The Lady in The Window (eBook)

2

Julia Bennett struggled up the last few steps. A journey she made two times a day. Using the handrail to assist she pulled herself to the fifth-floor landing. “I think these steps have grown over the years,” she told herself. Out of breath she stood half bent over trying to recover sufficiently for the march to her apartment. Hers was behind the last door at the end of the hall. No less dingy than the stairway the hall was lit by a single uncovered bulb hanging from the ceiling on exposed and frayed wires. The door to her apartment was on the right hand side of the hallway. Julia could have had an apartment on one of the lower floors but hers was the only one with the perfect window. Her window had an unobstructed view of the theater and the street below. Julia could not imagine her life without her window.

Unlike the rest of the building her apartment was clean and bright. Painted with bright colors when she moved in 10 years ago; she had decorated it to look like an expensive window display similar to those she had created for the Ruffalo Brothers department store and those she had seen in the window at Macys.

Julia had never worked at Macys but when she was a young girl, she spent many hours of many days gazing attentively admiring the scenes in the display window. Scenes that changed along with the changing seasons. There was always a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalk in front of Macys. Some of the people passing by Macys display windows would slow their pace enough to take in the scene before hurrying off to their destination. Still others stood alongside Julia to briefly study the decorative scenes within. “Don’t you think the manikins look almost alive?” Julia would often ask of these strangers. Most would turn their heads to look at her; occasionally one or two would say something like “Uh-hu,” then move on. Some might commit even further by asking, “Do you really think they look like real living people?” To which Julia would rapidly nod, “Oh, my, yes, they do look real when they are dressed correctly and posed as real people would pose.” Onlookers would look at this young girl they encountered standing in front of the store windows and wonder how such a young girl would know about what fashions constituted the correct style of dress. They would then hurry off to wherever it was their errands took them. But Julia continued to stand with her back to the street her eyes taking in every detail of the picture of life in the window. It was as if she were a permanent fixture on the sidewalk. People began to recognize her as the girl who was always looking into the window. “Is there anything new?” Some might ask. “Oh, yes, notice the long silk gloves on the lady setting the silver on the table?” Julia had memorized every detail and was quick to notice even the slightest change. “My oh my, I wouldn’t have noticed that, thank you for pointing that out.” The stranger might respond before going on about her errand. Julia remembered every display. She loved to imagine what the manikin characters were thinking or saying to each other. She began to imagine them as real characters and wondered what they did when they were not part of a window display. As the years past the manikins and their homelike settings became more real to Julia and less simply manikins dressed in beautiful clothes. What she saw portrayed in the window ever evolving through each season became very real to Julia.

On one occasion the Macy’s doorman who had been watching this young woman stand in front of the big window day after day finally had his curiosity sufficiently aroused. “Little lady,” he said, “why is it you stand here day after day staring into those windows?” “Oh, Sir, this is what I so much want to do. I want to design windows. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could dress up and then dress those manikins so people passing on the street would have to wonder if the manikins were real or if I, the lady in the window, were one of the manikins? I must ask father if he will help me go to college so I can study fashion design and one day fulfill my dream.”

The doorman smiled at Julia, “You have a great big, wonderful dream, little lady. You just keep dreaming and one day if you believe, if you really believe, your dream just might come true.”

Wilber Bennett tried to hide the tears that rolled out of his eyes and down onto his ruddy cheek, but finally gave up trying. It was a sad day for him. For the last ten years since his wife died, he shared his home with his beautiful daughter Julia and now she was going off to school. “You study hard Julia, but don’t forget to have some fun,” he said as he helped Julia board the train that would take her to Boston. “I will and I won’t Daddy. I mean I will study hard and I won’t forget to have some fun. Thank you, Daddy.”

“Oh, child, if only your mother could have lived to see this day. She would be so proud of her little girl.” “I know, Daddy. Somehow, I think Momma is watching. Oh, Daddy, I know she is watching and she sees those tears on your face, you silly old man. No need to cry; I’ll be back in two years and of course I will be home for Christmas.”

Julia left for college in 1926 at the age of 16 to study fashion and interior design a privilege for a woman of that era. Her ambitions stemmed from her hours studying the displays in Macy’s windows and studying the designs and fashions in ladies’ magazines.

In the early years of the 20th century few women held the top jobs in fashion and design. Those usually went to men.

Julia thought about what her life would be like after her graduation hoping her degree would open many doors. She was certain many doors would open but the first she wanted to open was where her dream job was, Macy’s as she would search for her dream job.

“Hello, Miss um,” the hiring agent looked down upon the application to verify the name, “Bennett. What position are you applying for?”

“Well, of course, I want to be your fashion designer. I want to design your window displays and choose the latest fashions so the world will know what you are selling inside. You can see I have studied in Boston and have my degree…”

“Miss, Miss, yes, I see, but where are your references?” The hiring agent did not appear to be impressed by Julia’s degree.

“References? Well, I have none yet since this is the first place I came to ask for a job.”

“Oh, dear, I am so sorry. I can appreciate your enthusiasm, but Macys has a certain um, reputation which we carefully strive to maintain and one must have many years of very successful work before one can do that kind of work here.”

On her way out Julia couldn’t help but notice the art exhibit by Lee Simonson, a well-known artist and sculptor. “Well,” she said out loud to herself in an effort not to feel defeated, “If Macys has artists the like of Lee Simonson, I guess I can understand why they would not want to hire me until I have more experience. But one day they will regret not letting me show them what I can do. One day I will be a famous fashion designer and my windows will be second to none.”

Filled with self-confidence she went to other department stores in the more exclusive districts in New York. “I’m sorry dear, but we are very happy with our window displays and the man who does them.” The hiring agent at Bloomingdale’s response was well rehearsed so much so, he barely even looked up at Julia knowing his statement would make her go away.

The first few weeks after she graduated, college degree in hand, Julia faced one rejection and frustration after another. She went out every day from one retailer to another all declining her application. She finally was sitting in the hiring agent’s office for The Ruffalo Brother’s department store. “I will not let them dismiss me out of hand like so many others in this city have done,” Julia argued to herself. When the hiring agent’s door opened Julia stood and said, “I want to speak with the owners.” “What? You just can’t walk in here and…” The hiring agent stood ready to throw Julia out of the store but was cut off when Rufus and David Ruffalo entered the office. “Is there a problem Helen?” “This young lady came in here demanding to speak with you,” she said as if this was the most outlandish request she had ever heard. “Why I don’t even know her name yet. Of course, I told her she cannot…” Her sentence was again cut off by Rufus Ruffalo.

“Is that so? What is your name, Ma-am?”

“Julia, Julia Bennett, sirs.”

“Helen, we would love to speak with Ms. Bennett. You don’t mind if we use your office, do you? Good. Why don’t you go home early today and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Completely bewildered, Helen Abrams left the office too stunned to cry. “Ms. Bennett…”

“Call me Julia.”

“Ok, Julia, I am Rufus Ruffalo and this is my brother David. What can we do for you?”

Julia wasted no time making her pitch to the first people willing to listen. “Sirs, most of the fashion design in stores like yours are designed by men. And the windows displays where those designs are shone to the world are designed by men. But virtually all of the shopping is done by women. The stale designs created by men don’t appeal to women shoppers. Women want to believe what they see in your window is something they just have to have no matter the cost.” Her persistence paid dividends. Her persuasive argument reached the open ears of Rufus and David Ruffalo who hired her that very day.

The Ruffalo Brothers store was in a part of town more...