Podcasts about nieman marcus

Mike Shirinian and Dave Fansler talk Crabs and Restaurants in Russia.   On the plate: A new dish from Pismo's Coastal Grill menu is served, a Rigatoni with Guanciale, blistered Brussel Sprouts with a little bit of Parmesan. The meal is paired with a bottle of Pinot from Castle Rock Reserve in the Russian River Valley.   The team talks Newport Beach, Sashimi, Soups, Peppercorn sauce, Shopping in Beverly Hills, Javier's in Crystal Cove, Nieman Marcus, Remodeling and Thanksgiving.   Email the guys: EAT@KMJNow.com   Please Like, Comment and Follow 'The Restaurateurs' on all platforms:    ---  The Restaurateurs Podcast is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts.  --  The Restaurateurs  | Website | Email |  -  Everything KMJ   KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neiman Marcus Drops 'Christmas' From Iconic Gift Catalog    Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ's Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen!  ---     KMJ's Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen.  ---   Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ's Afternoon Drive  Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ  DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram  ---   Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neiman Marcus Drops 'Christmas' From Iconic Gift Catalog    Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ's Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen!  ---     KMJ's Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen.  ---   Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ's Afternoon Drive  Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ  DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram  ---   Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Shira Ovide, who writes the newsletter The Tech Friend for the Washington Post, and Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters, who demystifies the wacky state of European and British politics. Also: Are Chipotle burritos getting smaller? And why did Warren Buffett, top ally of the Gates Foundation, give his money to a not-yet-existing charity, hypothetically managed by his kids? In the Plus segment, it's a shopping bonanza as the hosts discuss Nieman Marcus' parent company gobbling up Saks Fifth Avenue. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular show every week. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Shira Ovide, who writes the newsletter The Tech Friend for the Washington Post, and Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters, who demystifies the wacky state of European and British politics. Also: Are Chipotle burritos getting smaller? And why did Warren Buffett, top ally of the Gates Foundation, give his money to a not-yet-existing charity, hypothetically managed by his kids? In the Plus segment, it's a shopping bonanza as the hosts discuss Nieman Marcus' parent company gobbling up Saks Fifth Avenue. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular show every week. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Shira Ovide, who writes the newsletter The Tech Friend for the Washington Post, and Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters, who demystifies the wacky state of European and British politics. Also: Are Chipotle burritos getting smaller? And why did Warren Buffett, top ally of the Gates Foundation, give his money to a not-yet-existing charity, hypothetically managed by his kids? In the Plus segment, it's a shopping bonanza as the hosts discuss Nieman Marcus' parent company gobbling up Saks Fifth Avenue. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular show every week. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Shira Ovide, who writes the newsletter The Tech Friend for the Washington Post, and Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters, who demystifies the wacky state of European and British politics. Also: Are Chipotle burritos getting smaller? And why did Warren Buffett, top ally of the Gates Foundation, give his money to a not-yet-existing charity, hypothetically managed by his kids? In the Plus segment, it's a shopping bonanza as the hosts discuss Nieman Marcus' parent company gobbling up Saks Fifth Avenue. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular show every week. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over 160 companies have been affected by a data breach at data storage company Snowflake, including Ticketmaster, Nieman Marcus and more. But the issue wasn't a security vulnerability or some sophisticated malware — it was just someone who exposed their login credentials at a different company. Host Jon Munshaw got Pierre Cadieux from Talos IR and Nick Biasini from Talos Outreach to discuss the follow-on breaches that have resulted from this and the lessons we can learn about making our login credentials more secure. 

Alexsandrah is a fashion model in London. She has a twin.Alexsandrah 是伦敦的一名时装模特。 她有一个双胞胎。But her twin is not her sister.但她的双胞胎不是她的妹妹。The twin is a product of Artificial Intelligence, or AI.这对双胞胎是人工智能（AI）的产物。Whenever Alexsandrah is not available to work with a photographer, the virtual twin takes her place.每当 Alexsandrah 无法与摄影师合作时，虚拟双胞胎就会取代她的位置。When a company chooses to use the AI Alexsandrah, the real-life version gets paid. Alexsandrah said her AI twin is exactly like her.当一家公司选择使用人工智能 Alexsandrah 时，现实生活中的版本就会获得报酬。 Alexsandrah 说她的人工智能双胞胎和她一模一样。Alexandrah's twin is an example of how computer images are influencing creative industries.亚历山德拉的双胞胎是计算机图像如何影响创意产业的一个例子。Those in favor of using AI in fashion say the virtual models permit companies to show possible buyers how their clothing looks on people of all shapes and sizes. In the real world, it would be difficult and costly to find a model for every skin color and body shape.那些支持在时尚界使用人工智能的人表示，虚拟模特可以让公司向潜在买家展示他们的衣服穿在各种身材和体型的人身上是什么样子。 在现实世界中，找到适合每种肤色和体型的模特既困难又昂贵。The companies that make clothing say using AI prevents people from buying their products, trying them on at home, and then sending them back if they dislike them. The problem is that AI models can take work away from human models, makeup artists and photographers.服装制造公司表示，使用人工智能可以防止人们购买他们的产品，在家试穿，如果不喜欢就将其退回。 问题在于人工智能模型可能会抢走真人模特、化妆师和摄影师的工作。The fashion industry has often been criticized for using models who are only white or tall or who fit one idea of beauty. Activists for including many groups in fashion say some companies could seem like they are employing minorities when they are just using AI models.时尚界经常因使用白人或高个子模特或符合一种审美观念的模特而受到批评。 支持将许多时尚群体纳入其中的活动人士表示，一些公司在使用人工智能模型时可能看起来像是在雇佣少数群体。Sara Ziff is a former fashion model who started Model Alliance, a nonprofit group for workers' rights in the fashion industry. Ziff said the use of AI shows there is a difference between the industry's words and its actions.萨拉·齐夫 (Sara Ziff) 是一名前时装模特，她创办了模特联盟 (Model Alliance)，这是一个致力于时尚行业工人权利的非营利组织。 Ziff 表示，人工智能的使用表明该行业的言行之间存在差异。Levi Strauss is an American clothing company known for its blue jeans. In March 2023, the company said it would be testing AI-generated models from a company in Amsterdam. The aim was to show how its clothing fit people of all sizes. But after criticism, the company said it would not reduce its use of human models.李维斯 (Levi Strauss) 是一家美国服装公司，以其蓝色牛仔裤而闻名。 2023 年 3 月，该公司表示将测试阿姆斯特丹一家公司的人工智能生成模型。 目的是展示其服装如何适合各种身材的人。 但在受到批评后，该公司表示不会减少人体模型的使用。Levi Strauss said it would not “substitute” AI for action toward its “diversity, equity and inclusion goals.”李维·施特劳斯表示，它不会“取代”人工智能来实现其“多元化、公平和包容性目标”。The Associated Press (AP) recently asked some clothing businesses to state their position on the use of AI models. AP asked Target, Kohls, Nieman Marcus, Walmart and Macys. It also asked international companies Temu, Shein and H&M. Some chose not to answer. Others said they do not use AI models. Walmart said it does not use AI models but “suppliers may have a different approach to photography.”美联社（AP）最近要求一些服装企业表明他们对使用人工智能模型的立场。 美联社询问了塔吉特、科尔斯、尼曼·马库斯、沃尔玛和梅西百货。 它还询问了国际公司 Temu、Shein 和 H&M。 有些人选择不回答。 其他人则表示他们不使用人工智能模型。 沃尔玛表示，它不使用人工智能模型，但“供应商可能有不同的摄影方法。”Lalaland.ai creates AI models. Michael Musandu started the company. Musandu grew up in Africa and studied in the Netherlands. He started the company when he saw that not many models looked like him – Black and African.Lalaland.ai 创建人工智能模型。 迈克尔·穆桑杜 (Michael Musandu) 创办了这家公司。 穆桑杜在非洲长大，在荷兰学习。 当他发现没有多少模特像他一样——黑人和非洲人时，他创办了这家公司。“One model does not represent everyone that's actually shopping and buying a product,” he said. “一个模型并不能代表所有实际购物和购买产品的人，”他说。

