Loves, as you may know Neiman Marcus (the luxury department store) is for sale. While the sale won’t change the quality, name, or brand of the store, it does signify a change in our shopping experience. Truth be told, this news hit me harder than it should have. My childhood was shaped by Neiman Marcus. My family is from Dallas, and Neimans was a place to mark milestones. My grandma used to take us for tea, it was a place to shop for special occasions, and Neiman Marcus may have a hand in my love for expensive shoes. My mother has strong memories about attending fortnights at the store, two week long affairs, in the theme of a country, where the Dallas Neiman Marcus Flagship would go all out–decorate the escalators like dragons (China), give away free Guinness (Ireland), have lederhosen clad dancers (Germany). Neimans would fly in celebrities: Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Sophia Loren, and taught Dallas Society how to party. Neiman Marcus for decades played a huge part in discovering new designers, hosting fashion shows, and being the authority in luxury.
Recently, I had the opprotunity to hear Tom Alexander speak-he was manager of all things Neiman Marcus at its height, and a noted historian. Just to hear him tell stories about the events, the celebs, the stories was simply amazing. He’s recently published a biography of Stanely Marcus (founder of the store), it is for sale at any Neimans and is worth a read. I was not only fascinated by the stories he had to tell, but Stanely’s son conducted the Q&A and we got a glimpse into Neiman Marcus’s plan for the future.
Neiman Marcus wrote the book on luxury; salespeople knew your name, size, taste, gave a personal touch, and the high end items! But loves, the way you and I shop is changing. Online shopping has not only changed how impersonal shopping has become, it has also changed our expectations in terms of availability, and delivery (and let’s be honest there’s not a person alive who doesn’t love coming home to a “present” on the doormat). So where does this leave luxury retailers? If we can get anything from anywhere delivered in 5-7 business days, is there still a place for Neiman Marcus and similar stores?
I was relieved to hear that Neimans believes the answer is yes. People love personalized service. I’m usually a woman who doesn’t need a ton of help to shop, but I do have to say that it is lovely to get a call or text from my girl at Neimans to let me know about promotions or things that just arrived that are my style –and many websites don’t offer that. Will this service have to become more “web friendly”? Sure. However, the belief that it’s still available, and the customer who still appreciates it, makes Neiman Marcus confident that they can provide the level of service that they are known for, and move into modern shopping.
I love Neiman Marcus, unapologetically. In fact, I long for the day when the fortnights, celeb and designer fashion shows come back, and we return to an era when department stores mean luxury. What about you? Do you love Neimans like I do? Shop my picks from Neiman Marcus below, and I cannot recommend the books enough-history, celeb gossip, and shopping! And don’t forget the cookbooks, they remind me of meals with my grandma, and are great from everything from treats to dinner parties!
XO RA
