Fashion journalist and historian NANCY MACDONELL is the author of five previous books, including The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites. She writes La Jounal Wall Street column “Fashion with a Past,” in which she explores the historic roots of current fashion trends. Her writing also has appeared in Nouvèl Èdikay, Li, Vog, and other publications. Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion (St. Martin’s Press) is her latest book.