On this day in legal history, October 19, 1765, the Stamp Act Congress convened in New York City, adopting resolutions that played a crucial role in shaping American constitutional theory and paving the way for the American Revolution. The Congress, comprised of delegates from nine American colonies, was formed as a united response to the Stamp Act of 1765. The act had imposed "internal" taxes on a wide range of legal and commercial documents, as well as other printed materials. Ostensibly, the tax aimed to cover the expenses for British troops stationed in the American colonies following the French and Indian War. However, the colonists argued that not only had they already paid their share of war expenses, but the tax also seemed more like a form of British patronage for surplus military officers.The Stamp Act ignited widespread animosity among the colonists, who saw it as a violation of their rights as Englishmen. The overarching sentiment was encapsulated in the slogan "No taxation without representation," asserting that only the colonial legislatures could grant consent to taxation. The Stamp Act Congress was the first significant joint colonial action in response to British measures, and its resolutions petitioned both Parliament and the King.Debate over representation also flared up in the British Parliament. One argument claimed that the American colonists were "virtually represented" just like the majority of Britons who didn't own property and couldn't vote. However, this notion was sharply refuted by Daniel Dulany, a Maryland attorney, who contended that the connection between Americans and English electors was too weak to constitute proper representation.Local protest groups, often led by the Sons of Liberty, established Committees of Correspondence, thereby creating a loose coalition that extended from New England to Maryland. Widespread demonstrations, sometimes involving the hanging of effigies, successfully pressured all stamp tax distributors into resigning, rendering the tax uncollectible.While opposition to the Stamp Act was strong in the colonies, it also faced significant resistance in Britain. British merchants, suffering due to American boycotts, lobbied for its repeal, which occurred on March 18, 1766. Although repealed, the British Parliament simultaneously passed the Declaratory Act, reasserting its right to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever." This continued a chain of events that further strained the colonial relationship with Britain, contributing to the 27 grievances stated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and eventually leading to the American Revolution in 1775.Today, the resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress remain an enduring testament to the early American commitment to principles of self-governance and constitutional integrity, serving as a prelude to the foundational documents that would follow.The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting an effort to end Major League Baseball's (MLB) antitrust exemption. This move comes in support of a petition from minor league teams, including the Tri-City ValleyCats of upstate New York, who were removed from the minor leagues by MLB. The MLBPA is advocating for the Supreme Court to overturn its previous rulings that have maintained the exemption. The exemption itself dates back to a 1922 Supreme Court decision, which held that baseball did not fall under the 1890 Sherman Act and was therefore exempt from antitrust laws. In its brief, the MLBPA argues that the exemption negatively affects not only players but also fans, cities, states, and other businesses. The union has consistently maintained that the exemption should be eliminated. I have written on this topic somewhat extensively, and a link to my Baseball Prospectus primer on the issue follows. Baseball Players Union Supports End to MLB Antitrust ExemptionBaseball's Antitrust Exemption: A Brief PrimerThe White House is reviewing a State Department rule aimed at establishing a domestic visa renewal pilot program for certain H-1B specialty occupation workers. Currently, these workers are required to travel abroad to renew their visas, leading to delays and challenges, particularly due to pandemic-related bottlenecks at consular offices. The rule has been sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review, which is the final step before new regulations are made public. Domestic visa renewals were halted nearly two decades ago because the State Department said it couldn't meet post-9/11 biometric data collection requirements. Immigration lawyers and employer groups have been advocating for the reinstatement of domestic renewals, citing the prolonged wait times and logistical issues that have affected workers and employers alike.Stateside H-1B Visa Renewal Pilot Rule Under White House ReviewU.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones, known for overseeing more major Chapter 11 cases than any other U.S. judge, has abruptly resigned, leading to the reassignment of about 3,500 bankruptcy cases. Jones' resignation comes days after a federal appeals court initiated an ethics investigation into his failure to disclose a long-term romantic relationship with an attorney whose firm had numerous cases before his court. His departure is a significant blow to the Houston bankruptcy court, which is a top venue for large Chapter 11 filings in the U.S. Jones had managed high-profile bankruptcies like JC Penney and Nieman Marcus and had overseen 17% of cases with more than $1 billion in liabilities since 2020.Judges Marvin Isgur and Christopher Lopez, who are among the busiest bankruptcy judges in the U.S., will divide Jones' large-company case load between them. They will also handle all new large Chapter 11 cases filed in Houston. The reassignment is considered a massive workload for already busy judges and could create chaos, especially since Jones had more than 1,100 commercial cases on his docket.Jones' undisclosed relationship could also raise concerns in cases where rulings were made but not decided or where participants might object to past decisions. The relationship was with bankruptcy attorney Elizabeth Freeman, a partner at a law firm that had many debtors in Jones' court. The firm, Jackson Walker, has said it consulted with outside ethics experts and instructed Freeman not to work on any cases before Jones.The situation has also prompted scrutiny of Houston's practice of directing all "complex" Chapter 11 cases to just two judges, a practice some say invites "forum shopping" and undermines public confidence in the U.S. bankruptcy system. However, Chief U.S. Judge Randy Crane defended the practice, saying it allows for the efficient handling of difficult cases. Isgur, described as a "very bright individual" by Crane, is expected to be a good replacement for Jones, and Crane anticipates no long-term effects on the venue's popularity for large bankruptcies. Editorial note here, if you're talking about a venue's “popularity” for bankruptcies, the forum shopping ship has already sailed. Bankruptcy judge's sudden resignation causes 3,500 cases to be reassigned | ReutersJohn Eastman, an attorney associated with former President Donald Trump, testified in a California State Bar Court trial concerning his efforts to convince Vice President Mike Pence to reject or delay the counting of electoral votes. Eastman is facing the possibility of disbarment, charged with 11 counts including violating ethics rules and state law. He stated that had he known Pence had already decided not to follow his advice, he would not have pursued meetings and discussions on the issue. Gregory F. Jacob, Pence's counsel, previously testified that Eastman's theories lacked legal or historical basis.Eastman claimed he wasn't aware that Pence had already rejected his arguments until Jacob's testimony. Defense witnesses in the trial have tried to establish that Eastman believed there were election irregularities that could have affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential race, a claim that has been widely discredited. Eastman continues to dispute Jacob's characterization of their discussions, and insists that he was offering constitutional recommendations.Eastman, along with some scholars, argues that the Electoral Count Act is unconstitutional and that the Vice President, as the president of the Senate, should have an active role in counting electoral votes. No court has yet ruled on the constitutionality of the Electoral Count Act. The judge, Yvette Roland, has 90 days to issue a recommendation after the close of oral arguments, which can be appealed. The final decision on Eastman's discipline, including potential disbarment, will be made by the California Supreme Court. The trial is set to continue at least through October 20, with additional trial dates likely.Eastman Explains Why He Pressed Pence on Electoral Vote Counting Get full access to Minimum Competence - Daily Legal News Podcast at www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

With white-hot debut novelist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Xochitl Gonzalez, discussing her wise, funny, politically-charged rom-com, Olga Dies Dreaming. We chatted about inspiring Latinx readership, what she learned at the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the moment she decided to make a mid-career pivot while bargain-hunting at a sales rack in Nieman Marcus.

What you'll learn in this episode:   How art history and jewelry history interact How Jan's experience as a historian helped her write her first book, and what she learned from self-publishing Why sweetheart jewelry became popular during World War II, and why few people today know what it is How Jan draws on her theater background to connect with and educate museum goers How museum education and jewelry history developed into their own fields   About Jan Krulick-Belin   Jan Krulick-Belin, a museum and art consultant and art and jewelry historian, has more than forty years of experience at such institutions as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Denver Art Museum, Beaumont (Texas) Art Museum, and Smithsonian Institution. Retired as director of education at the Phoenix Art Museum, she still works with museums, art organizations, and private collectors and served as guest curator at the Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum, Phoenix.   Additional Resources  Facebook: www.facebook.com/JanKrulick Website: www.jankrulick.com Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jankrulickbelin Twitter: @JanKrulickBooks   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com    Transcript As an art and jewelry historian and museum educator, Jan Krulick-Belin was uniquely qualified to follow the surprising journey she went on to write her first book, “Love, Bill: Finding my Father Through Letters from World War II.” Bringing together her knowledge of World War II-era culture and  her research skills, writing the book was a labor of love. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about her tips for self-publishing; what sweetheart jewelry is and why it became so popular during World War II; and what it was like to be at the forefront of the museum education field. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.    One of the eternal questions is whether one has to be a jewelry historian to appreciate the background of jewelry. Do you have to be a jeweler to appreciate jewelry? My guest, Jan Krulick-Belin, can answer all our questions. Welcome back.    Jan: I've had people come up to me and show me stuff they've had, that their mothers or grandmothers or aunts had and left, and they didn't know what it was. I said, “Well, that's a piece of sweetheart jewelry.” They had no idea what it was. DUPLICATION OF END OF PART ONE.   Sharon: That's interesting. Is it a more contemporary thing? Do they call it sweetheart jewelry?   Jan: It is still known as sweetheart. There are a handful of books that have been written. Off the top of my head, I can't remember some of the authors, but there are not very many. I've seen people who will do lectures or write about jewelry from different periods of the 20th century. They will mention it during the 1940s. They will talk a little bit about sweetheart jewelry and jewelry made during the war.    In terms of writing books just on sweetheart jewelry, there are very few out there, but if you go to a bunch of different sources and learn about what was happening in the fashion world during the war, that will come up. You'll learn about rationing and the War Bureau and all their rules and regulations. It was interesting that Marcus of Nieman Marcus was actually head of the War Production Board and came up with all these rationing roles for fashion. If you start delving into different areas, you'll be able to pick up little bits and pieces and put it together.   Sharon: That's interesting. People don't know what it is. The other thing that interested me when I was reading about you was the fact that you were in only the third museum education class.   Jan: Yeah, I know. I feel ancient. I was in the class of 1978—that gives it all away, doesn't it?—in grad school. It was the very first program of its kind in the country where you got a master's degree in museum education. It was started by the professor I referred to, Dr. Marcella Brenner, who was an incredible woman. She was in the education field, but she married Morris Louis, who was an important abstract-expressionist artist. So, she was part of the art world, and she noticed that in museums, there was a lot of stuff going on that wasn't very helpful to the general visitor.    Usually, people who developed materials or wrote the labels on the walls came from an academic or scholarly curatorial background. A lot of what they wrote was for their peers and the general public didn't understand it. She felt that there needed to be a combination of people who are familiar with art—or whatever museum you'd go work in, because it was a multidisciplinary program, whether you worked in a science museum or a history museum. But the illness was the same no matter what museum you'd go to, and she felt it was important to teach people not just the background of the field and the type of museum they wanted to go into, but to understand how people learn in a museum setting and how to teach and how to communicate. She developed this program at George Washington University in the education department, and I was in the third graduating class of that program. We were newbies and the field was just forming.    I had a couple of mentors, one who I worked with in Denver and who I consider the first generation of museum educators. I'm stuck in the second generation of museum educators because we came along and solidified certain things within the field that really made it a field. My goal was to work with curators and other museum professionals, even designers, and help them understand how people go through a museum, understand what happens and how to communicate without patronizing. I think that's the fine line. You don't want to talk down to people. My goal is to teach people how to look, what to look at. We're born to see, but we're not born knowing how to look carefully or knowing what to look for or what to look at. I think that notion carries through into my art history as well as my jewelry history. It's getting people to look and think based on what they see and getting them curious enough to go further with the information.    Sharon: Do you find that you teach adults differently in looking? If they have a piece of jewelry, does an adult look at it differently?   Jan: I think there's definitely a difference between teaching adults and children, especially in a museum setting. Just as if you were a teacher of any subject, you're either an elementary school teacher or not. I feel more comfortable talking to high schoolers or adults. I think adults like more information. As part of my jobs over the years, I was always in charge of training the docents or the volunteer guides to work with school groups or adult groups.    I can tell you in evaluations, I overheard a lot of things I would cringe at. When you've got a group of fifth graders and somebody's sitting there lecturing nonstop about the history of X, Y, Z, and it was related to the surrealist movement, these kids don't know that. You start with what they see. Describe what they're looking at and ask, “What do you think this might be about?” or “How are you reacting to this?” I found, particularly in an art museum setting—and I think a little bit in the jewelry world too—quite often, if people don't have the background, you have to start where people are. You have to very slowly give information and be very careful explaining any new terms.    One of my minors as an undergraduate was also theater, so when I worked with children in a museum setting, I incorporated a lot of theater. It wasn't unusual for me. Everybody used to think it was unusual, crazy, whatever. I would teach whole art history classes in period costume. We created things we called art carts, which were trunks for the fashion and costume collection. In the Beaumont Museum, I had a huge armoire with things hanging in it and different samples of textiles so people could see and touch and feel. That's the opening; being dramatic. When I was in Denver, I also got a big National Endowment for the Humanities grant to teach art history classes to kids in the galleries using real objects. Again, I conned a lot of my professor friends at Denver University to come in costume and teach as if they were a historical figure. I think adults like that too. I think they're a little taken aback at first, but who doesn't enjoy something like that? I think they all love theater a little bit.    As far as jewelry, I don't know that I've ever worked with kids in talking about jewelry. It wasn't part of what I was doing back then, and I haven't worked with kids very much in the last 20 years or so. All of my teaching is with adults, but I think you have to start where they are, find out what they know. I think kids—and, believe me, a lot of adults; you'd be surprised—don't have those hooks that some of us take for granted, like understanding the stories of the Bible or knowing basic history. All those things come into play when you're talking about art history or jewelry history or any kind of history. People just don't have that knowledge base anymore. You sometimes really have to start from the ground level and figure out what your audience knows and then go from there.    Sharon: From the jewelry history you have taught, from when you taught kids, would you say that boys say “Yuck” to a heart and a girl might be attracted?   Jan: Maybe. Again, I've never had that experience. Anytime you're teaching any audience, you have to find the hook you think will make sense. We used to laugh when you're working with kids in school because the grosser you can get, the better you get to the boys. It's sort of the same thing. If you're showing them a diamond brooch—and I'm pulling this out of thin air since I've never had to do this—you ask, “Where do you think these things come from?” and you can talk about how diamonds are formed. You can get excited and scientific about it in a simple way, then you can get them hooked. Or you say, “Do you know that men used to wear more jewelry than women?” You just go where you think you will grab them. That's with any audience, but you have to think quick on your feet with kids to figure out what's going to catch their attention. That's why I used to use theater a lot, because they can't ignore you when you're dressed in a Victorian corset with a long dress and you're talking about Victorian paintings or the wild west or cowboy art. You go with what you've got.   Sharon: What made you decide to go into this area? I would have been a little hesitant to go into such a new area.   Jan: It was interesting. As an art history major, when I graduated as an undergraduate, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. I knew I didn't want to pursue and get into the Ph.D. track. I'm more of a people person and not a lone researcher. I really didn't know what my options were. I tried to apply for internships around the country at art museums. I always felt very comfortable growing up in New York City. Going into an art museum was something we did. I didn't get any internships, except I did get one finally. It was an offer from the Smithsonian, but it was from the Department of Performing Arts. They noticed that I also had a theater degree, a minor. So, that's how it started.   I was working for a wonderful woman who was really encouraging me. That was 1976, and it was the Festival of American Folklife on the Mall in D.C. It was big; it was a bicentennial year. This was normally a two-week folklife festival that happened every summer, but this was now all summer. We were talking, and she asked me, “What do you want to do?” and I said, “I have no idea once this is over.” She said, “Well, I know a couple of people who are starting this new graduate program over at GW, and it sounds like everything you've done. You were a camp counselor. You like to be around kids. You love theater. You love art. This sounds up your alley.”    I had no idea what museum education was, nor did most people, actually, and I wasn't ready to go to grad school. Then, after a year of knocking around and not being able to find a decent job, I applied, and there you go. It's funny how things happen. I don't say it was an accident because maybe I was on a path. I know that was the path I was on, but it was just something new, and it fit. When I started looking into the program, it was just the right amount of time where I could finish a degree, and I was already living in Washington, D.C. at that point, so it was perfect.    Sharon: Based on all that and from everything you've told us, what is your favorite period of jewelry?   Jan: That's a tough one. I'm an equal opportunity jewelry lover, everything from fine to vintage and costume. I do have a soft spot for Art Deco jewelry. I do like that, but coming from my background as a museum educator, I wasn't supposed to specialize in one period because I had to work with every exhibition that came along. I had to be a fast study and cram. I had to be a good generalist, and I had to be knowledgeable enough so I could communicate with curators in their areas of specialty so they would respect my body of knowledge. I think I've always felt like I needed to be knowledgeable about every area.    I get to specialize when I do a particular lecture. That's when I can do a deep dive: when I'm preparing a talk in a specific jewelry area. I like all different time periods for different reasons, but it's probably the one I just finished researching.   Sharon: You wrote that if you have another book, you'll be able to rectify the mistakes you made in the first one.   Jan: I didn't know how you even begin writing a book and how you go about getting it published and all of that. I've learned a lot since then, believe me; the good, the bad and the ugly, and all the little things. I didn't know you're supposed to find the endorsements for the back of your book even before it goes to the designer, or even making decisions about what color paper or what font. I had to know all the practical sides of publishing and making a book happen strictly because I self-publish, but with a company I worked with to make it all happen. I didn't know how important social media was, which I never wanted to get involved with. That was a lot of the learning curve.    I had to be more knowledgeable about how to go about picking the people to work with because I literally went in blind. I just didn't know. I went to one conference locally when I thought about putting this into a book. I made notes, and fortunately I found a local lawyer who was a copyright attorney. He helped me deal with that. Now, I know all that stuff, which is probably a bad thing because I know enough that I don't know if I want to go through this again. It's hard. It's really hard. I don't care what people tell you. If you go with a traditional publisher, there are goods and bads. If you go with self-publishing, there are goods and bads. I always said, when things started happening, I just wanted to write a book; that's all I wanted. I was like, “I've got to jump through these hurdles and hoops.”    I had a bad experience with the first publisher of my book, and it was very painful. Fortunately, now it's back out there with a different publisher, but it was a hard lesson to learn when your publisher goes AWOL and takes all your digital files and scams you out of all your royalties for two years. It's ugly. I'm not the only person this has ever happened to, I'm sure, but it kind of burns you. I think that's why when people say, “Are you going to write a new book?” I was hesitant to answer. I just don't know if after all that, I wanted to go through anything like that again. But hopefully I've learned. I know more people and I can reach out to more people to put me on a different path than what I went on last time.    Sharon: It sounds like a very interesting subject. I don't know about writing a whole book.   Jan: You're lucky.    Sharon: I'm anxious to read it. Besides the diamonds, do you have anything else rolling around? What else do you have?   Jan: I think the reason the book got written is because it was such an emotional, important, personal story. It was cathartic for me to go through this and work out the emotions I've had for my entire life, growing up without a father and knowing so little about who he was. When I finished that—I laugh because literally, the book wasn't even hot off the press when people started asking, “What's your next book?” It's like, “Can I please enjoy this one? It's taken five-and-a-half years out of my life, from not even thinking I'd write a book to getting it to the editor, thank you very much.” I always said if I wrote another one, the idea and the need to write it would have to be as gripping for me.    Like I said earlier, I knew with first book that I couldn't stop my brain from racing at two in the morning. I would have these ideas, and these thoughts and sentences would pop into my head. I would have organizational ideas in the middle of the night and they wouldn't let me go. So, that would have to happen if I'm going to write another book. It has to be needing to come out. I have to get excited about it and I have to be invested in it. I'm getting closer. It depends on what's happening in my life.    I'm still lecturing and doing things like that, but I've done a bunch of research trips. I have a couple more planned than I probably need to do, just to fill in my head. The hard thing is I'm thinking of a jewelry historical fiction. I'm not a fiction writer. I'm a non-fiction writer. I'm a historian. Trying to figure out how I can blend the history side of me and the truths with a little bit of fiction and make it all work, that's why I'm struggling so much moving past where I am right now. I'm not sure how to do this. I know a wonderful, exciting history about this particular diamond. I know who owned it from one point to the last point we know it existed. It's filling in the before and the after and the middle. How do you do all that?    I haven't had another idea that's as compelling to me. I think this particular diamond has been on my mind since the very first jewelry history lecture I've ever written. I can't let it go. It's stuck to me and I can't shake it off. That's why, if it's another book, it probably will have to be this one, because it's the only thing I can't shake off.    Sharon: It sounds very interesting. I want to thank you for being with us today. We really appreciate it.   Jan: My pleasure.   Sharon: We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.  

