You, by now, know I love books and since I have had a monthly nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club for years, my reading tends to be skewed to fashion and lifestyle books. One that hit my radar many months ago was this extraordinary book by the brilliant Julie Satow!
When I first read about it I immediately sought out the author to plan a convenient date…that date just happened for our July 2024 meeting. Let’s first discuss my conversation with Julie! Probably what I like most about The Fashion Book Club is my interaction with the authors and Julie was a total delight. Her research and devotion to her subject is without peer! An aside, be sure to read her book The Plaza, spectacular!
What I like most about the book is that it reads like a novel in “fact form”. The research Julie has done is beyond phenomenal and it develops into a fascinating history of retail. The three prominent stores and their female leaders are long gone and, in my opinion, so are their principles of retail. I’m not naive about the state of retail today but was lucky to be in the industry when it was at its peak and the glamour was palpable! This study shows us the excitement of the store experience as well as the struggles of financial behemoths of this fascinating world. The women included were allowed to develop their own concepts of “give the Lady what she wants” with the men in charge giving them pretty much free rein to create new exciting emporiums. Each were inviting their customers to experience the excitement that is the back bone of retail! I, for one, see the need to bring the uniqueness of these ideas back to retail and make it magical once again!
The three woman and their stores profiled….
If you have an interest in the history of fashion, the history of retail, the history of fashion in New York, or in the world of retail finance….this is the book for you. add it to your library you won’t regret it…it’s beyond fascinating…a Master Class of retail!
I am including a link to Jeffrey Banks review, enjoy! https://www.easthamptonstar.com/books/2024627/female-innovators-retail
My Independent Bookseller of choice is always The Book Stall,
