Neiman Marcus Celebrates the Return of Its Iconic Award With 2023 Recipient Brunello Cucinelli

Scene: An elegant dinner to celebrate our hometown luxury department store bestowing their Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion to esteemed designer Brunello Cucinelli, who established his namesake line in Italy in 1978.

Takeaway: The prestigious award was established by Carrie Marcus Neiman and Stanley Marcus 85 years ago and has been given to over 150 luxury fashion luminaries in the industry, including Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Grace Kelly, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, and Estée Lauder. Neimans knows how to throw an elegant soiree, but they outdid themselves with this one. First off, the choice of the venue was perfect — the always glamorous Hall of States in Fair Park. The building is recognized in the National Historic Register and was designed by Donald Bartheleme for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. The awe-imposing murals, 30-foot high by 80-foot wide were painted by Eugene Savage who used stories from Texas’ history from early exploration to the 1930s as his inspiration.

For the party, over 100 fashion lovers dined at two sprawling long tables alongside those breathtaking works of art as a three-course Italian feast was served (and Dallas Symphony Quartet played in the background). To end the chic evening, and to herald the 20-year relationship between Neimans and the beloved designer a glorious display of fireworks amazed all the well-heeled (many of those sky-high exotic-skinned ones were Cucinelli) guests.

High Point: My date for the evening, recent Los Angeles transplant Rochelle Gores, and I loved the moment when Brunello Cucinelli (who has not made a visit to Dallas in many years) accepted the award from Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck. But with the assistance of an Italian translator. A group from the luxury designers’ team and van Raemdonck (also not a native Texan) then donned cowboy hats to make it a true tribute to Neimans and the Blue Star State. The two were also excited to share additional details of the recent launch of the Brunello Cucinelli Icon Collection (designed in collaboration with the designer’s daughters Carolina and Camilla), created exclusively for our mecca of luxury goods, with over 50 styles across all categories including women’s and men’s ready to wear, shoes, and handbags.

Spotted: Recent Dallas transplants Sharon and Tim Peddecord; upcoming chairs of this year’s Partner’s Card Kameron Westcott (with her husband Court Westcott) and Sharon Lee Clark; renowned makeup artist Kira Nasrat; Chief Operating Officer of Zoom Aparna Bawa; interior designer Doniphan Moore; Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Lukin; Katy and Lawrence Bock; and Samantha Wortley.