It’s time to start dreaming big. Neiman Marcus unveiled its 2017 Fantasy Gifts catalog Tuesday morning.
Neiman Marcus launched their annual Christmas Book of fantasy gifts for the 2017 holiday season on Tuesday, with the least expensive item being an Omy Coloring book for $9 and the priciest a private New Year's party for $1.6 million.
Company officials revealed this year's catalog at Park Place Premier Collection dealership in Dallas, saying the items were curated from hundreds of submissions.
Kick things off with a first-class trip for four to Paris and a stay at Rosewood’s Hôtel de Crillon with a 12-course dinner at L’Ecrin. Next, a private car will take you to meet with the 13th-generation winegrowing family behind Armand de Brignac. Tend the vineyards, sample the reserves, stroll the private cellar, and help create your own cuvée. End the day with a helicopter flyover of Champagne’s villages and vineyards. Then, spend the night at Domaine Les Crayères, a majestic chateau, with a dinner at the three-Michelin-star L’Assiette Champenoise before enjoying Paris for one more glorious day and night. The fun doesn’t end there. Delivered to your door: 12 bottles of each of the five Armand de Brignac champagnes to savor until your bespoke bottles are ready. And when the time comes, 24 bottles of the personally finished cuvée, each inscribed with the giftee’s name.
nOne Armand de Brignac experience is offered by Pencils of Promise, which will retain any profits from the sale of this Fantasy Gift for its charitable initiative that provide educational opportunities for children in the developing world. Gift limited to one experience. ($150,000; page 127)
nGo up, up, and away with fine-art photographer Gray Malin. Famous for his sunny, saturated aerial scenes, Malin will host a private one-hour helicopter jaunt for two over the beaches of Los Angeles and Malibu. Malin will click away at the agreed-upon scene, then have a post flight Champagne toast with Malin to replay the day just shared. In a few weeks, select an edited photograph for Malin to print, sign, frame, and send – and perhaps to inspire dreams of new adventures. Hotel room provided for the two-night stay.
With the purchase of the Gray Malin experience, $5,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($35,000; page 129)
nYour gift begins with a December delivery of eight darling dolls by Madame Alexander and a limited-edition Grand Anniversary Dollhouse by KidKraft. For the following 11 months, another doll comes – everyone from Wonderland’s curious Alice to the ruby-slippered girl from Kansas and her little dog, too. Storybook heroes, princesses, European royalty… imagine the diverse and delightful conversations they’ll inspire in the meticulously designed dollhouse – complete with accessories and furniture. The best is saved for last: the final doll will be customized, first collaborate with a top Madame Alexander designer and then choose the doll you want and how you want it to look.n
nWith the purchase of the Madame Alexander gift, $500 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to ten packages. ($8,000; page 130)
nImagine experiencing New Year’s Eve on a rooftop above New York’s Time Square with 299 of your nearest and dearest. Toast to 2019 mere feet from the most famous ball of them all. It could only happen atop The Knickerbocker Hotel, a bastion of society and style since 1906, now fully reimagined for a new era. The giftee will have 150 premier rooms to fill for two nights at The Knickerbocker. On December 31, 2018, the sky-high private party will brim with premium drinks, a sumptuous passed dinner, a spirited DJ, and that brilliant ball drop – the most exciting minute in the world. More than a billion people will see it, but only a few will see it like this.n
nWith the purchase of The Knickerbocker New Year’s Eve experience, $80,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($1,600,000, page 140)
Olympia Le-Tan designs witty and wonderful clutches that reflect her obsession with embroidery and literature. She will create six bespoke handbags for the giftee, who, with a pal, will have a two-night, three-day romp in Paris. Included: two nights at the incomparable Ritz Paris and, the highlight, a visit with Le-Tan in her charming atelier. Enjoy a sketch session followed by lunch with Le-Tan at Le Voltaire, the gilt-and-velvet gem on the Seine. Then bid Paris au revoir. Back home, a custom handbag will arrive every other month for a year, along with a custom display case made by Le-Tan.
With the purchase of the Olympia Le-Tan experience, $7,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($45,000, page 136)
nA feel good gift that gives back. Founded by two enterprising young sisters, the nonprofit offers handmade paper origami ornaments to fund clean-water wells for communities in need.
nCollection of 250 Ornaments - $50,000nFund two clean-water wells, receive 250 ornaments. The wells will be created in the recipient’s choice of select global locations, in partnership with Paper For Water.
Each ornament requires over 10 hours to create and is comprised of over 30 sheets of paper. What’s more, the recipient will get a visit in his or her home from the organization’s founders and a master origami artist who will give private lessons, crafting another five unique ornaments. With the purchase of the collection of 250 Paper For Water ornaments, Neiman Marcus will donate $50,000 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, earmarked for Paper For Water. One collection of 250 ornaments available. ($50,000, page 139)
nA feel good gift that gives back. Founded by two enterprising young sisters, the nonprofit offers handmade paper origami ornaments to fund clean-water wells for communities in need.
Single Ornament - $50 Make someone’s holiday with an exclusive blue and gold Paper For Water limited-edition origami ornament, with paper sourced from Seoul and requiring over 5 hours to fold its ornate design.
With the purchase of each Paper For Water ornament, Neiman Marcus will donate $50 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, earmarked for Paper For Water. Ornaments available in limited quantity, limit ten per customer. ($50, page 138)
nIn a Rolls-Royce Dawn, every journey is an experience accompanied by silky smooth acceleration, steering, and braking, wrapped in unparalleled Rolls-Royce Motor Cars craftsmanship. These V12-engined beauties, designed by the brilliant Rolls-Royce Motor Cars team in Goodwood, England, are inspired by two of the most glamorous locales in the world: Lake Como and Saint-Tropez.
