This is an in-depth look at the rise of American fashion design in the first half of the twentieth century, especially the World War II era while Paris was under occupation. The story is told mostly chronologically, but rather than focusing on specific years or fashion trends, each chapter is dedicated to one or two women who shaped American fashion in some way.

I thought this book was very interesting. I’m not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but I love microhistories, especially about take-charge women. I particularly enjoyed reading about Carmel Snow (editor of Harper’s Bazaar), Claire McCardell (designer), Dorothy Shaver (president of Lord & Taylor department store), and Louise Dahl-Wolfe (photographer). There’s also an early chapter explaining the chokehold Paris had on world fashion prior to WWII. I very much appreciated this context. Turns out, it all started with the Sun King. Who knew? Not me.

The audiobook is narrated by Gail Shalan. I thought she did a great job conveying a lot of information in a way that felt engaging and easy to follow.

As a die hard Emily in Paris fan I am facinated with all things Paris Fashion, yet I am a Proud American who can't resist any opportunity to find out how America can beat out the French (Including Mexican food and air conditioning--Feel free to drop your favorite Pro American Fact Below)
So in this book Nancy MacDonell dives into the Birth of American Fashion. Going into the book I had no idea or even given it a thought how WW2 would have impacted the great world of Fashion. It was so interesting to hear how some of my favorite items of clothing (ballet flats, bathing suits, stretchy pants) evolved . The women behind the blooming fashion industry in America was quite facinating. This was a quick read that I would highly recommend if you have ever been curious about the orgins of American clothing! There are also fun factoids along the way about product placement and advertising.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this advance copy of Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion . I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this review.

Empresses of Seventh Avenue, by Nancy McDonell, is an intimate and insightful chronicle detailing the birth of the American fashion industry through the lives of the women most responsible for leading the charge. To do this, McDonell also examined how and why Paris became the global arbiter of fashion, beginning with the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Rich with interesting anecdotes and fascinating historical details, Empresses of Seventh Avenue is a must read book for everyone who loves both fashion and peeking behind the curtain to understand how the sausage is made (or, in this case, how the seams are sown). The narrator, Gail Shalan, is a delight to listen to. During the 10+ hours I spent with her, it felt as if she was telling a story just to me. Plus, there are many French words in this book, and her accent is beautiful. After "The End" I immediately did a search for audiobooks she's narrated and added several to my library. Highly recommend!!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for the #gifted ALC of Empresses of Seventh Avenue!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐈, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

The Empresses of Seventh Avenue was a very informative and interesting look back at the American fashion industry. I really enjoyed getting know more about the history behind the women who put fashion on the world stage and created such an amazing industry. I loved how MacDonell tells the story of how the Nazi invasion of France impacted the American fashion industry, and I loved all of the details and research that went into this book. This is a must read for any lover of history and fashion! It kept my attention the entire time and I truly found it super interesting!

🎧I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Gail Shalan. I thought she was a good choice for this audiobook, and would definitely recommend this one on audio. I was able to get lost in the history behind the American fashion industry and I really enjoyed reading this one with my ears!

🎧Empresses of Seventh Avenue🎧
By: Nancy MacDonell
Narrated By: Gail Shalan
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•It’s so interesting to follow the history of the Nazis taking over Paris (and the impact on fashion).

•I learned so much about how fashion is today, thanks to these strong women who pushed their own ideas forward.

•While a non fiction book, this immersive book reads like fiction.

•So many of these women were trendsetters compared to what was common at the time!

————————————

🎧 Audiobook Review! 🎧

Empresses of Seventh Avenue was kindly provided as an ALC by Macmillan Audio. An ARC was also provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 8/27/24

This book was so interesting! I loved learning about these women who, when they could not get their fashion from Paris anymore, had to figure out how to forge their own paths, therefore creating a fashion industry in America.

I am a big fan of history, but I don’t think I ever stopped to think about how the Nazi invasion of France would impact the global access to French fashion. I loved learning more about that.

I also found it interesting how these women brought forth all of the ideas we see today; department stores, capsule wardrobes, photography, and American fashion in general.

If you like history, or fashion, or both, check this book out!

