From lavish events attended by high-profile personalities such as Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, Jacqueline Onassis, and Yves Saint Laurent to the latest creative ventures of Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Donald Trump, Ira Neimark, the legendary leader of fashion luxury retail, recounts how he and his talented fashion and merchandising team brought Bergdorf Goodman to its leadership position-an approach, he shows, that continues to inform the most successful designers and business leaders today. While his personal anecdotes focus on how and why Bergdorf helped build the fashion industry during one of the most exciting periods in its history-the late sixties through the early nineties-the author also shares his views on how contemporary retailers have increased profits by skimping on service, resulting in the loss of customer loyalty. The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman is a valuable resource for anyone who aspires to succeed in the business of luxury fashion.

From pageboy at Bonwit Teller to CEO of Bergdorf Goodman, Ira Neimark crossed Fifth Avenue unlike anyone else. Christmas 1938, when he began working at Bonwit Teller on 56th Street & Fifth Avenue, he had just turned 17. Mary Martin, the toast of Broadway, sang at Bonwit's exclusive 721 Club Christmas cocktail party where young Ira, in a snug bellhop uniform, greeted the rich and famous. Four decades later, as the new CEO of Bergdorf Goodman (located across the street on Fifth Avenue), he transformed the store from an 'old, dull, expensive and intimidating store', into a 'young, exciting expensive and intimidating store' that became first in luxury and glamour! Among his stunning achievements: the re-introduction of the Paris couture in the United States, unique showcasing of great Italian and French designers, developing the best new Americans -- and throwing fabulous parties and events featuring haute couture that lit the spark for Bergdorf's revival. Crossing Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf Goodman captures the magic of fashion retailing at its most dramatic moments, as well as the 'lessons learned' that made Ira Neimark a legendary success in the business. It is replete with intriguing, personal stories about famous people known around the world, among them Princess Diana, Salvador Dali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Donald Trump, and Margaret Thatcher. And there are insights into the art and business of fashion that only an insider could give in the stories about Giorgio Armani, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Carla Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Perry Ellis, Massimo Ferragamo, James Galanos, Hubert Givenchy, Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Mary McFadden, Charles Revson, Pauline Trigere, and many more. Only Ira Neimark could tell these stories and articulate the business lessons that made him the 'last man standing' among the greats of fashion retailing -- lessons that continue to compel leading multi-national companies to seek his counsel.

Ira Neimark, former CEO of Bergdorf Goodman, succinctly delivers guidance on becoming a success in A Retailer's Lifetime of Lessons Learned. A new release from GamePlan Press, it builds on Neimark's two business memoirs, Crossing Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf Goodmanand The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman.Neimark brought haute couture to Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1970s, expanded the women's store three times, and built the largest men's store on Fifth Avenue in New York. During his 17 years at the helm, he increased store revenue from $35 million annually to $250 million, and it has continued to grow.Introduced by colorful stories from the life of the legendary retail executive, the guidance falls into four major categories: career, leadership, merchandizing, and public relations. Samples of Neimark's wisdom include:On career -- "It is not so much in what you know, but in how you execute what you know." Another is "Get your foot in the door."On leadership -- "Motivating an organization with a bleak past and present requires enthusiasm and courage. Make everyone in the organization know what the plan is in broad detail. Outline to the managers of the business the overall plan in greater detail. And be "consistently consistent."On Merchandising -- "Slow moving and old inventory will strangle any business, no matter how many management changes are made."On Public Relations -- "Releasing the same story to all the press at one time may be safe, beneficial and diplomatic, but again, media outlets like all businesses want to be first. You must select the medium that best serves your market."

From assistant to the doorman at Bonwit Teller to CEO of Bergdorf Goodman, Ira Neimark crossed Fifth Avenue unlike anyone else. He was just seventeen years old when he began his career at Bonwit Teller on 56th Street and Fifth Avenue during the 1938 Christmas season. Four decades later, as the new CEO of Bergdorf Goodman, he would transform that iconic 5th Avenue store from an "old, dull, expensive and intimidating store" to a "young, exciting, expensive and intimidating store." Among his stunning achievements was the reintroduction of Paris couture into the United States, dramatically showcasing the great Italian and French designers, and developing the best new American designers. Crossing Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf Goodman captures the magic of the fashion business at its most exciting moments. and it is replete with intriguing personal anecdotes about the world's most famous fashion personalities.

The stunning true story of Bergdorf Goodman’s legendary personal shopper Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original who could have stepped straight out of Stephen Sondheim’s repertoire. She has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars, and ordinary women off the street. She has helped many find their true selves through fashion, frank advice, and her own brand of wisdom. She is trusted by the most discriminating persons—including Hollywood’s top stylists—to tell them what looks best. But Halbreich’s personal transformation from cosseted young girl to fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her career.

Betty Halbreich, the director of Solutions at world-famous specialty store Bergdorf Goodman, brings her shopping and dressing expertise to readers in this bestselling classic. Getting dressed every morning probably causes more trauma than anything else we do on a daily basis. No one understands this better than Betty Halbreich. She's seen firsthand that putting on clothes is as much—if not more—about the mind as it is about the body. Each day, her dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman is filled with women searching for something. They may think they're merely shopping for a new dress, but, as Betty knows, sometimes they're really shopping for a whole new life. Whatever these women are seeking, Betty is sure to help them find it. With simple instructions and witty asides, Betty takes her experience out of the dressing room and puts it into readers' hands. Follow her through the years and through the stores as she sheds light on such fashion conundrums as how to break up with the color black, what to wear on "Casual Fridays," what "black-tie" really means, and how to wear just about any accessory. Betty elevates shopping and dressing to an art form, yet she makes you realize how simple it really is to look fabulous. She is truly a fashion therapist, dispensing wisdom, wit, and advice on how to enhance your natural beauty, build a more confident self-image, and, most of all, have a little fun while doing it. With more than 200 black-and-white illustrations