The ‘Dawn Lago di Como’ features a crisp Selby Grey-and-black interior of hand-sewn leather, complemented by a brushed aluminum dashboard.
Both Bespoke commissions are hand-crafted at Goodwood, home of Rolls-Royce in the South of England. Though the Dawns are distinctly different, they both feature lustrous Silver bonnets and sleek Silver fabric tops, which disappear, silently, in mere seconds. The only decision left: Which one is yours and which one is mine?
With the purchase of the Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition Dawns by Rolls-Royce $1,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Limited production of 20 vehicles available. Reserve this car by calling 800-970-0986, beginning promptly at 8AM EDT on November 2, 2017. (Blue $439,625 or Orange $445,750, page 135)
nThe ‘Dawn Saint-Tropez’ has an equally sumptuous interior of Seashell leather, accented with bright orange Mandarin and chocolaty Dark Spice, with a dashboard and doors paneled in rich Canadel open-pore wood.
nBoth Bespoke commissions are hand-crafted at Goodwood, home of Rolls-Royce in the South of England. Though the Dawns are distinctly different, they both feature lustrous Silver bonnets and sleek Silver fabric tops, which disappear, silently, in mere seconds. The only decision left: Which one is yours and which one is mine?
With the purchase of the Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition Dawns by Rolls-Royce $1,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Limited production of 20 vehicles available. Reserve this car by calling 800-970-0986, beginning promptly at 8AM EDT on November 2, 2017. (Blue $439,625 or Orange $445,750, page 135)
nEnjoy a very VIP week at the Ryder Cup. Come late September 2018, the giftee and three fellow enthusiasts are off to Paris for one of the world’s greatest sporting events, wherein 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States face off on the greens. As guests of U.S. team captain Jim Furyk (a 17-time PGA Tour winner and nine-time Ryder Cup participant), the lucky four will score first class airfare, private car services, deluxe accommodations, dinners, a personal concierge, four premium tickets to the weeklong Ryder Cup, and—the hole in one—private time with Furyk himself. As if the stories from the spectacular Le Golf National course aren’t souvenirs enough, there also will be gift packages with U.S. Team gear for all.
With the purchase of the Ryder Cup experience, $10,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($250,000, page 137)
nEnjoy a pampering experience in Paris by Sisley at the company’s world headquarters. Three days and two nights will be spent at the legendary Four Seasons Hotel George V, a rejuvenating spa day at the new Maison Sisley, and $8,000 worth of customized Sisley products. Even the epicurean delights during the three-day adventure will be heady: a snack in Sisley’s secret, clients-only café and a private lunch with a member of Sisley’s founding d’Ornano family in their famous apartment.n
nWith the purchase of the Sisley experience, $5,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($60,000, page 131)
nHead off to the largest single producer of emeralds in the world, Gemfield’s Kagem mine in Zambia, with master jeweler Stephen Webster. Behold raw emeralds being processed in the sorting house. Retell it all over dinner at the mine’s lake house. Then, indulge in two dreamy days at The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara and journey to the thundering Victoria Falls. Next, head to London and the renowned Connaught hotel. Spend the day with Webster in his studio collaborating on turning a magnificent 7.2-carat emerald into a one-of-a-kind piece. That evening, savor a private dinner with Webster and his wife, Assia. Once home, be on the lookout for a dazzlingly personal piece and its final sketch signed by the designer himself.
With the purchase of the Stephen Webster experience, $40,000 will be donated to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one experience. ($300,000, page 133)
“These gifts will exceed expectations through exceptional experiences and one-of-a-kind objects that only Neiman Marcus can curate,” said Jim Gold, president and chief merchandising officer for Neiman Marcus Group.
The 300-page 2017 Christmas Book features more than 780 holiday gifts. Nearly 50 percent of the items are under $250.
The most expensive fantasy gift is a private New Year's party for you and 299 of your closest friends atop New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, with $80,000 of the $1.6 million price tag being donated to charity.
This year's catalog also includes "an aerial photo session with Gray Malin, a pampering experience in Paris with Sisley, and a bespoke handbag collection and Parisian experience with Olympia Le-Tan."
U.S. & World
The “Yours & Mine” Fantasy Gift is a pair of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited-Edition Dawns in two color options.
The 2017 Christmas Book features over 780 holiday gifts across 300 pages.
First published in 1926 as a 16-page booklet, the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book was initially intended as a Christmas card to the store’s best customers. Through the years, the book has maintained its personal touch while evolving into a legendary source for alluring and mystical gifts.
"There’s something that creates that wit and whimsy that only Neiman Marcus can create for our customers. We work all year round with a team of our associates to come up with and create these experiences like none other. Something that will really surprise and delight our customers," said Vice President Neiman Marcus Corporate Communications Mimi Sterling.
Among this year's fantasy gifts is one promising to give back 100 percent of its proceeds. Dallas based Paper for Water's origami ornaments are $50, which its young founders say can provide water for someone for a lifetime.
“Without water you can’t live. You can’t work. It also enables kids to go to school because they don’t have to spend their whole day hauling water. They try to position the wells so that nobody has to walk more than 30 minutes to get clean water. That’s just a huge time saver, and it enables people to start businesses and try to get out of poverty,” said Katherine Adams.
A portion of all other fantasy gifts will be donated to the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, which provides art education for kids.