Sara Blakely is a self-made billionaire. She's the founder and creator of Spanx. I interviewed her in January 2017 - over 800 episodes ago! - but all of her advice (learned directly from DOING) is still impacting me today. I had to re-listen. And I hope you do too...Some people are inspirations for life. Sara is one of those people.Sara Blakely is weird. I wish I could think the way she does. I want to be weird like her."I look at any object and try to think of any use it has other than what people had planned for it."And then she acts on it. She sees a pair of pantyhose, cuts off the feet (why not?), and creates a multi-billion dollar company, Spanx.She sees her 9-month pregnant belly and paints a basketball on it. And then inspires hundreds of other women to do the same. Creates a book out of it, The Belly Art Project, and donates the proceeds to charity."All my life I was taught how to deal with failure," she told me. "My dad would ask us at the dinner table every night: how did you fail today?" HOW DID YOU FAIL TODAY?She got comfortable with failure at an age when every other kid wants to get an A+ at everything.She got comfortable embarrassing herself. For two years she tried to be a standup comedian. "I wasn't very good at it." Practice embarrassing yourself...Ready. Fire. Aim.She got a huge order from Nieman Marcus even though she didn't have the inventory or the production ready.She said, "YES!". Then she figured out how to get the order filled.Oprah listed Spanx as one of her "favorite things" of 2000. Oprah wanted to film her office. Sara had no office.She said, "YES!". Then she got an office and filled it up with people.Say YES! Then make things happen. Don't argue yourself into failure.Excuses are easy. Saying "yes" and then executing is hard. Get your thinking time."It takes me five minutes to drive to work," she told me. "But I take 45 minutes. I use that time to think."It's important to think. To be creative every day.This is how she comes up with non-stop ideas to expand her brand, expand her products, and work on other projects.I suspect this is the secret to how she always sees things differently. Being creative is a practice. It's not lightning from above.It's taking the long route when you could've taken the short route. Purpose = Infectious salesmanship.While I was talking to Sara she used the word "empower" several times.Spanx clothes give women more confidence. Empowers women. The Belly Art Project empowers pregnant women.It seems like there are three parts to a project that leads to mastering salesmanship.The higher purpose for it. This gets people excited.The actual product and its benefits.ExecutionCombine all three and people will get infected with your passion for your ideas. Sara was unstoppable. Don't volley.Don't engage with the people who want to argue with you. That's time wasted when you can be creative. Don't invite ego in the door.Once you've worked on your project, have passion for it, and started it, be willing to take suggestions and listen to people.Ego can kill a project and close the door on good opportunities. Be aware of your mortality.Sara was selling fax machines for five years before fully launching Spanx.She could still be selling them if she never started.If she listened to all the people who tried to dissuade her.If she became afraid of the multi-billion dollar companies that could have easily squashed her. Except they didn't. She was one person and they were billions. But they lost.We are here only this precious small amount of time. Make every moment a work of art. Make every moment move you one step forward toward your dream and purpose.Invent a new undergarment even if you have never made clothes in your life.Get 100s of women to paint their pregnant bellies and then raise money for charity with the idea."EVERYTHING IS A CANVAS," she told me.Which makes everyone a potential artist....

