Dallas Business Journal
Neiman Marcus unveiled its 80th annual Christmas Book Tuesday boasting everything from a $20 tin of holiday cookies to a $3.8 million membership in The Club at Castiglion Del Bosco, an exclusive wine estate in Italy.
The Dallas-based luxury retailer's catalog, first published in 1926, is seen by many as a harbinger of the Christmas shopping season. The "ultimate wish book" has built a reputation for exotic, fanciful and expensive gift options, but many of the items are priced below $100, according to Neiman Marcus.
This year's catalog includes 152 pages of more than 500 items, such as a diamond encrusted Montblanc Bohéme Skeleton fountain pin for $160,900 and a Nancy Gonzalez chinchilla shoulder bag for $4,800.
Each year, Neiman Marcus culls the fantasy gift items from thousands of suggestions that are submitted nationally and internationally. Gifts included in the 2006 catalog include an All-Star sports celebrity dream package, a charity auction requiring a minimum bid of $250,000. There also is a $1.76 million, six-person charter into space -- about 63 miles above sea level. The gift includes a four-night stay on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Other gifts include a $139,000 limited edition BMW M6 convertible and a backyard water park starting at $100,000.
The Neiman Marcus "His and Hers" gift, one of the catalog's more famed traditions, is a $40,000 his and hers Twike commuter vehicle.
The catalog will be distributed to nearly 2 million homes throughout the United States and worldwide.
I'll take the water park in my back yard thank you! LOL
ReplyDeleteDo you receive the catalog Steven? Seems like it would be almost as much fun as it was to look through the Sears wish book that came to our house ever fall when I was little...um..maybe even more fun! Muddy
Most years I get the Christmas Book, but this year, I didn't buy enough from NM to be on the mailing list. You can still order a copy if you're not on the list, but I think it costs $12.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, it's one of the cooler catalogs you can get. There's a lot of suprisingly affordable things there along with the fantasy element. Beats the socks of the JCPenney Big Book. LOL