Reinventing the Department Store

In the heyday of department stores, fashionable ladies flocked to luxury emporiums like Le Bon Marché, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Selfridges. Draped in fur coats, their heads crowned with dainty millinery, they buzzed around merchandise that had never before been available in such a wide assortment under one roof. Department stores were wondrous and bright communal playgrounds, places to socialize and explore the seemingly endless stock of goods, often from far-flung locales.