Neiman Marcus Brings the Vacation Spirit to L.A., Unveiling Its 2023 Fantasy Presents

Be a part of Workforce USA with Ralph Lauren on the Olympic Video games in Paris? Embark on a yacht for a high-end jewellery treasure hunt by Indonesia? Be remodeled into an animated character by Walt Disney?

They’re amongst Neiman Marcus’ lineup of fantasy presents this vacation season, unveiled at a cocktail social gathering on Tuesday evening in Los Angeles. The retailer goals to make wondrous desires a actuality with extraordinary experiences, a convention that started in 1959.  

“It began with Stanley and his brother Edward,” Nabil Aliffi, chief model officer at Neiman Marcus Group, stated of Stanley Marcus — the previous president and chairman. “There has all the time been a historical past at Neiman’s of peculiar and delighting the client. And the fantasy reward is the head of what we do, making folks dream.”

“He was so passionate in regards to the prospects,” added Ryan Ross, president of Neiman Marcus and head of Neiman Marcus Group buyer insights. “We’re so relationship-based. It’s all in regards to the buyer. And he needed to ship one thing extraordinary.”

Neiman Marcus’ annual occasion has been the unofficial kickoff of the vacation season in L.A., the place it’s been held in recent times. The presents have come to life in shows with props and fashions up to now. Issues had been extra intimate this yr, with the presents showcased in illustrations. The placement, on the Sundown Tower, supplied a cozier environment than the two-story Hollywood Athletic Membership, final yr’s venue, and sprawling Paramount Footage lot, the place it was hosted in 2021. It was homey and heat, and Neiman Marcus introduced a vacation spirit by and thru. Santa was the person of the hour, greeting friends — the likes of Quinta Brunson, Zooey Deschanel, Simu Liu, and Rainey Qualley — amid Christmas timber, glowing lights and a efficiency by Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, a lot to everybody’s delight.

“How y’all doin tonight,” he purred earlier than enjoying his acquainted hits.

The 2023 vacation marketing campaign, known as Neiman’s Categorical, was impressed by an archival discover, defined Aliffi: “We discovered that in 1994 Stanley Marcus had an idea known as the Neiman’s Vacation Categorical, and he had an precise practice journey from coast to coast with the best fashions, best jewels, and we needed to pay homage to that.”

Shifting ahead, “it’s carrying that torch and ensuring that no matter we do is respectful of our historical past, but in addition modernizing it and protecting it culturally related,” he added.

There’s additionally a charitable element, with a portion of the gross sales of fantasy presents benefiting choose charities across the nation.

“That’s actually vital to us, and it’s vital to the model companions,” stated Ross.

The executives revealed Neiman Marcus might be internet hosting extra occasions in L.A. subsequent yr, with the Beverly Hills flagship getting a rework.

“You possibly can anticipate us to point out up much more in Los Angeles,” stated Aliffi. “We’ve acquired a really loyal buyer base right here.”