An Eye for Elegance

You are probably familiar with Neiman Marcus, the luxury department store chain. But what about Carrie Marcus Neiman, one of its co-founders?

Jerrie Marcus Smith ’57, her great-niece, wrote A Girl Named Carrie to introduce readers to the woman she knew as “Aunt Carrie.” Along with her brother and her husband, Carrie Marcus Neiman (1883–1953) launched the first Neiman Marcus store in 1907 in Dallas, where the company remains headquartered.

“I hope from this book people will learn the importance of Carrie Neiman in making Neiman Marcus the store it is today,” Smith says. “She did an incredible job without any training, without any college degree—just a lot of enthusiasm and love for beautiful things and people.”

The book’s release coincides with a new exhibition, An Eye for Elegance: Carrie Marcus Neiman and the Women Who Shaped Neiman Marcus. It’s on view through January 28 at Southern Methodist University’s DeGolyer Library in Dallas.

A GIRL NAMED CARRIE: THE VISIONARY WHO CREATED NEIMAN MARCUS AND SET THE STANDARD FOR FASHION
By Jerrie Marcus Smith ’57
Cairn Press, December 2021

Photograph of Jerrie Marcus Smith ’57 by Allison V. Smith

This story appears as part of the Smithies Create column in the Winter 2022 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.