bA glittering, glamorous portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them, from the award-winning author of iThe Plazai.b pThe American department store a palace of consumption that epitomized modern consumerism. Every wish could be met under one roof - afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding or funeral planned. It was a place where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago or on Main Street, USA, men owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. pIn this hothouse atmosphere, three women rose to the top. Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel's took risks, innovated and competed as very different kinds of career women, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. In the 1930s, Hortense came to her husband's department store as a housewife tasked with attracting more sho