The Ultimate Swan Song, The Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas Bid Adieu to Neiman Marcus’ Iconic Downtown Flagship

Swans, assemble!

The most glamorous start to Dallas’ chock-full fall social season, Crystal Charity Ball recently hosted its 52nd 10 Best Dressed Women of Dallas, a fashion show and luncheon that featured Carolina Herrera as this year’s designer. The brand’s Creative Director, Wes Gordon, attended the cherished fundraiser, fresh from debuting his Spring/Summer 2027 collection at New York Fashion Week three days prior.

In 2025, our local swans toasted with Brunello Cucinelli and Clicquot. This year’s event, executed to perfection by chair Kim Quinn, felt particularly poignant, as it was held for the last time at Neiman Marcus’ downtown Dallas flagship, which closes permanently on September 30. (The event will, of course, continue.)

Last year, I offered my own cinematic valediction to the store that raised me. Certainly, none of us let it “go lightly.” One foolproof way to ease the pain? A new dress from Carolina Herrera and Wes Gordon telling us we’re, like, really pretty. While bittersweet, the mood was cheerful and bright, like the looks Gordon sent down the runway.

If you’re unfamiliar with Crystal Charity Ball, Big D’s grand dame of fundraising organizations hosts two annual events that are considered canon in Dallas’ social register: the annual ball in early December and the 10 Best Dressed Women of Dallas Fashion Show and Luncheon. Since 1952, Crystal Charity Ball has distributed more than $209 million to 160 children’s charities in Dallas County. The committee will celebrate its donors at the Hilton Anatole on Saturday, December 12, when Chairman Jennifer Dix hosts the annual ball, themed “Joy For the World.”

The Honorees

This fall, we at PaperCity are profiling the ladies of honor, beginning with Hall of Fame Honoree Tavia Hunt and Honorary Chairman Nancy A. Nasher. Notably, Nasher is only the eighth person to hold the distinction in the event’s 52-year history. In the weeks ahead, we’ll spotlight all of Crystal Charity Ball’s 10 Best Dressed Women of Dallas, sharing a glimpse into their work as community volunteers and advocates who are deeply committed to Dallas.

Being a Best Dressed honoree is a three-year term. Floating down the runway for the third and final time were Tracy Lange, Tracey Kozmetsky, and Katherine Wyker. They were joined by second-year honorees Jaqueline Sewell Atkinson, Julie Bagley, Shelby Goff, and Shannon Graham. Making their first appearance, Haley Anderson, Erin Mathews, and Felicia Powell dazzled as first-years. Family members beamed, including Anderson’s grandparents Gene and Jerry Jones. Exemplar Luxury Group’s leadership, including CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Mary McGreevy, and former Dallasite Jodi Kahn, attended, assuring us that Neiman Marcus’ future at NorthPark Center shines brighter than ever.

All the ladies wore Carolina Herrera, of course, but I particularly coveted Goff’s “lawn green” collared halter ball gown with golden brooch-inspired buttons and a voluminous pleated skirt. The models showcased Carolina Herrera looks from the Resort 2027 and Winter 2027 collections, which were inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and other female artists whose work has reshaped the visual language of modern art.

A Classic “Lunch on Four”

When the runway show concluded, Gordon invited us to join him for “lunch on four.” Admittedly, those are words I will miss.

Petal pink tablecloths adorned the round tables, with sculptural floral centerpieces by Concepto in the most divine contrasting shades of candy pink and coral. What appeared to be voluminous English garden roses, peeled back at the base, proved to be, more specifically, Candy X-Pression roses. Three thousand of them! (The only thing that can make me look past the spelling of “X-Pression” is their decadently high petal count.) Placed in each seat, Carolina Herrera’s bright red shopping bag contained a bottle shaped like a sky-high stiletto of the brand’s “Good Girl” perfume.

On the menu? Mandarin Orange Soufflé with a scoop of NM Chicken Salad, fruit salad, and a petite piece of sweet bread. The Neiman Marcus team knew the good girls craved nostalgia and the comfort of their signature order. This selection was, of course, as classic as it gets.

For the last time, I stopped by the ladies’ room to powder my nose and reapply my lipstick, admiring the vintage Neiman Marcus Fortnight posters adorning the walls. I thought about all the over-the-top celebrations, iconic celebrities, and legendary fashion moments that took place in the flagship’s hallowed halls during the last century. Indelible moments that no closure could erase.

When I’m downtown, I always admire the historic Wilson Building, located across from Neiman’s, and think of how my mother did her back-to-school shopping there when it was the Titche-Goettinger department store. It’s now loft-style apartments, with architectural details from the original tenants still adorning some doors. It’s exactly the kind of place that new graduates, recently accepted into Neiman Marcus’ “Executive Development Program,” want to live.

In my musings, I imagine that, in a decade or two, the flagship building will also be converted to loft-style apartments. My goddaughter will rent one, charmed by the building’s storied, glamorous past.

“My godmother always told me stories about getting dressed up for Crystal Charity’s Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas,” she will tell friends at her housewarming. “It used to happen here. Wes Gordon even came!”

PC Seen: Gene and Jerry Jones, Charlotte Jones, Former First Lady Laura Bush, Elaine Agather, Nancy Rogers, Kameron Westcott, Clark Hunt, Meredith Land, Ashleigh Pogue, Katy Brooks, Andrea Cheek, Isabell Novakov Higginbotham, Catalina Gonzalez Jorba, Annika Cail, Lorene Agather, Bradley Agather Means, Katy Bock, Marjon Henderson, Rachel Hiatt, Hayley Louden, and Carolina Harrison Loehr.