DALLAS — A bittersweet nostalgia infused the Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas luncheon and Carolina Herrera runway show at Neiman Marcus’s historic flagship on Thursday.

The iconic Renaissance Revival store is set to close permanently Sept. 30.

The flagship has drawn generations of high-profile, wealthy women and their daughters downtown since it opened in 1914, and the Crystal Charity luncheon has been an annual highlight for more than 50 years. The flagship had struggled for years and had been threatened with closure last year by the-then Saks Global. In 2027 the event will be held at Neiman’s more profitable and more popular store in NorthPark Center.

“It’s killing me — it’s killing everyone,” said Natalie Chu, who fretted about the future of store employees as she rode the escalator to the second floor for the program. “We are so quick to dismiss history.”

Nancy Rogers hosted her traditional morning Champagne reception upstairs in the Zodiac Room for honorees, VIPs and friends.

“It’s so emotional to be in the Zodiac Room for probably the last time,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, a principal and executive vice president of the Dallas Cowboys. “A lot of us who grew up here are sentimentally attached to all we’ve experienced, and now to say goodbye is sad, but I guess we understand. It’s a sad chapter.”

Shelle Bagot, who managed the store from 1999 to 2012, observed, “There is nostalgia for what Neiman Marcus created in luxury retail that wasn’t just a buzzword, and this is the place where it all started. Everyone I talked to feels that way. This is Mr. Stanley’s [Marcus] store.”

Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chief executive officer of Neiman’s parent Exemplar Luxury Group, emphasized the company’s commitment to the community as he opened the formal presentation.

“This city, Dallas, is much more than a market for us,” he said. “It is the heartbeat of the Neiman Marcus brand and it remains very important to Exemplar Luxury Group.”

“Today we honor the memories that each of you have for the downtown store, including the five decades of Crystal Charity events,” she said. “As we look forward to our future and continuing our legacy at Neiman Marcus at NorthPark, we will celebrate more events, we will celebrate elevated shopping experiences, and our newly reimagined Zodiac Room will be opening right before the holidays,” added chief stores officer Mary McGreevy.

Former First Lady Laura Bush was again in the front row, flanked this year by philanthropist Lee Ann White and Dallas Cowboys owners Gene and Jerry Jones.

All 10 best dressed ladies — Haley Anderson, Jacquelin Sewell Atkinson, Julie Bagley, Shelby Goff, Shannon Graham, Tracey Kazmetsky, Tracy Lange, Erin Mathews, Felicia Powell and Katherine Wyker plus “hall of fame” honoree Tavia Hunt and honorary chair and NorthPark owner Nancy Nasher — walked the runway dressed in Herrera and escorted by male models or, in some cases, their husbands.

Selections from Herrera’s glittery winter and resort collections followed. Led by global creative director Wes Gordon, the brand epitomizes the feminine style, colorful palette and glamour that resonates with Crystal Charity Ball supporters. Gordon flew into Dallas two days after a celebration of his own: He marked the 45th anniversary of the House of Herrera with a runway show at Lincoln Center, one of the highlights of New York Fashion Week.

“I love coming to Dallas because the women love life,” Gordon said before the show. “They love print, they love color, they love getting dressed — there is a joy to how they approach clothes, and that’s everything that Herrera stands for.”

Business is “fantastic,” he affirmed.

“We’re all seeing this embrace right now of pretty, wearable, joyful, beautiful clothes, and I’ve always operated under the philosophy that pretty and wearable are not bad words,” Gordon said. “They’re words that in 2026 we really need. When times feel a little uncertain, the antidote is not darkness. The antidote is color and joy and laughter.”

Jodi Kahn, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of women’s designer, accessories and shoes at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, cited Neiman’s longstanding relationship with Herrera.

“There is a natural connection between the brand and Neiman Marcus,” Kahn noted. “It’s really wearable clothing at the end of the day but thoughtfully tailored and beautiful silhouettes and colors and prints. Wes continues to advance the collection and really be more modern and knows the client so well.…We feel like there’s even more opportunity than what we’re currently doing with the brand.”