Sara Blakely is a self-made billionaire. She's the founder and creator of Spanx. I interviewed her in January 2017 - over 800 episodes ago! - but all of her advice (learned directly from DOING) is still impacting me today. I had to re-listen. And I hope you do too...Some people are inspirations for life. Sara is one of those people.Sara Blakely is weird. I wish I could think the way she does. I want to be weird like her.“I look at any object and try to think of any use it has other than what people had planned for it.”And then she acts on it. She sees a pair of pantyhose, cuts off the feet (why not?), and creates a multi-billion dollar company, Spanx.She sees her 9-month pregnant belly and paints a basketball on it. And then inspires hundreds of other women to do the same. Creates a book out of it, The Belly Art Project, and donates the proceeds to charity.“All my life I was taught how to deal with failure,” she told me. “My dad would ask us at the dinner table every night: how did you fail today?” HOW DID YOU FAIL TODAY?She got comfortable with failure at an age when every other kid wants to get an A+ at everything.She got comfortable embarrassing herself. For two years she tried to be a standup comedian. “I wasn't very good at it.” Practice embarrassing yourself…Ready. Fire. Aim.She got a huge order from Nieman Marcus even though she didn't have the inventory or the production ready.She said, “YES!”. Then she figured out how to get the order filled.Oprah listed Spanx as one of her “favorite things” of 2000. Oprah wanted to film her office. Sara had no office.She said, “YES!”. Then she got an office and filled it up with people.Say YES! Then make things happen. Don't argue yourself into failure.Excuses are easy. Saying “yes” and then executing is hard. Get your thinking time.“It takes me five minutes to drive to work,” she told me. “But I take 45 minutes. I use that time to think.”It's important to think. To be creative every day.This is how she comes up with non-stop ideas to expand her brand, expand her products, and work on other projects.I suspect this is the secret to how she always sees things differently. Being creative is a practice. It's not lightning from above.It's taking the long route when you could've taken the short route. Purpose = Infectious salesmanship.While I was talking to Sara she used the word “empower” several times.Spanx clothes give women more confidence. Empowers women. The Belly Art Project empowers pregnant women.It seems like there are three parts to a project that leads to mastering salesmanship.The higher purpose for it. This gets people excited.The actual product and its benefits.ExecutionCombine all three and people will get infected with your passion for your ideas. Sara was unstoppable. Don't volley.Don't engage with the people who want to argue with you. That's time wasted when you can be creative. Don't invite ego in the door.Once you've worked on your project, have passion for it, and started it, be willing to take suggestions and listen to people.Ego can kill a project and close the door on good opportunities. Be aware of your mortality.Sara was selling fax machines for five years before fully launching Spanx.She could still be selling them if she never started.If she listened to all the people who tried to dissuade her.If she became afraid of the multi-billion dollar companies that could have easily squashed her. Except they didn't. She was one person and they were billions. But they lost.We are here only this precious small amount of time. Make every moment a work of art. Make every moment move you one step forward toward your dream and purpose.Invent a new undergarment even if you have never made clothes in your life.Get 100s of women to paint their pregnant bellies and then raise money for charity with the idea.“EVERYTHING IS A CANVAS,” she told me.Which makes everyone a potential artist. What a great way to look at life.But I can't!Why not?For anything you want to do, for anything that excites you, take the time to figure out the next step. Ready. Fire. Aim.Just why not? Why not? Links and Resources:Visit her website: Spanx  The Belly Art Project and check out the book The Belly Art Project: Moms Supporting MomsEvery Mother CountsMen's SpanxFollow Sara on Instagram@sarablakelyFollow Sara on Facebook + TwitterAlso mentioned:“How To Be a No Limit Person” by Dr. Wayne DyerI interviewed Sara's husband, Jesse Itzler, about his book Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book Skip the Line is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe  to “The James Altucher Show” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcheriHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on Social Media:YouTubeTwitterFacebook

Dan Kramer, Nieman Marcus General Manager talks about Tree of Hope and a gift card with your donation. 

Beate Chelette is a first-generation immigrant who went from $135,000 in debt as a single parent to bootstrapping her passion for photography, creating a global business that licensed content into 79 countries, which culminated in a multimillion-dollar sale to Bill Gates. Now, Beate is the Growth Architect and Founder of The Women's Code and provides visionaries and leaders with proven strategies, blueprints and growth maps to improve business systems, strengthen leadership skills and teams, making it easier to maximize profits and scale their impact. Beate is the Podcast host of The Business Growth Architect Show and listed amongst the “Top 100 Global Thought Leaders” by PeopleHum and “One of 50 Must Follow Women Entrepreneurs” by HuffPost. In this interview we explore • The resilience that helped Beate after losing her business 4 times through catastrophic events and how she found a way to rebuild; • Why having authority is so important and should never be confused with celebrity; • How Beate rebuilt from the ground up to sell her business to Bill Gates – on her terms: • What exactly is strategy, what types of strategies are there, and which one should you use even when you're unsure where to start; • Beate's moment of clarity to redefine her purpose while standing in Nieman Marcus; And SO much more. Connect with Beate at https://beatechelette.com/ https://airtightavatar.com/ https://go2.bucketsurveys.com/sf/60f47664

Beate Chelette is a first-generation immigrant who went from $135,000 in debt as a single parent to bootstrapping her passion for photography, creating a global business that licensed content into 79 countries, which culminated in a multimillion-dollar sale to Bill Gates. Now, Beate is the Growth Architect and Founder of The Women's Code and provides visionaries and leaders with proven strategies, blueprints and growth maps to improve business systems, strengthen leadership skills and teams, making it easier to maximize profits and scale their impact. Beate is the Podcast host of The Business Growth Architect Show and listed amongst the “Top 100 Global Thought Leaders” by PeopleHum and “One of 50 Must Follow Women Entrepreneurs” by HuffPost. In this interview we explore • The resilience that helped Beate after losing her business 4 times through catastrophic events and how she found a way to rebuild; • Why having authority is so important and should never be confused with celebrity; • How Beate rebuilt from the ground up to sell her business to Bill Gates – on her terms: • What exactly is strategy, what types of strategies are there, and which one should you use even when you're unsure where to start; • Beate's moment of clarity to redefine her purpose while standing in Nieman Marcus; And SO much more. Connect with Beate at https://beatechelette.com/ https://airtightavatar.com/ https://go2.bucketsurveys.com/sf/60f47664

The boys discuss the Bears trade, Scottie Pippen's event on Nieman Marcus, Jurko in LV and so much more

