In this fascinating book about women’s and fashion history in the middle of the twentieth century, MacDonell brings a fascinating group of women fashion designers that brought the American fashion scene onto the international scale during and after World War II to life. Each chapter focusing on a different woman who made her mark on the fashion industry, the book follows designers, retailers, editors, photographers, and women from all over the industry in how they brought the unique American Look to life. Packed full of detail and incredible historical information, this is an engrossing read that history lovers and fashion aficionados will struggle to put down. MacDonell is a brilliant writer and brings each figure to life in vibrant, exciting detail, and she pays great attention to the historical events impacting the development of American fashion and its specific look. Focusing on the human side of history and fashion really allows readers to connect with the various historical women and see how mainstains of the modern fashion industry like the Little Black Dress and Vogue magazine came to be. Well-written, engaging, and humanizing, MacDonell’s latest book is a complex, insightful exploration of American fashion in the middle of the twentieth century full of incredible, personal detail and historical documentation.

Empresses of Seventh Avenue is an engrossing look at the emergence of America’s fashion industry with an emphasis on the various women who made it happen. The book begins with a brief explanation of how Paris became the epicenter of fashion and then explains how fashion changed in the United States when Paris fell under Nazi control during the Second World War. In addition to exploring the trajectory of fashion as trends pivoted from haute couture to a more off-the-rack aesthetic, MacDonell focuses on these lost-to-history feminist figures and what each woman contributed. This deep dive into how the “American Look” came to exist is a must read for anyone interested in fashion or pop culture.

Although I am no fashion icon, I grew up with both my mother and grand-mother sewing and handcrafting many of my clothing items. Swimsuits, short sets, figure skating dresses and Halloween costumes were all homemade and I watched as countless hours went into creating and altering various pieces. It was with this nostalgia that I picked up Empresses Of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, And The Birth Of American Fashion by Nancy MacDonell.

As an outsider, I had no idea there was so much history in the fashion industry, but it dates back to the days of Marie Antoinette and before. It was interesting to discover that fashion options were truly influenced by customers lives, with styles being creatively adapted in inventive ways, and to learn that many creators were well ahead of their time.

Admittedly, it was the "World War II" tagline that appealed most to me about this book, and although that point in history marked a pivotal change in fashion, the focus of this narrative was not as based around that time period as I had expected. Instead this is the mark of America transitioning to creating their own pieces and defining their own style. This era became the foundation for what we know of the fashion industry today.

MacDonell did a remarkable job researching the history of fashion, and although this historical book was told in an altogether non-linear way, this approach makes sense when looking back on the founding style icons. I enjoyed how each chapter ended with a glimpse into what was in the forthcoming chapter, and how there was personality within MacDonell's words instead of just presenting the facts in a text-book-like way.

Gail Shalan does a great job narrating this work. Her voice is straightforward and to the point, seamlessly pronouncing the various French words as needed.

This book would make the perfect gift for the fashion lover or hobby seamstress in your life or to have on hand in a home economics classroom!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

August was a difficult reading month for me, at least at the start. I could not connect with anything I was reading and everything was just “not it”. (That is a me problem, not a comment on the books.) However, Empresses of Seventh Avenue was the exception- I read this in one sitting!

This is a fast and very readable history of WWII/post-WWII American fashion, and I really enjoyed it. MacDonell is a great writer and makes the topic very approachable. She covers the major industry figures, like Carmel Snow, Diana Vreeland, and Claire McCardell, and the major events (like the Battle of Versailles) quickly. Her explanations of the designers are succinct but very useful.

MacDonnell makes the topic accessible for all readers no matter how much or little you know about American fashion history. (A lot of fashion history books will require a decent amount of prior knowledge.) This is not the book for the person writing their PhD on social influence in the fashion industry but it is a delightful and entertaining intro book, which I think makes it far more useful book for more of us!

My one slight qualm is that there weren’t any photographs in the ebook, but there may be some in the final book!

Nancy MacDonell's Empresses of Seventh Avenue takes the reader on a captivating journey through the American fashion industry during and after WWII, showing how women were at the heart of its transformation. When Nazi-occupied Paris was cut off, a bold group of women in New York stepped up, turning the challenge into an opportunity. American women began to redefine fashion, bringing fresh and original ideas to the scene.

I thought this was a really interesting read, but it felt a little too "inside baseball" to me at times. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy!

In this well-researched book, the trailblazing women that led to New York becoming a fashion capital after WWII are discussed. I enjoyed learning about the origins of the “French legacy”, the impact of the Nazis in Paris, and why ballet flats came into fashion. I also learned so much about the role of marketing and ready-to-wear designs. I hoped to read more about the rise of designers in the US, but the content was well done for the author’s intentions. Finally, I did have a slight issue with the seemingly name-calling of Diana Vreeland’s profile. While it was generally agreed upon that Vreeland was not necessarily attractive, the statement made by the author tainted my reading experience. Still, this book has a lot of information for those interested in fashion.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Courtesy of St.Martin's Press and Netgalley, I received the ARC of Empresses of Seventh Avenue by Nancy MacDonell. This captivating and enlightening book covers the origins of French couture and it's impact on the world of women's clothing. Interrupted by WWI and then devastated by WWII, the French fashion scene suffered a tremendous blow, giving advent to American designers, the American Look, and ready to wear styles. Including the influence of American fashion reporters, magazines, editors, photographers, and department stores added to this informative history. Fascinating to read!

