When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

Explore the connection between women in the workplace and America’s involvement in the First and Second World Wars. How did the two wars influence popular ideas about working women? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Hortense Odlum and Geraldine Stutz were both married while president of their respective stores, while Dorothy Shaver remained single throughout her life. How does the varied marital status of Satow’s protagonists affect their experiences in leadership and highlight the book’s thematic interest in The Changing Roles of Women in 20th-Century America?

Julie Satow’s focus in When Women Ran Fifth Avenue is the history of department stores in New York City. What makes New York an appropriate setting for her fashion history?