Women's

Women's

Conversation With: Alexander Wang

Ken Downing and Alexander Wang catch up in NYC.

Ken Downing and Alexander Wang catch up in NYC.

KEN DOWNING: Alex, you are considered one of the most brilliant and, might I say, coolest young talents on the American scene today. How old were you when you started your first collection?

ALEXANDER WANG: I was only 20 years old. It was my sophomore year of college. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, but I was determined to make it work. It was only six sweaters. I didn’t know what a line sheet was. I had no merchandising skills. All I knew was I wanted to design.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

…I find that I’m inspired by others around me, how people dress on the streets. It was a real challenge for me in design school. I found the ideas of fashion I was being taught were very one dimensional to my ideas of what high fashion was all about. You know, the idea of what was agreeable, what was considered luxurious. I always felt T-shirts and sweatpants, when well designed, can be the most valuable things.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

KD: You have always loved a nod to the idea of gymnasium chic. You were one of the first designers in recent history to reengage with locker-room themes. You really put the whole idea of a sportif motif in motion. I think yours was one of the first shows where we saw running shorts walk the runway in quite some time.

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Women's

Ana Maria’s Fashion Week Diary – NY, The Weekend

6:30 AM:  In a cab packed with a very large portion of my closet for our NMdaily fashion shoot at Lincoln Center. Sun is barely out but sunglasses are much needed at this time!

1:13 PM: Loving the white lucite and patent wedge at Prabal Gurung… a very cool collaboration with Casadei.

Prabal Gurung, Spring 2013

Prabal Gurung, Spring 2013. Photo by Dan Lecca.

2:31 PM:  Alicia Keys looking divine in a black and white graphic pant on the front row at Edun.

 Alicia Keys and Alu Edun at Edun Spring 2013.

Alicia Keys and Edun founder Ali Hewson

Edun, Spring 2013

Edun, Spring 2013. Photo, Dan Lecca.

6:15 PM: Despite tornado watch in New York city, Alexander Wang leaves us with a glowing finale of flourecent looks!

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013. Photo, Dan Lecca.

Alexander Wang, Spring 2013. Photo by Dan Lecca.

Sunday, September 9:  It has finally cooled off in New York City. Today I’m wearing JBrand skinny pants, Givenchy shoes and a printed Stella McCartney  top which feels very much the like the mood for next Spring. Don’t you love it when that happens? This was a good purchase!

AMP walking through Lincoln Center on Sunday.

AMP at Lincoln Center on Sunday.

A detail shot of my Prada tote.

A detail shot of my Prada tote.

11:21 AM: Victoria Beckham show at the New York Public Library – what a great way to start Sunday morning! Black, white and nude with a fabulous pop of orange.

1:40 PM: Lauren Conrad, Mandy Moore and Teen Vogue‘s Jane Keltner enjoying the show at Lela Rose!

The front row at Lela Rose.

The front row at Lela Rose.

Lela Rose, Spring 2013. Photo by Dan Lecca.

Lela Rose, Spring 2013. Photo by Dan Lecca.

6:06 PM: What are those glasses with no lenses at DVF? I had to look more than twice until I read on the program all about the Glass by Google! It’s the latest on wearable technology… check it out on google.com/+dvf.
A sketch of the Google glasses inside the DVF program book.

A sketch of the Google Glass inside the DVF program book.

The Google glass.

Google Glass, backstage at DVF.

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Women's // Lifestyle

Store Soirée: Lanvin

Every Fall, Neiman Marcus welcomes one premier designer to its Dallas flagship and restages the designer’s Fall runway show, and this year we tapped Lanvin. The event takes months of preparation, and all goes to support The Crystal Charity Ball Committee, which has raised more than $100 million for Dallas children’s charities since 1952. This morning Dallas society came downtown for a taste of Paris. “Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas” were presented (all wearing Lanvin, naturally,) before everyone took in Lanvin’s spectacular 10th anniversary Fall collection and a preview of Resort. Oh la la.

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Women's

Road Test: Giuseppe Zanotti Heelless Pump

Giuseppe Zanotti's gravity-defying pump in cranberry suede.

Giuseppe Zanotti's gravity-defying pump in cranberry suede.

Walking in high heels is an art. Walking in heelless heels is… defying gravity. For Fall Giuseppe Zanotti remastered the science of shoe structure with a collection of  no-heel platform pumps. No doubt you’re pondering, how exactly does one successfully strut their stuff (or even stay upright) at such staggering and support-less heights? In the name of fashion, I braved the vertiginous design’s avant garde architecture for a spin around our flagship store.

The trek was a bit wobbly, however the cantilevered curve of the heel supplies a surprising amount of support and the strategically positioned platform lessens the impact. But I’m not going to lie—it was challenging. My smoking slippers were a relief, later on.

Admiring their beauty on the first floor of the NM flagship.

Admiring their beauty on the first floor of the NM flagship.