Do you shop at Nieman Marcus? Do you order things from Amazon? Do you get a latte from Starbucks? Part of your purchase may go to paying for employees to travel to get an abortion! Woke companies wasted no time announcing they will cover travel for those who want an abortion. But what about those interviewing for jobs who won't take the job unless the company pays for them to travel for an abortion? Paul Seegert is the managing partner at PCS Advisors. The Rick Roberts Show is on NewsTalk 820 WBAP ... (Photo Courtesy of WFAA) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're under 25 you might not be familiar with the term “disruption.” Disruption was the buzzword that drove most of the tech-boom in the early 2000's. “Disruption” is a euphemism. It's a combination of revolution and destruction. For example, streaming music platforms “disrupted” the recorded music industry. Uber “disrupted” the taxi industry. And in the biggest, most widespread disruption of all, e-commerce led by Amazon, disrupted the retail industry. As a result of e-commerce disruption, a huge number of small retailers had to shut up shop. And too-big-to-fail retailers like Sears, Nieman Marcus, Toys R Us, JC Penney and Circuit City, all filed for bankruptcy. Amid this widespread retail carnage, a local New Orleans women's clothing store called Hemline has not only survived, it's flourished. Hemline has grown from a single store on Chartres Street in the French Quarter, to a chain of local stores, and a franchise with a total of 30 stores in 7 states, including Florida, Tennessee and Texas. The Brand Marketing and Events Manager of Hemline is Cristina Ebberman. The reason you barely hear the word “disruption” any more is because pretty much every industry that could have been disrupted, has been. In 2017, Laurel Hess was in marketing. When she came home from a business trip to a mountain of laundry, she had the sudden realization that nobody had disrupted the laundry industry. Thinking there had to be other busy people like her who would love nothing more than for someone to come and take away her dirty laundry and bring it back the next day washed and folded, Laurel created the Uber of laundry – Hampr.  Hampr started life in Lafayette, Louisiana. Today, Hampr is in 8 states, including Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, and that number is growing almost monthly as the Uber of laundry spreads across the country and attracts investors. As times change and we hand the reins of business over to the next generation, it's interesting how our definition of success is changing. Success used to be defined numerically. By a dollar amount. Today, how you make money is as important as how much you make. The rise of the sharing economy reflects this sentiment - spreading wealth in a socially responsible manner is a better goal than individually getting rich at any cost. For example, we all know the name Henry Ford. Ford didn't invent the automobile, but he did invent a way to make a lot of money out of making and selling cars. This generation, we all know Uber. But it's the concept of ridesharing we admire. Most people probably couldn't tell you the name of the person who started it. If Hampr gets to be as big as Uber, founder Laurel Hess's primary source of pride won't be how much money she's made for herself, but rather, how many people she's given an opportunity to have an independent business. In the face of the stiffest retail headwinds in decades, Hemline is bucking trends and expanding a chain of clothing stores because, rather building an empire for a single owner, the company is intentionally growing a family of locally-focused, women-driven businesses. Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at NOLA Pizza in the NOLA Brewing Taproom. You can find photos from this show by Jill Lafleur at our website itsneworleans.com. And you can also hear recent conversation with other disrupters in e-commerce and insurance: https://itsneworleans.com/2022/03/16/cluey-claimly-and-the-iv/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What you'll learn in this episode: Why much of Cynthia's jewelry has an old-world, Renaissance feel Cynthia's advice for aspiring jewelry designers How Cynthia designs her pieces around her customers' style Why creativity is the driving force behind change How understanding jewelry history can help designers find new forms of expression About Cynthia Bach Cynthia Bach has been a jewelry designer for more than four decades. After studying art in Munich, Germany, Cynthia received her BFA degree in art and jewelry making from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where she met and apprenticed bench jewelry making with master jeweler Jim Matthews. In 1989 Jim and Cynthia were recruited by Van Cleef & Arpels in Beverly Hills to run design and fabrication of the jewelry department. In 1991 Cynthia launched her own collection with Neiman Marcus nationwide.  She has been the recipient of numerous awards from the jewelry industry including the coveted International Platinum Guild Award, the Spectrum Award, and the Couture Award. Her designs have been recognized and awarded by the American Gem Trade Association. She is internationally known and respected and in 2014 was invited to Idar-Oberstein, Germany to judge the New Designer Contest. In 2015 her work was part of the international traveling exhibition “The Nature of Diamonds” organized by the American Museum of Natural History and sponsored by DeBeers. An important piece of her work resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 2019 Cynthia's jewelry was featured in Juliet de la Rochefoucauld's “Women Jewellery Designers”, a magnum opus book of women jewelry designers throughout history. Additional Resources: Website  Instagram Twitter Facebook Pintrest Photos: 18 karat yellow gold Crown Collection maltese cross crown ring with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds 18 karat yellow gold Flower Bouquet Collection flower hoop earrings with multi-colored gemstones 18 karat yellow gold Gitan Collection, filigree paisley's with diamonds and rubies 18 karat yellow gold Royal Charm Bracelet  Transcript: Cynthia Bach has loved jewelry for as long as she can remember. That enthusiasm is what helped her land an apprenticeship with master jeweler (and later, her husband) Jim Matthews, scored her a 25-year partnership with Nieman Marcus, and continues to fuel her desire to create timeless yet innovative designs today. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the old-world techniques that inspire her designs; her experience working with Van Cleef & Arpels, Neiman Marcus, and red-carpet stylists; and her advice for budding jewelry designers. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: That's interesting. I'm thinking about a few things. First of all, that Fabergé and Schlumberger had an eye, whether it was for a shape or they were just extremely creative. What do you feel you have an eye for? Cynthia: I have an eye for shapes. My jewelry designing is classical and lyrical. I'm not doing post-modern shapes like the wearable art exhibit we saw. I think of my designs as more refined. I love to design jewelry for women. When I'm designing for them, I see what their style is and I want to design around their style, which is not necessarily the normal thing to do. When I design a piece of jewelry, I usually design something I want to wear. Having worked with Nieman Marcus for 25 years, after starting my collection with them, there was always fashion. Every season, I would follow the fashions that so that even though my designs are very classical, they would also be very now. What are the girls wearing now? What are the trends now? But I still wanted it to be timeless and able to be worn a hundred years from today.  Sharon: Have you ever found yourself altering your designs or pieces because you've sketched something out and you say, “Oh, that's too small or too large for what people want today. That's not what people want”?  Cynthia: I kind of design what I want to design, but because I've worked so hands-on doing trunk shows across the country and working with women, I know everyone has a different size earlobe and a different shape face. I will take a design and I'll make a smaller version and a medium and a bigger to go with the woman's style. Not every woman can wear a big earring. In that sense, I just take my design and make it more adaptable for different people. I usually design what I want to design because I figure if I want to wear it, other women want to wear it, too. Sharon: It sounds like that's been successful for you for decades. You said that you design around a woman's style. I guess what I want to know is if you saw a woman wearing jewelry that's very different from yours. Let's say modernist, angular, large. What do you mean you design around that? Cynthia: To clarify that a little bit more, I would say the last 25 years where I've really been a designer, I've worked with a lot of stylists for red carpet dressing. We would work with clothing designers, like when I did Cate Blanchett in the beautiful Gautier. I made the body jewelry—they're Indian-inspired—and she did the big chain down her back. I remember a lot of beautiful gowns coming in, and even though I would use my jewelry, I always wanted the jewelry to make a statement. To me, it wasn't all about the dress, but also to make a statement for the wearer. So, when I say I like to design around a woman's style, a lot of that came from working with stylists and doing red carpet things. It also comes from working hands-on with women at the Nieman Marcus stores. They would come in and have a dress they were wearing to the ball, and they needed jewelry to go with it. You can't just throw anything on them. It's got to go with the dress; it's got to go with them. I find the way I wear jewelry is I like very big jewelry. I like big rings, big earrings, lots of chains. I layer everything. There are women out there that are much more—they love an exquisite piece of jewelry, but they'll wear one exquisite earring and one necklace.  Sharon: What's wrong with them? Cynthia: You're another person who's very theatrical in your jewelry.  Sharon: I understand what you're saying, but I'm surprised to hear you say that because your jewelry seems very feminine and dainty. I can see how you can stack the rings and everything, but I'm surprised to hear you say you like larger jewelry. That's all. Cynthia: I mean when I'm dressing for myself. This is where I'm making pieces for other people. My collection I'm working on now is a lot of flowers with beautiful fall colors, orange and yellow, sapphires and reds and purples, all these colors together. I will take all those chains and wear like seven of them together, whereas if I were selling them in a store, maybe a woman would buy one chain. Ultimately, we have to make a living, but for me, selling my jewelry is my living. To some extent, you have to keep in mind who your audience is as well. Again, I can't always dictate the way I want them to look. Sharon: I was just thinking how impressive it is that you've been selling to Nieman Marcus for so long. That's a long run, and hopefully it continues for another 20 years. There are so many people who sell for one season and never see it there again. Cynthia: Like I told you, Sharon, I made up my mind at the age of 12 that this is what I wanted to do. My determination came from—it was very difficult being a woman. When I sold my collection to Nieman Marcus in 1991, we were brought out to Beverly Hills with Van Cleef & Arpels. The family-owned business went off to sell their company, so we were basically without a job. That was my window for, “O.K., you have nothing to lose. You're out of a job. If you want to be a jewelry designer, you're going to do it now.” Well, that was on Monday. On Friday, I called Nieman Marcus in Dallas and flew out there.  I had been making a little crown collection, because I had made a crown for a client for an anniversary present back in 1982. It was a design of a Trifari crown pin that he gave to his wife. He said, “I bought this for my bride in 1955, and now I can afford it in emeralds, rubies and diamonds.” It was a little Trifari crown pin, and I made her this little crown and she wore it every day on a chain. I just thought it was the neatest thing. This was in 1982, and I said, “This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make crowns.” So, I started researching them at the library, all the different heraldic imagery and all the crowns throughout the world that kings and queens wore, and I brought them to everyone, to the masses. I had presented them to Van Cleef & Arpels, and they were like, “We would never do a crown,” but I made them anyway.  After we lost our job at Van Cleef & Arpels, five days later, I flew to Nieman Marcus. I had 13 crown brooches. Some were fantasies; some were actual miniature crowns from Saudi Arabia or Persia, the English crown. I talked to the buyer, who was actually the president of the jewelry department at that time. In 1991, they did not have a developed jewelry department. There were jewelry designers; there were fashion designers, but jewelry was very generic, so they didn't have creatives in jewelry that stood out. I said to them, “You need a stable of jewelry designers like you have in fashion.” The same thing I did with my husband, “I want to make jewelry. Here are my crowns.” I was all enthusiastic about it, and he was like, “I'll give you $6,000,” and I said, “I'll take it.” That launched my career, but it was in 1991 when, like I said, there weren't really any established jewelry designers at the time. I think Nieman's had Jean Mahie and Henry Dunay was there, but that was it. So, they grandfathered me at that time, and it just took off. The 90s and the 2000s was a wonderful time to be in the jewelry business. It was a wonderful time to be in business in anything in 2000, before 2006. So, that is how I got into it. I don't know that I could do something like that in 2021. It's always timing. Sharon: That's true. Do you think you couldn't do that because it's not possible to call Nieman Marcus today and say, “I want an appointment with the buyer”? Cynthia: With 13 pieces? No, I think because the competition now is steep. Women are more independent now. In 1991, it was still hard as a woman to head a company and to be taken seriously as being able to run a company. Even though I worked with my husband, I called the collection Cynthia Bach because it was a time for women when if they did not stick up for themselves and be a little more aggressive and persistent, they would disappear. I guess I'm a feminist, I don't know. But at that time, I had to fight really hard. I worked with a lot of men and good old boys. The jewelry industry was made up of men. It was a whole different time, and Nieman Marcus, at that time, was still family-owned as well. It was small. Now, it's become much bigger, more investors, owners, more corporate, so I don't think you can start with 13 pieces. I think you have to have a pretty big collection to move forward, and a business plan. Sharon: Right, it sounds you started the seeds of— Cynthia: A revolution, a jewelry revolution!  Sharon: Really. Because when you think about Nieman's today, the jewelry department is so well-developed in terms of all the different designers. Cynthia: Yes. Sharon: I was just going to ask you. We both attended a panel at Bonhams on wearable art jewelry. I was asking what attracted you, because your jewelry is so different. Cynthia: I am very much interested in jewelry history, jewelers throughout history, and the whole evolution of jewelry in any form. I love the silver jewelry that came out of Mexico. I love the period of the 30s and 40s. Like I said before, that is when casting was developed, and that is when jewelry was in a more industrial period, the shapes and the forms, the industrial revolution. Jewelry parallels music and history and art and fashion, so all of that interests me, and it doesn't just have to be my type of jewelry. I was very fascinated with the jewelry of the particular artists that I learned about through the Bonhams exhibit, the wearable art, the Crawford Collection. I learned about these artists I really didn't know about, and that was exciting. Sharon: Was there something in particular that called out to you, a designer or something a panelist said? Cynthia: I really loved the work of Art Smith. I think he worked in New York, and it was sculpture. His jewelry was sculpture, body sculpture. There were also some Native American Indian jewelers from the 30s and 40s that did lapidary work, the interesting turquoise with wood and the bracelets that were so colorful and beautiful. Some of the lapidary work they did was very now, like that guy that did the space travel bangle. There was one necklace I just fell in love with, and it's from William Spratling. It was a big necklace with little beads, and I thought to myself, “What a fabulous design! That design would look so good with my filigree beads that I do.” I've always loved bib-style necklaces. A lot of times when I look at jewelry, I'll see my piece of jewelry incorporated in some of the shapes or designs. It's all very visual to me, the bibs. Sharon: Those are fabulous pieces, and a broad spectrum too. Go on. Cynthia: I was just going to say relatively unknown artists. It was so refreshing to have Bonhams bring these out to the public awareness. Sharon: Yes, I hope we see a lot of more of it. It was nice. Cynthia: Me, too.  Sharon: Since you've been designing for so long, what do you think motivates you today that's different than what motivated you decades ago, when you first started? Cynthia: Right now, I'm working with more color. I love colors mixed together. Like I told you, I'm working a lot with flowers. I think because history and fashion play such an important part in my designing, I look at the kids, what they wear now, harkening back to the 1980s. I feel myself very influenced right now by 80s jewelry. I feel like it's also intertwined, like I said, with music and art and fashion and jewelry. They work together. During the Blue Rider period, the abstract expressionism with Kandinsky and Klee, you had music of that time that reflected it.  Creativity is what makes changes in the world, even though we repeat a lot of fashion. Some of what the kids are wearing is very unique. They wear a lot of body jewelry with tattoos and earrings that climb all the way up their ears. That is really new and fresh. Every generation is evolving into a new creative style. I think the depth of a designer is to keep coming out with new designs and to keep being creative. It's paramount and important to me to constantly be coming out with new designs, and I get that influence from what's going on in the world around me. Sharon: You sound very open to seeing new things as opposed to, “Oh my God, look at that person with all those tattoos.” Cynthia: It's basically body art. Yeah, it fascinates me; purple hair, green hair. Sharon: You can be very creative with hair and body art and all that. Cynthia: Absolutely. It's the time of personal style and expression now. Sharon: Do you think it's different now? People think of the 60s as being a time of personal art and expression. Do you think the 70s had less of that or the 80s had less of that? Cynthia: I think every decade, every era has that. Even if you look at the Rococo and Baroque periods in France, where they had their powdered wigs and their beautiful couture, they were out of the box. The music was out of the box, and that's how change happens in the world. Sharon: I like that change happens through creativity. You can look at different ways of saying that. Is it through creativity in tech or is it creativity in fashion? I guess it's everything.  Cynthia: Yeah. Sharon: You mentioned that enjoy studying jewelry history. Do you think it's important for jewelers and jewelry designers to be steeped in that, to know the history of jewelry, to see the trends through the ages? How important do you think that is? Cynthia: I think it helps. It certainly helps me to visually look at a lot of different styles and see what's been around for hundreds of years, but I don't think it's necessary for everyone. Some people are just creative, and they come out with their own unique style. I don't know if you've looked at what Boucheron is doing now with this kind of glasswork. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It really is wearable art. They're pushing the envelope as to jewelry and wearable art.  A lot of the young designers coming up now are especially working with the fashion houses, and the fashion houses are saying, “Hey, we need to incorporate some important jewelry with our fashion.” It's unique. So, the answer to your question is I don't know if it's important to know jewelry history. I think the most important thing is to be forward and to come up with something creative that is unique and your own. Sharon: What do you when you find your creativity has stalled? If you have writer's block in terms of jewelry, what do you do? Cynthia: In the past, I can say that when someone commissions me to do a piece of a jewelry or I have a new collection I want to come out with and I just don't know what to do, sometimes I just put it in the back of my head and go around my business. It is haunting me in my head, and then all of a sudden, I'll be sitting there and I'll look at a chair or something. I'll see a shape and a light goes off in my head, and that's it; that's the concept. It's almost a subconscious process. This has happened with me time and time again. I'll be sleeping and somehow something will hit me, “This is it.” Sometimes it takes a week or two. I don't think it's taken over once I make my mind up that I need something new over two weeks. It usually goes into my subconscious brain, and I guess my conscious brain is looking for ideas. Sharon: That is the way it works. You're meditating and something comes, or you're in the shower. Exactly, it's when you're not looking. Cynthia, thank you so much for taking the time today to talk with us. This has been really enjoyable and fascinating. It's great to talk with somebody who's been through decades of jewelry design. Cynthia: Does that make me old? Sharon: No, it doesn't. Cynthia: The creative mind is never old. Creativity is always young.  Sharon: Yes, that's definitely it. Thank you so much. Cynthia: Thank you for having me. I enjoyed this very much, and I look forward to next time.  We will have images posted on the website. You can find us wherever you download your podcasts, and please rate us. Please join us next time, when our guest will be another jewelry industry professional who will share their experience and expertise. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

