Dallas Fashion Project

Items

• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 23 - Neiman-Marcus fortnight staging
  Seeing facades at Applied Arts in advance, knew about merchandise in advance, immersed beforehand, mannequins prepared in advance, "village of people" to assist with installation, hung an artwork from the Dallas Museum of Art that was torn
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 22 - Neiman-Marcus fortnight preparation
  Theatrical, "store turned into another country," working with Alvin Colt as designer, worked with buyers to find merchandise from other countries, working with Applied Arts to build props, music and food from other countries, Japan includes bonsai trees, escalator turned into a dragon, epicure shop for France
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 21 - Differences between Neiman-Marcus stores
  Advertising differed in each city, some stores more casual, varied in scale, put together manuals as directives for different departments, corporate travel meant "eyes" on other stores
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 20 - Corporate growth at Neiman-Marcus
  Carter Halle Hale bought Neiman-Marcus, new stores opening, earlier NM tried to take TX history to other locations, in St. Louis store windows included cactus and sand with fur coats to mimic west Texas, later drew inspiration from individual cities, oil derrick gushing chocolate in another store
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 19 - Downtown Neiman-Marcus as "mothership"
  Tried to replicate flagship in other stores, clean and upscale look
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 18 - Neiman-Marcus way
  Merchandise speak for itself, no excess trim, plexiglass risers and blocks to display jewelry
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 17 - Corporate cohesion
  Store opening in St. Louis was earlier one outside of Texas, seasoned corporate staff train new store staff in the "NM way," worked with different departments
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 16 - Working with buyers and products
  Buyers giving presentations of merchandise, directives from visual and advertising, create cohesive feel
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 15 - Leaders at Neiman-Marcus
  Learning from seasoned buyers, working with artists in visual department, Allen Shaffer as paper sculptor, Merle Cunningham as men's trimmer, Martha Robinson could "fly" merchandise
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 14 - Stanley Marcus
  Walk around store, demanding of space and time, impressive, learned from his great ideas, one time asked for windows changed immediately
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 13 - Downtown Neiman-Marcus
  Corporate office, even more pressure to keep standards high, see Stanley Marcus
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 12 - NorthPark Center
  Nasher family kept NorthPark Center at a similar aesthetic level as Neiman-Marcus, NM with significant presence as "anchor store" at the Center along with JC Penney and Sanger-Harris, Center was selective about stores that were there and didn't fill in spaces with kiosks in open spaces
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 11 - Learning at Neiman-Marcus
  Scared at first starting at Neiman-Marcus, learned through listening and watching
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 10 - Trimmer at Neiman-Marcus, NorthPark
  Starting at Neiman-Marcus at NorthPark Center in 1973 as a trimmer in display department (later called visual), responsible for cases and pin board and keeping areas maintained, taking care of plants, learned the "NM Way" so product always featured and props minimal, "detail is retail," responsible for fixtures and mannequins
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 09 - Bus to UNT
  Taking a bus from Dallas to Denton to attended classes
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 08 - Changes over time in Dallas fashion industry
  Many memories, Dallas Apparel Mart setting Dallas apart, people dressed with that in mind, changes over time with downtown architecture and history
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 07 - Zodiac Room
  Neiman-Marcus cafe with runway models, demitasse with broth, petite baked goods, flower pot dessert,
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 06 - Titche-Goettinger description
  Older store, high end but not couture, elevator operators announcing departments on each floor, wooden floors, departments for furniture and toys and children's department, tea room like an old veranda with a tree and runway
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 04 - First fashion job
  Worked at Titche-Goettinger as a trimmer, access to garments, remembers looking at construction of James Galanos garments shopping with mother, learned to sew and made own garments, learned through being around things and being exposed in Dallas
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 05 - Advancing in fashion industry
  Many started as trimmers, changed standards as moved to Neiman-Marcus
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 03 - Fashion education
  Attended Texas Tech and took history of fashion courses, attended University of North Texas studying design and merchandising, enjoyed evolution of style and society over time, structure of clothing in the past
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 02 - Intro to fashion industry
  Shopping in Dallas as a child and a few places in San Antonio, aunt millinery buyer, fashionable mother who dressed for occasions
• Ruth Ann Johnstone - 01 - Intro
  Biography from interviewee
• Bryan Eagle: "Pilot Point Negroes Given a Flogging"
  October 21, 1921 newspaper article from The Bryan Eagle about the lynching in Pilot Point.
• Portrait of Carrie Marcus Neiman, 1950
  This photograph was taken on board a cruise liner on its way to Paris, where Carrie was buying clothes for Neiman-Marcus.