes.)