Neiman Marcus Closed Out New York Fashion With a Diner-Set Fete

What does true luxury look like today? According to Neiman Marcus, luxury isn’t exclusive to restaurants with panoramic views or rooms adorned with Rococo-style moldings. Instead, it’s found in comfort. Perhaps this is why the luxury retailer found it best to toast their latest “Live Your Luxury” campaign at Manhattan’s iconic Empire Diner on the last evening of New York Fashion Week. 

“Why not find luxury in the everyday?” Jodi Kahn, VP of Luxury at Neiman Marcus, tells Vogue. As the outside terrace of the retro-modeled diner began to fill up with fashion folks donning cocktail dresses and brightly colored shirts, Kahn waxed poetic about their latest campaign in a shimmering ensemble by the young designer Bach Mai. “The campaign encourages people to feel their best all the time; to celebrate their true selves and find romance in authenticity.” 

Co-hosted by celebrity stylist Erin Walsh and Jason Rembert, the cocktail hour was free of any sort of pretentiousness even though Neiman Marcus remains a pillar of fashionable opulence. Designers such as Prabal Gurung and Sally LaPointe enjoyed bubbling Champagne next to burgers and fries as beats by Silvia Prada powered the dance floor. “I love Neimans simply because they supported me from the very beginning,” LaPointe said fresh off of her Spring 2023 season. Elsewhere, in a gorgeous purple and white floral jacket, Bach Mai caught up with friends and fans of his recent collection. 

But, the party wasn’t all industry talk—especially when “this season was absolutely crazy busy” was a common phrase wafting around the conversation of attendees. In between flashing camera lights and photo requests by a few fans, Anne Hathaway and Walsh caught up over familial affairs: children! Only a brief, earnest moment with Jerome LaMaar put a pause on their conversation. “My god, you are amazing,” Hathaway exclaimed to LaMaar. “Your look is everything! The corset, the pants—everything! Who is it?” To which the designer replied, “my very own label, 5:31!” 

Diners, no matter if filled with a fashionable crowd or not, have an extraordinary power to make people nostalgic and at ease. As the sun set over the glittering crowd and the aluminum exterior of the Empire Diner, it was evident that Neiman Marcus closed New York Fashion Week in the way weary fashion folks had hoped for.