What you'll learn in this episode: Why much of Cynthia's jewelry has an old-world, Renaissance feel Cynthia's advice for aspiring jewelry designers How Cynthia designs her pieces around her customers' style Why creativity is the driving force behind change How understanding jewelry history can help designers find new forms of expression About Cynthia Bach Cynthia Bach has been a jewelry designer for more than four decades. After studying art in Munich, Germany, Cynthia received her BFA degree in art and jewelry making from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where she met and apprenticed bench jewelry making with master jeweler Jim Matthews. In 1989 Jim and Cynthia were recruited by Van Cleef & Arpels in Beverly Hills to run design and fabrication of the jewelry department. In 1991 Cynthia launched her own collection with Neiman Marcus nationwide.  She has been the recipient of numerous awards from the jewelry industry including the coveted International Platinum Guild Award, the Spectrum Award, and the Couture Award. Her designs have been recognized and awarded by the American Gem Trade Association. She is internationally known and respected and in 2014 was invited to Idar-Oberstein, Germany to judge the New Designer Contest. In 2015 her work was part of the international traveling exhibition “The Nature of Diamonds” organized by the American Museum of Natural History and sponsored by DeBeers. An important piece of her work resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 2019 Cynthia's jewelry was featured in Juliet de la Rochefoucauld's “Women Jewellery Designers”, a magnum opus book of women jewelry designers throughout history. Additional Resources: Website  Instagram Twitter Facebook Pintrest Photos: 18 karat yellow gold Crown Collection maltese cross crown ring with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds 18 karat yellow gold Flower Bouquet Collection flower hoop earrings with multi-colored gemstones 18 karat yellow gold Gitan Collection, filigree paisley's with diamonds and rubies 18 karat yellow gold Royal Charm Bracelet  Transcript: Cynthia Bach has loved jewelry for as long as she can remember. That enthusiasm is what helped her land an apprenticeship with master jeweler (and later, her husband) Jim Matthews, scored her a 25-year partnership with Nieman Marcus, and continues to fuel her desire to create timeless yet innovative designs today. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the old-world techniques that inspire her designs; her experience working with Van Cleef & Arpels, Neiman Marcus, and red-carpet stylists; and her advice for budding jewelry designers. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is a two-part Jewelry Journey Podcast. Today, our guest is multiple award-winning jewelry designer Cynthia Bach, who has been designing jewelry for 40 years. Her designs are in demand by celebrities and high-end jewelry showcases. She's recognized for jewels that harken back to yesterday with a nod to the Renaissance. She is also included among an extraordinarily talented group of jewelry designers in the beautiful book “Women Jewelry Designers.” We'll hear all about her jewelry journey today. Cynthia, welcome to the program. Cynthia: Thank you, Sharon, for having me today. I'm very excited to be here. Sharon: I'm so glad to have you, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your jewelry journey. Tell us a little about that. Did you play with jewelry when you were young, or were you creative when you were young? Go ahead. Cynthia: Sharon, since I was a little girl, I was very attracted to my mother's jewelry and all the sparkly stones and the colors. I would take her costume jewelry apart and redesign it. I don't know how old I was, very young, maybe six, seven, eight years old, and I always had this fascination with sparkly jewels. I can remember back in the day when W Magazine had the paper magazine that was like a newspaper, probably before a lot of people were born. We're looking at probably the 80s. I remember looking at pictures of Paloma Picasso and Tiffany and Elsa Peretti and thinking, “I want to be a jewelry designer. I love jewelry.” Maybe I was 12, 13. That was in the back of my head. Sharon: So, it was early on. Cynthia: Early on. When I went to college, my grandmother, who was living in New York in a retirement home, wrote me a letter that said, “Cindy, make up your mind what you want to do because you have opportunities that I did not have as a woman.” She was born, I think, in the late 1800s, turn of the century. She said, “Decide what it is you want to do and do it.” I was taking art classes at the university, and I said, “I'm going to be a jewelry designer.”  We didn't have a jewelry department, but I was determined. I went to the sculpture teacher and said, “I want to learn how to make jewelry,” and he said, “I've never taught jewelry, but if you get six students together, we'll form a class.” I recruited six students and we made a class and learned together. We would do casting behind the art building in the sand, like the old, ancient art of sand casting, where we would put our wax in a coffee can and dig a hole in the dirt and then pour. At that time, I worked in brass and copper because silver was like what working in platinum would be to me today. That was the start of a passion for me that I pursued.  Sharon: You went to college in Texas if I recall. Cynthia: Yes. My father was in the military. He married a war bride. He was in World War II, and he met my mother in Berlin during the bombing of Berlin and he brought her back. She was a war bride, but she loved living in Europe, so my father always asked to be stationed in Europe. I spent 13 years growing up in Germany. I did a year of college in Munich, Germany, before I went to Texas to finish my degree. My father was stationed in Texas then. Sharon: How did growing up abroad in Germany influence you as a jewelry designer? Cynthia: My mother really focused on culture more than anything. I don't know why. She wanted us to be very cultured and well-rounded and to experience good food. She would take me to the Stuttgart Ballet, and she'd take me to Berlin and say, “You're going to see the Berlin Opera. It's the best opera in the world.” Living in Germany, we would travel every summer and go to Greece or Italy and go to museums and concerts. In Europe, it's much easier for everyone to enjoy the culture, the opera, the ballets because it's affordable to everyone. For $30, you can go to the opera. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to become a member. Everyone is more a part of culture there, and of course Europe is so cultured because it's so old. It's hundreds and hundreds of years old, so you have that sense of history and architecture and the castles. It was a very creatively fertile place for me to grow up. I do equate that with a lot of my jewelry designs and my love of art and culture.  Sharon: I can see the influence in your jewelry when you say that, because your jewelry has a lot that appears Renaissance-like, let's say, and it has a granulation. Cynthia: Yes, I think it has a very European look to it. In 1991, when I officially became my own jewelry designer, creating my own vision and designs, it was based on medieval history and Gothic and Renaissance and crowns and all the symbolism I researched at the library. It really did harken back to a lot of what I saw growing up in Europe. Sharon: What is it that still attracts you decades later? You still have that sense in your jewelry, which is so elegant in many ways, in terms of having that European feel. What is it that still attracts you today? Cynthia: I think there are several things. One is that I look at a lot of jewelry books. One of my other passions is jewelry history and all the different designs throughout history: the 30s and 40s that were so industrial, when casting was invented back in the 40s, and the 50s, where jewelry could be made en masse, as opposed to when it was all hand-fabricated by the French and the Italians and the Russians. That was a turning point in jewelry.  What was the question? You were asking why it is still European. There are two reasons. One is I study art jewelry history. Art history, jewelry history, they're all related. The other is my husband who is my partner, Jim Matthews, who I met during college because I needed someone to help me set a stone. It was an amethyst, and I didn't have the equipment in college. I heard about this amazing jeweler downtown in Abilene, Texas. I went from Munich, Germany, to Abilene to Beverly Hills.  Anyway, he is just a genius. He started whittling wood when he was five years old. He ended up owning this jewelry store, and he would hand-carve the waxes making his own tools, which is very old-school and a dying art. I think it's the combination of my love of jewelry history and my influences of being in Europe, and then his old-school jewelry carving and filigree and this amazing, intricate carving he could do. To me, it's like Castellani or some of the Italian handwork that was done in the 18th century. I think it's the combination of that that gives it that old-world Renaissance feeling. Sharon: Can you tell us about the division of labor you have now? You work together, so how does that work? Do you design and then he takes the designs? Cynthia: Yes, we have been working together since I was in college, so for over 40 years we've worked together. We were brought out here with Van Cleef & Arpels. He ran the design and fabrication of Van Cleef in Beverly Hills. He had 13 jewelers there on Rodeo Drive when it was still family owned. We were hired by Phillipe Arpels, and they brought us out here from Abilene, Texas, which to me was like, “Wow, we've been discovered. Now, we get to make jewelry for kings and queens in Hollywood.”  We've worked together so long that we kind of read each other's minds. It's like we have ideas, and he has ideas. We have all these ideas on paper I'm sketching. I'm constantly sketching; I'm constantly thinking, and then he will take that and carve it in a three-dimensional space. Sometimes it changes a bit from two dimensions to three dimensions, but it's almost like we have one mind. Like if you cut us in half, maybe neither one of us could function. I hope not. Sharon: You sort of touched on this, because you describe your career over and over. When I was reading about you and reading different biographies, you say that your career was a fairy tale. Can you tell me more about why you say that? Cynthia: Yes, I often say that it was a fairytale for me. First of all, I've wanted to make jewelry since I was a very little girl, and then I had the opportunity to start jewelry in college. They actually have an official department now, and I feel like the six of us instigated that. At that time, I just wanted to be a bench jeweler. I wanted to sit down and hand-make pieces. That's what I loved. I loved fabricating with metal, not so much casting. Then I had the opportunity to start designing and working with Jim, and to have Van Cleef & Arpels call us and bring us out to Beverly Hills and start making jewelry for that milieu of clients. It was very Cinderella-like. My whole collection is about Cinderella. I even have a chain called the Cinderella necklace. It's making everyone princesses and kings and queens and adorning your court, bedecking them with jewels. I don't know if it's because I'm creative and an artist, but I go into a fantasy when I'm designing. It's a fantastical world. It doesn't have anything to do with the day to day, but that is what creativity and art is all about. Sharon: Wow! It sounds like a dream. Cynthia: Well, it's not always a dream. I call it a fairytale journey. I didn't think when I was a young girl, and even when we owned our own store in Abilene and then went to Van Cleef & Arpels, I didn't think I would actually be my own jewelry designer, Cynthia Bach, with my own vision, making my own jewelry. To me, that was like, “Wow!” That's what I always wanted to do and now I'm doing it. But it wasn't always easy because it's hard. It's a hard business. When Nieman Marcus bought my collection, it's very demanding and competitive. There were many times where I wanted to throw in the towel, but I kept pursing, persistent, persistent. You get your obstacles in life. I think the most important thing, if you really want something, is to be persistent about it and never give up. It is a fairytale, but there are a lot of hard knocks. Sharon: It sounds like that's what you would tell somebody starting out in the field, that they have to overcome the obstacles. Cynthia: Yes, because anytime you're starting something, any vision you have, the beginning especially is going to be one obstacle after another. You need to break through it. Sharon: When you graduated, did you work with your husband-to-be before you married him and then the two of you had a store?  Cynthia: Yeah, when I met him—Jim's about 13 years older than I was, so I think I met him when I was in my mid-20s going to college studying jewelry. I went to his shop, and I was very enthusiastic about how much I loved jewelry and wanted to be a jeweler and make jewelry. Two weeks later, he called me and asked if I would like to work in his trade shop. He also had a trade shop that was doing repairs and sizings and setting stones and casting jewelry, which was probably my best education because it was all basic, hands-on making jewelry. One of the things I am really proud of is that I started out making jewelry from the basic beginning onto now making fine jewelry. He had opened a jewelry store with some other investors, and I was apprenticing with him. After college, all the investors left. I don't know why. Maybe it was me; I ran them all off. Sharon: Probably not. Cynthia: We were the only two people left owning the jewelry business, but we were really the jewelers in it anyway. They were all businesspeople, and we were creative people. So yes, he opened the store before I finished college, and then after I finished college we worked together for three or four years before we married. Sharon: It's impressive that you say you were a bench jeweler before you were a designer because there are not many designers that can say that. Cynthia: That's very true. Jewelry's one of the fields in art that you can actually sit and hand-make the pieces yourself and call yourself an artist, or you can just be a designer and have a collection made by a shop somewhere. Back in the old days, to be a jeweler or a designer, you had to actually make jewelry; you had to actually be a jeweler. But what also sets jewelry apart is the creative. You look at Fabergé, he had a whole shop of artisans working for him, and he just had this vivid, fabulous imagination making some of the most brilliant jewelry in the world. The creative is, to me, one of the most essential parts to a great piece of jewelry.  Schlumberger had the creative. He didn't sit down and make jewelry himself, but he knew the shape of a woman's ear, and he would make this earring that would set his jewelry apart because of the shapes. He had such an eye for shapes. I always thought to myself, “Ultimately, what is jewelry? It is a beautiful shape to make a woman look beautiful.” That's not necessarily true, but that's how I look at jewelry when I'm designing it. How the wearer going to look in this piece of jewelry? How is it going to make her feel beautiful and look beautiful and enhance her beauty? Sharon: That's interesting. I'm thinking about a few things. First of all, that Fabergé and Schlumberger had an eye, whether it was for a shape or they were just extremely creative. What do you feel you have an eye for?