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Women's

Meet Caroline Maguire, Our New Cusp Fashion Director!

Caroline Maguire

Cusp Fashion Director, Caroline Maguire.

Meet Caroline Maguire. As contemporary/bridge fashion director at Neiman Marcus Group, she is THE trend authority for all things Cusp. New York-based Maguire describes her style as “East Coast meets West Coast” and attributes her laid-back sense of style to her California roots.

NM: What are you coveting this Fall?

CM: Color! I’m loving hunter green or navy.

NM: How would you describe your personal style?

CM: Playful, chic, laid back. On weekends, I love to lounge around in J Brand cut-offs with an oversized T-shirt.  When I’m in my “chic mode,” I like to throw on a vintage lace top passed down from my mom, tuxedo blazer and sky-high Zanottis.

NM: Who are your style icons?

CM: Kate Moss, Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt.

NM: What will we not find in your closet?

CM: Ruffles or bows.

NM: What are your favorite fashion blogs?

CM: Garance Dore, Manrepeller, Refinery29, Jak and Jil and Hanneli Mustaparta.

NM: Best splurge for Fall?

CM: The perfect jacket! I can’t wait to get my hands on the Pierre Balmain fringe leather jacket.

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Women's

Announcing the NM Fall Forward Pinterest Challenge Finalists

Dear fellow “pinners,” thank you for participating in the NM Fall Forward Pinterest Challenge, our first ever! The #NMFallTrend boards were eye-catching, creative and inspiring. It was difficult to narrow it down but these are our faves!  Stay tuned, as NM accessories director AnaMaria Pimentel declares the winner on Tuesday, August 14.

Eleanor Weston

Eleanor Weston’s “Mixed Greens” board.

Amy Donovan

Amy Donovan’s “Navy: The New Neutral” board.

Sita Laba

Sita Laba’s “Mixed Greens” board.

Betsy Carter

Betsy Carter’s “The Jacket” board.

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Women's // Lifestyle

On Set: Cusp in the City

We shot Cusp looks for Fall on the sidewalks of Los Angeles with a trio of models. As you can see, photographer Coliena Rentmeester stops at nothing to get the perspective she wants.

Stylist: Alison Edmund

Models: Nimue Smit, Anna Laryn, Cora Emmanuel

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Women's // Men's

Tom Ford Shoes & Bags Are Online!

tom ford bag shoe

Tom Ford, you guys!

Tom Ford shoes and bags are now online, ladies and gents. They’ve been in stores for a couple of seasons. Now Neiman Marcus Group is the first and only retailer to offer these accessories online. So you can be the chicest woman or man in…wherever you are.

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Women's

NM Fall Forward Pinterest Challenge

NM Fall Forward

By now, we’re beating the heat in style, thanks to summer’s repertoire – bright color, print-on-print, silver sandals and cat-eye sunnies. With stylish success comes a natural fall forward. Luckily the NM Fall Trends for women — The Statement Handbag, The Smoking Slipper, Digital Prints, The Leather Leg, Navy: The New Neutral, Mixed Greens, The Jacket and Borrowed From The Boys — are here to catch us, just in time to start scouting the new season’s staples and must-haves.  See something you love? Create a Pinterest board focusing on your favorite NM Fall trend and you could win a $3000 Fall wardrobe kickstarter.

Here’s how:

Follow Neiman Marcus on Pinterest, explore our Fall Trends and search the web for your favorites. Create a board inspired by one of our Fall Trends. Title the board with the trend name and pin the NM Fall Forward Challenge Pin to your board. Include #NMFallTrends in each pin description. Your board must include five shoppable items from NeimanMarcus.com. Post the link to your board in the comments section of the Neiman Marcus Pinterest Challenge pin and you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $3,000 Neiman Marcus Virtual Gift Card. Enter by 07/30/12 at 5 PM CT.

Visit NeimanMarcus.com to choose your favorite trend and start pinning.

 

 

 

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Women's

Conversation With: Charlotte Olympia Dellal

With her four-year-old shoe label Charlotte Olympia making major fashion waves, I paid a visit to London-based designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal in her Paris showroom. The whimsy of her designs and the stories behind each one are incredibly charming, as is she. The motifs included paper moons, doll faces and African animals. Next we traipsed up the road to Place Vendome, where we had a lot of laughs while posing for photographer Dan Lecca. Coincidentally our outfits kind of matched, and I’ll bet the passerby thought we were honeymooners. See Dan’s final portraits of us in the Pre-Fall issue of The Book along with the complete interview.

Ken Downing: Looking at you is like looking at a movie still from the 1940s. You are a glamorous Hollywood siren! The hair, the red lipstick…

Charlotte Olympia Dellal: You are very sweet. Hollywood has always been a major source of inspiration to me—old Hollywood through a modern lens, a bit classic, but not old-fashioned. I would hate to be called a throw back! My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me. Her hair, her red lipstick, the whole idea of Hollywood glamour was something I was raised around.

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