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

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?

How did Hortense Odlum reconcile her presidency with her belief that a woman’s place was with her family? How did she use her gender as a tool to propel the success of her career?

Explore The Mutual Influence of Fashion and Technology throughout the book. How did mid-century technological advances—especially during the war—influence the development of the fashion industry?

Consider Satow’s engagement with social and economic privilege in her book. Both Hortense Odlum and Dorothy Shaver relied on family connections to achieve their leadership positions. How did they leverage or hide these relationships throughout their career?

Geraldine Stutz relied on her extensive social network in order to make Henri Bendel one of New York’s most popular destinations. How does this practice reflect the modern industry’s reliance on social media influencers?

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue focuses primarily on the careers of white, Christian women. How and where does Satow feature other perspectives and stories to support the book’s thematic interest in The Benefits of Women in Leadership through an intersectional lens?

How did men like Maxey Jarman and Leslie Wexner help or hinder their female colleagues? How does Satow position them in relationship to the changing roles of women in their industry as a whole?