Empresses of Seventh Avenue by Nancy MacDonnell
Audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan
Publish date August 27, 2024

An advance copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you! My opinion is my own.

I wanted to listen to this book because I like fashion and nonfiction books. As the subtitle suggests, the book largely discusses the evolution of U.S.A. fashion industry. The story covers how the fashion heightened in the seventeenth century France and mostly chronological events afterwards. There are enough namedropping to make the story interesting but not so much to make it gaudy. I found the story interesting and approaching even if you don't have too much background information on fashion. It also discusses the relationship between the commerce and fashion. I found it very interesting and finished the book very quickly.
One thing I wish was the better was the beginning - It was rather abrupt and also abruptly ended before going to the origins of "fashion".
The book narration was good.
I would read the next book by this author as well - this was an interesting book.
Thank you!

Fashion is at once universal and deeply ingrained in popular culture, influencing everything from politics and sports to music and movies. Social media has accelerated its transformation, making it more diversified and embracing than ever. However, without the widespread use of ready-to-wear clothing, popularized during World War II, fashion as we know it today would not be possible. The once scandalous lexicon of American fashion–promoting the coexistence of comfort and style and multipurpose clothing–is now the standard by which we all dress.

Haute couture's brief disappearance due to the war years proved that the French Legend only existed if its premise was accepted. The American fashion industry promised that everyone could be beautifully dressed. The war that began as a fashion emergency became the greatest opportunity for the American fashion industry. The women who ruled Seventh Avenue turned it into a revolution.

Situated in the heart of the American fashion industry, a square mile of midtown Manhattan where over 5,000 companies created and manufactured nearly all of the country's clothing, The Empresses of Seventh Avenue pays homage to the mid-twentieth century moguls in one of the few industries that gave women the chance to wield influence and command respect beyond the baby in their arms and the ring on their finger. Nancy MacDonell’s Empresses of Seventh Avenue shimmers with pizzazz. Grab a copy and get ready, set, sew!

In the tradition of The Barbizon and The Girls of Atomic City, fashion historian and journalist Nancy MacDonell chronicles the untold story of how the Nazi invasion of France gave rise to the American fashion industry.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of this book! I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure if I would like this book at first because I don’t follow fashion and I don’t know anything about it but I like watching music award shows with my mom and seeing what the musicians are wearing and then talking to her about what they’re wearing. I learned a lot. It gave me a different perspective of fashion that I wouldn’t normally get from just watching award shows on TV. I think this book would have been better if it had pictures and it bothered me at first that I didn’t have pictures of the fashion to look at while reading this book but as I continued reading this book, I got used to not having pictures to look at and I just tried my best to visualize what the fashion looked like during the WWII era. Will I read more books about fashion? Maybe. This was the first fashion history book I’ve ever read. I think it would be interesting to learn about how people dressed during other time periods besides WWII. Would I recommend this book? Yes if you’re interested in reading a book about the history of fashion during WWII without any pictures to look at. If you don’t care about fashion history then don’t read this book.

“Convincing American women that designs that originated in their own country were as legitimate as anything that came from Paris would require a sustained campaign.”

From the highly polished opulence of King Louis XIV’s Versailles to the gritty streets of the New York garment district, this meticulously researched book pulls back the curtain on the American fashion industry. The tenacity and creativity of a small group of women is pulled from the wings and onto the catwalk. American fashion filled the vacuum created by the Nazi invasion of France and changed the business forever. Unlike other books written about this time period, this one focuses on the war in terms of specific hurdles presented to designers and retailers and how they overcame them.

Art, design, journalism, finance, politics and marketing collide, producing a detailed narrative of the drama behind the relationship of Paris couture and USA ready to wear. You will recognize many names, especially some of the titans of the garment world, but here the unsung heroes are the women behind the monumental shift in the industry. I was particularly fascinated by how the marketing of women’s fashion evolved from sketches to color photography and how incredibly difficult that was.

I would categorize Ms. MacDonell’s new book as niche non fiction and those who are drawn to fashion in general and under appreciated female forces specifically, will appreciate her fine exposé.

Narrator Gail Shalan manages to dispatch the information with a calm cadence often not present in other non fiction audiobooks and I enjoyed her performance.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.