Lauren Magiera is back with Dave Plier to preview this Sunday’s Bears v. Ravens matchup, the spark behind the Bulls’ hot streak, and her picks from the extravagant Nieman Marcus ‘Christmas Fantasy Catalog’.

What you'll learn in this episode: Why jewelry artists from the 60s and 70s, such as Andrew Grima and Arthur King, are gaining more appreciation today The difference between artist jewelers and jewelry by artists What a jewelry lover should do to refine their taste and start their collection What defines a passionate collector What to expect from the Kimberly's upcoming exhibition “Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s” About Kimberly Klosterman A graduate of Stephens College with a BFA in design, Kimberly Klosterman was always interested in art, antiques and design. After graduation she studied Decorative Arts at Sotheby's London, where she was exposed to the world of antique jewelry. Upon return to Cincinnati, she and her Husband, Michael Lowe, opened their first gallery selling art and antiques. At this time, she also began her search for fine jewelry. To make ends meet for the new business, Klosterman went to work in the family company, Klosterman Baking Company, in 1982 where she currently moonlights as C.E.O. Her jewelry business, established after another Sotheby's course, Understanding Jewelry, was opened in 1996. Her love of 1960s and 70s jewelry developed through the tutelage of Amanda Triossi, whose own collection thrilled Klosterman. After living in Amsterdam and London, she returned to Cincinnati where she continues to collect fine jewelry.  Klosterman has given gallery talks at the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Taft Museum, the American Society of Jewelry Historians, and the American Society of Jewelry Appraisers, NYC Jewelry Week, Christies Auction, Bonhams Auction, etc.   The current exhibition “Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s,” organized by Cynthia Amnéus, Chief Curator and Curator of Fashion at the Cincinnati Art Museum, is a result of Klosterman's passion for collecting. Her goal, to help preserve the legacy of these bold men and women who were jewelers to the jet-set. The exhibition, which opened at DIVA in Antwerp, Belgum and traveled to the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzhiem, Germany, will be on view in Cincinnati Oct 22- Feb 6. A catalog complete with biographies and makers' marks accompanies the exhibition. Additional Resources: Website Facebook Instagram Pintrest Photos: This is the cover of the book, which is also the catalog and a listing of where the exhibit has been. Roger Lucas for Cartier astronaut ring Romolo Grassi Gold and emerald pendant. Gilbert Albert ammonite and pearl Bracelet Brooch Cedars Devecchi carved coral and gold brooch. Arthur king Brooch Collection of Andy Warhol and Kim Klosterman Andrew Grima amethyst ring. Andrew Grima agate and tourmaline necklace. Transcript: What makes a passionate collector? For Kimberly Klosterman, it's someone who can't get enough of the objects they love, no matter what they are. She herself became a passionate collector of 1960s and 70s jewelry long before it became popular. Her collection is now being featured in a traveling exhibition, “Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s.” She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the qualities that draw her to 60s and 70s jewelry; why the unique jewelry of this period has come back in style; and what aspiring collectors should do to create a thoughtful collection. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Could you collect a production piece in your collection? Kimberly: I do have some production pieces in my collection, for example pieces by Elsa Peretti; I happen to like Elsa Peretti very much. I think she's a great designer, but again, she settled on jewelry as being her first and foremost love. Even though they're production pieces, in my opinion, she's an artist jeweler because she's designing that way. Other production pieces that I have—during the late 60s and early 70s, Cartier made some production pieces that were pretty wonderful. There was another person, Aldo Cipullo, who designed the love bracelet and a number of other things that Cartier started selling. I think of him as an artist jeweler as well. Sharon: Is a piece that you want for your collection high-end or limited like Peretti? She's not what I consider a production jeweler. I'm sure some of her work she signed and numbered, but I wouldn't consider it production. You used TJ Maxx before; if you walked into TJ Maxx and saw a piece and you thought, “Oh my god, this is incredible,” would you maybe not wear it but consider buying it?  Kimberly: I love all kind of things, but for my collection, no. They're signed pieces. That's something, too, that I always looked for in forming my collection. I would see things that I thought were interesting and I would buy them. It didn't always have to be signed, but nine out of 10 times, if the piece was signed, even if I didn't know the name of the maker at all, I would buy it if I liked the piece because then I could do the research later. A lot of the material I have in my collection came to me that way, by buying unknown people and later finding out who they were and why they were important to this group of people in this time period. Sharon: If somebody wants to start a collection, if you've ignited somebody's interest in this, where would you say they start? I don't necessarily believe that things always have to be signed. I have some very nice things that aren't signed, but where would you suggest they start? Are there certain designers? Kimberly: First of all, just getting out and seeing what's available is very helpful. Go to the big shows. If you can, go to Miami, or there's a show coming up in New York. Go to interesting places, because you can see a lot of jewelry and start thinking about what you might like. Look at books, look at auction catalogues; auctions are also a great place to look. Then settle on something that sings to you and go down that path. I think people have accumulations of things, which is really a shame. I find that people want what their friends have. They buy this and this, things that are hot, like Van Cleef and Arpels Zodiac pendants, which are fine; they're wonderful and they're really cool, but you start ticking off things. I want an Alhambra necklace; I want a Van Cleef Zodiac signed. To me, that's wonderful jewelry. It's great to wear all the time, and it is a collection. Believe me, the stuff will become and is more valuable than many of the one-of-a-kind pieces I like. You know what? Scratch all that stuff. That's not good to say. Sharon: It is a collection if you're talking about the Zodiac piece and Alhambra.  Kimberly: It's a collection and it's fine to have. I guess sometimes I get bummed out because I feel so passionate about these wonderful, one-of-a-kind pieces, and I find that a lot of times, people can't wrap their minds around it because it's something they don't understand or haven't seen much of. Sharon: Also, you might not be doing as much dealing now, but you look at things in terms of whether it's going to appreciate. I buy things knowing sometimes they will appreciate. I have a friend who buys only with the idea of selling it. I don't do that.  Kimberly: No, I definitely don't either. I just buy my passion and what appeals to me. Sharon: I don't know if I would have had the fortitude; you must have had to buckle up. Why you started out in this genre of jewelry, you must have had to buck a lot of people saying, “Oh my god, what do you see in that?” Kimberly: Well, dealers didn't say that because they were just happy to get rid of it. I had a number of people showing me things that weren't right at all, and I'd still get that. This is my view, and it's like, “No, that doesn't look like it at all.” I just love this path, and I think you do too, of having jewelry that celebrates your individualism. Sharon: Similar to you, I love it when I find a piece that's one of a kind, even though nobody ever heard of the person. They're never going to become a Cartier, but I like the fact that it's really different. I'm curious about the exhibit, which I'm looking forward to seeing at some point in Cincinnati. Tell us about how it came about. Was that your brainchild? Kimberly: Yeah, it was interesting. In 2012, I had given a lecture for the American Society of Jewelry Historians in Manhattan, and in the audience was the curator of jewelry for the Cooper Hewitt, Sarah Coffin. Sarah came up to me after the lecture and said, “All this stuff is amazing. I think we should do an exhibition,” and I said, “Oh, that's a cool idea. I like that idea.” For one reason or another, we could never get it together.  In 2015, I started thinking, “I'm going to propose this to someone else,” and I started thinking about what museum might make sense and who might like the idea. I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum and heard Cynthia Amnéus speak, and I was very impressed by the talk she gave. I remember that it was on modernism, a subject I know pretty well, and she had to get the lecture together overnight. I thought, “Wow, if she can do that overnight, she knows her stuff.” So, I went to Cynthia and said, “I have this collection of jewelry, and I'd like to talk to you about it.” She took my PowerPoint presentation and she really liked it. I thought this would make perfect sense because she's Curator of Fashion for the Cincinnati Art Museum, and it's literally in my own backyard. I know the material really well and I knew that a lot of people didn't understand it, so I knew I was going to have to be hands on with the exhibition. This gave me the opportunity to do that, and it was really exciting.  After the show was accepted, we decided to travel it. It was an honor that DIVA picked up the show. They did a great exhibition. Sadly, I didn't get to see it because of Covid. Following that, it went to the Schmuckmuseum of Pforzheim, Germany. Cornelie Holzach knew all about this kind of material, which I was very excited about. I had met with her and asked if they would be interested. She knew almost everyone in the exhibition, and she had great stories about them. I showed her a watch I had and she said, “I think that's this artist,” and she went back and showed me where the source came from and some of their early catalogues. It was a real honor to be in both of those museums. I'm looking forward to the show in Cincinnati. Sharon: How long is it on for? Until next year, at least? Kimberly: Yes, it runs October 21 through February 6. Sharon: I certainly hope I get there. Cincinnati from Los Angeles is at least a little bit closer than New York. The other thing I'm curious about is what attracted you to this kind of jewelry first and what holds your attention. Kimberly: For me, it's the naturalistic quality of the jewelry. There's a lot of texture and warmth in most of the jewelry I collect, and I love the idea of using odd materials. The necklace I have on today by Arthur King has an amber piece with a petrified mosquito in it, and I just love that. The Gilbert Albert pieces that are in the catalogue with the fossilized ammonites, I think those are very interesting. I have some jewelry also by Gilbert Albert with beetles in them. I find all this natural material something special, and the natural crystals and uncut stones. Sharon: Did it give birth to what we see today? Kimberly: I really believe so. I haven't talked to any young designers as to what their inspiration is, but one would think. All you have to do is look at the catalogue and page through it to see how this jewelry could have influenced young designers. Jacobs, for example, is a huge fan of Andrew Grima. So was the fashion world, I think.  Sharon: You could take any piece from the catalogue and put it in Nieman Marcus today. It wouldn't look like a dated piece or anything; it would look like a fashion piece or a current piece. It's a beautiful book, and I encourage anybody who has an interest in this to get their hands on it and take a look. Did you think about the book on its own aside from the exhibit, or did the book only come about because you knew you were doing an exhibit? Kimberly: The book came about because of the exhibit, but I did feel very strongly that the two should go hand in hand. I think, especially for jewelry, that's a wonderful thing to happen, because you're able to see the pieces in the flesh rather than just see them in a book. I do like having the record of the book. One thing we did, and this is where the dealer and the collector part of me comes in, is that the book is mainly buyers of these different artist jewelers who were fascinated themselves. Many of them sold to the jet set; it was that time and period and craziness. There are buyers of the artist jewelers, and in the back we have makers' marks of all the jewelers that are in the exhibition. That comes in handy, especially for some of the more cryptic makers' marks that people can't figure out so well.  Sharon: It's fabulous to see that. It's a great resource. I know you have a background—is it in art history? Kimberly: Design primarily, but my husband I have had a gallery for as long as I can remember, and we've been together about 40 years. My husband sells, but mainly he's like I am. We're both hopeless collectors. It's mostly minimal and conceptual art. Sharon: Wow! Do you enjoy the research part because it's researching jewelry and art, or do you like research in general? Kimberly: I love research. I love research in general I suppose, but anything I'm passionate about. The only other thing I like to do is eat. Sharon: I can join you in that. Are there certain characteristics that a new collector should look at in terms of signatures or one-of-a-kind or limited edition? You're driven by what you like and you're suggesting that new collector would be driven by what they like. O.K., but are there certain things—everything you're pointing out has what I call tentacles. You called them something else before. What are the characteristics here? Kimberly: Again for me, I think it goes back to the naturalism of all the material. I have to say I've always described my jewelry as painterly, meaning it's textural, it has some kind of artistic quality to it. If I had to give advice to a budding collector, like I said, it would be try to see as much as you can, read as much as you can, and if you don't read, that's O.K.; look at the pictures. Look at jewelry catalogues and jewelry books and jewelry publications. Everybody will hit on something. It's like you said earlier; you've got how many black shirts in your closet? I'm with you on that account, too. I think we will walk down our path of what our own taste is. It's just discovering what the level of taste is and then going with it.  Sharon: Years ago, I was trying to decide what I should keep, what I should look at passing on or selling, and someone who sold art said to me, “Buy what you love.” I talked to other collectors in other areas where I tend to be—if it's in TJ Maxx, I may not buy it, just to be truthful about it. Are you a believer in the buy what you love, or are you looking for certain things? Kimberly: Oh, absolutely. You have to buy what you love. The things is, you have to learn what you love, and you only do that by exposing yourself to what's out there, or else you don't know what you love. It's just like a kid; they won't eat certain things because they  haven't tried them. Then they try them and they like them. You need to know what's out there and what's available so you can form an educated opinion. After all, like Christopher Dresser said, “Knowledge is power.” I think that's an important statement. Sharon: I want to say it's amazing—that's not really the word I want, but the fact that you've collected this for so many decades now, several decades, and it's still what you love. I don't know what I want to say, but there are things I've liked; there are trends, but the fact that you have been so passionate about it for so long— Kimberly: It's interesting, because I am very passionate about it still and I don't see that waning at all, but that said, I love ancient jewelry. I love antique jewelry. I love jewelry by artists. There are many, many different kinds of jewelry that I absolutely adore as well. I just don't go down that path as much because I find that I know more about this now. It's like a friend of mine said, “Stick to your knitting.” I try to do that. However, with the ancient jewelry and ethnic jewelry, it informs the stuff I collect anyway. It's not uncommon for me to wear a pre-Columbian pendant. What else do I have that I like to wear a lot? I have a lot of jewelry by a woman named Patti Cadby Birch who took ancient materials and reconfigured them in the 70s, so the materials are ancient, but they're a little more wearable. I love that as well. Sharon: Have you thought about what your next exhibition is going to be? Kimberly: I'm going to say, because I don't know if it'll be an exhibition or not, but I'm really fond of the work by Arthur King. I think he's an interesting American jeweler and an important American jeweler from the 60s. There are lots of people out there that have his jewelry. In my dream world, if I have time to do it, I'd like to do an exhibition of Arthur King, not just with the jewelry I have. Anybody listening, if you're an Arthur King collector, I would really like to do a museum exhibition of his work. I would do that myself. Sharon: That would be fabulous. I don't know his work. When you say there are a lot of people out there who collect him, I'm sure there are. I don't see a lot of it. When I go to shows, I don't see it or I don't know it. It's not being called out, like when they have a little tag saying, “This is a Cartier.” There are lots of jewelers besides Cartier, but I'm just saying. That would be fabulous. I didn't even know he was American. Kimberly: Oh, yeah. He had a couple of stores in Manhattan and, like I said, in Florida as well, so lot of his jewelry ended up in those pockets of the world. A lot of people knew him, and there are some great stories about him. I have been in touch with people that were close to him, and right now I'm trying to get their stories just in case this comes to fruition. Sharon: That would be a fabulous next step. I'm sure you're just going to sit down and be, like my husband would say, “eating bonbons” after this. Anyway, Kimberly, thank you so much for being here. The exhibit sounds wonderful. Who better to put it together and drive it than you, with your passion and knowledge? We are all looking forward to it. It starts October 21 at the Cincinnati Art Museum, which I understand is a fabulous museum. I look forward to getting there, and I hope everybody listening to this can make it also. Thank you so much. Kimberly: Thank you so much, Sharon. I hope to see you in Cincinnati.  We will have images posted on the website. You can find us wherever you download your podcasts, and please rate us. Please join us next time, when our guest will be another jewelry industry professional who will share their experience and expertise. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