This was a very very informative and interesting book. There was a lot of history and knowledge imparted and lots of history about people who were very influential in American fashion. My only concern was the length of the book. It was great but long think it could be almost two volumes

I haven’t been reading a ton of nonfiction books this year, but the ones I have read have been great and Empresses of Seventh Avenue adds to that list.

The book offers a well-researched look at how WWII played a role in the American fashion industry and how the “American Look” came to relevance, all while spotlighting the women that made it happen. Each of the book’s ten chapters puts the focus on a specific group of women, and I really loved that structure as it helped to give both a micro and macro look at the events of the time (the Diana Vreeland chapter was my favorite). I also really appreciated the gravitas with which MacDonell wrote. Too often things like fashion are dismissed as frivolous or unimportant but MacDonell did a great job of highlighting why the industry and its history matters.

I think anyone who’s loved fashion-centric historical fiction or has enjoyed movies and TV shows like Phantom Thread or The New Look would really connect with this book, and learn a lot in the process.

Empresses of Seventh Avenue is out now. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own. I really enjoyed this and felt like I learned a lot about American fashion!

This is a well-researched history of the women who made fashion happen in the United States. It is a quite comprehensive and informative tome about the genesis of American fashion. Those who are interested in the rise of early fashion are sure to love it. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Nancy MacDonell provides a fascinating and in-depth history of the rise of American fashion. When Paris falls to the Nazis, so, too, does its status as the fashion capital of the world. With drive, determination, and ingenuity, MacDonell tells the story of how a small, but dedicated, group of women -- both designers and businesswomen -- build New York into a fashion empire.

MacDonell has done her homework, providing incredible detail on how these women transformed New York into the forefront of American fashion and how their push to design clothes that worked with the American woman's lifestyle wasn't always the easiest road to follow.

A meticulously detailed and well-researched book, Empresses of Seventh Avenue provides a fascinating look into the lives of women whose names many of us don't know but should.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing this electronic ARC of #EmpressesofSeventhAvenue.

I am no fashion plate. Still, I have very much enjoyed the novels by Natasha Lester that have consistently highlighted French fashion and, in her latest, American fashion. This led me to be aware of the Battle of Versailles, just one of many fascinating events in fashion and one that is covered in the Empresses of Seventh Avenue. I also was glued to The New Look on Apple TV. These experiences primed my interest in this title.

Here readers find out how American fashion came into its own and who some of the women were who led the charge. This was a radical change as American fashion had very much copied French couture. The events of WWII changed this radically.

These women came from many fields including design, retail, advertising, magazines and more. I recognized some of the names that were attached to the fashion evolution including Carmel Snow, Diana Vreeland and Claire McCardell. I was eager to learn more about them and others.

Anyone interested in fashion, social history, women's contributions in the world and more will I think very much enjoy this social history. It is very readable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

A fascinating, and thoroughly researched, history lesson on the rise of New York City as a fashion capital during WWII, and the women who made it happen. Sadly, as described in the Afterword, mavericks and history makers, unless at the peak of their powers, rarely die as legends, rather they fade in obscurity. This books does its best to shine a light on these trailblazing Empresses.

The fascinating history of the women who transformed New York into a global fashion hub is quite captivating. It contains more detail than I anticipated, so I would suggest it primarily for those with a genuine interest in fashion history rather than casual readers. The vibrant personalities and stories make it especially engaging!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

I misgenred this book when requested in on BG. I thought it was falling under the LitFic or Woman's Fiction genre, but this is Non Fiction, and I was actually glad to have misunderstood, because I loved this book. As a fashion lover myself, I did not consider I needed much education on the history of fashion. What a mistake. This book proved that, even though I have been purchasing Vogue magazine and InStyle for 30 years, there is a lot I don't know about fashion: how American fashion emerged? How Paris has become the capital of fashion and Haute Couture several centuries ago? Who are the pioneers of sportswear, mass fashion, clothing sizes, the MET Ball? This book is a mine of information I was not familiar with. So much so, I am planning on purchasing a physical copy of Empresses because I am definitely reading it again. I do hope, though, that the hardcopy comes with photos and illustrations of the legendary women, legendary dresses, and historical events discussed in the book. It would be such a plus!

Very interesting history of the women who made New York into a fashion capital of the world. There was a lot more detail than I expected, so I would recommend mostly for those truly interested in fashion history and not the casual reader. Vibrant personalities and stories made it super interesting!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. #sponsored.

I've never been one for fashion but the background presented in this book was interesting to me. This was out of my comfort zone -more so in a way that I wouldn't normally pick it up off the shelves but I liked it! If you're on the fence wondering if you should read it, I would recommend it!

Fashion journalist and historian Nancy MacDowell cracks open the past with a meticulously researched book that brings the history of American fashion to life. Readers learn the history of fashion both before WW II and about the remarkable creativity, ingenuity and risk-taking women in America during and after the war that revolutionized the fashion industry. MacDowell’s writing, while chock full of details, is never bogged down but full of inspiration and excitement as we learn about women fashion designers coming into their own. I enjoyed this book tremendously and learned so much about fashion history, design, fashion retail, marketing and more.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reviewer’s copy.

This was such an interesting book. It was a topic that I never knew had such a rich history! I can't wait for more people to read it, I want to discuss it with them.