Coming up in this week's episode: Giant Umbrella data breach halts payments to contractors, Stowmarket High School data breach, Lincolnshire Police pay £10,000 after data breach, Cookieyes Wordpress plugin important update, Northern Ireland mental health facility data breach, Malta Union of Teachers lodge complaint after data breach, French Visa system data breach, Senate Bill to set penalties for non-reporting of data breaches, Nieman Marcus data breach, Forward Air data breach, Port of Houston data breach contained in just 90 minutes, Two US Mental Health facilities hit by data breach, Can an employee make a DSAR while awaiting an employment tribunal? EU SCC - need to be updated after 27th September 2021, Switzerland accepts EU SCC, Can you use SCC as the basis for Data Processing Agreement? GDPR Penalties league table

Michael Counter (he/him) joins for a great conversation about Queer art and honoring our elders while they're still with us, he shares how his firm, counterCULTURE, is bringing Queer, Trans and POC narratives to life in the COVID-era through projects like Legends of Drag, and together, we pine for the days of collective gatherings and shared experiences. Michael Counter is a Black Queer United States Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, creative strategist, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant. As the founder of the creative boutique counterCULTURE, Michael amplifies narratives of often marginalized lived experiences to educate, entertain, and edify communities and businesses through signature collaborations, brand partnerships, and talent relations. Following an Honorable Discharge (Active Duty), Michael began his graduate studies at Southern Methodist University in Creative Writing (Masters), then Arts & Cultural Traditions (PhD), while also gaining years of experience in the public relations and advertising fields with brands like Nieman Marcus, Chipotle, Dallas Museum of Art, Southwestern Medical Foundation, and Michael's Craft Stores. He currently lives in NYC with his partner and frequently collaborates with leading agencies, brands, and networks securing coverage and partnerships for Queer and multicultural projects as seen in VOGUE, Harper's Bazaar, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn Follow Michael on Instagram: @michaellcounter Check out and donate to Legends of Drag

Menominee Tribe claims legal victory in fight against mine Settlement close over Nieman Marcus coat with Native design

The lawsuit over Nieman Marcus selling a coat that bears a striking resemblance to a copyrighted, Alaska Native Ravenstail pattern is close to a settlement. Sealaska Heritage Institute and the heirs... Visit knba.org/news to get more information.

*You didn't ask for a ten minute review of HBO's Murder on Middle Beach but we're gonna give it to you anyway. *Don't eat gas station that's been in your fridge for days. You'll get worms and go crazy. *Headlines! Rudy's got Rona. Texas high school boy is suspended for wearing nail polish. Bear fights dog, man fights bear, dog is okay. Don't you hate it when you go to pull up your pants and your gun goes off at Nieman Marcus? Today's monolith update. *Nick Wright is on the program and he's not friends with Lazlo anymore. *George Clooney has sold a lot of Flowbee's. What's your favorite celeb-endorsement? *Matthew Perry's ex-girlfriend gave quite the interview. *That's all for now. Stay safe out there. Let's catch up soon.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rise of Luxury Indie Brands In another Entrepreneur Indie-Brand episode of the Reboot Chronicles, I invited KYPRIS Founder Chase Polan to discuss emerging luxury in the booming global skin care market. As many know, skincare is one of the fastest-growing segments within the beauty industry with high demand for quality product formulations and self-care. According to the NDP Group, skincare sales within 2020 have risen $1.4 billion and are expected to continue growing by 2023, with an estimated 3.5% annual increase reaching $180 billion in global spend by 2024. With over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, Chase proves to be a natural-born leader as she has founded two of her own companies. The first being the Beautiful Minds Group, founded in 2005, a comprehensive educational consulting and support program for students K-12 grade and college; the program provides a new approach to better educate students. Also, she founded KYPRIS, a high-performance luxury skincare line of organic and sustainably sourced ingredients to ensure a unique and safer beauty experience for consumers. In creating the brand, she saw a niche in the market for a safe and quality ingredient skincare line. Breaking Barriers With buzzwords like “natural," "clean" and "non-toxic" trending, they are increasingly being used by brands to entice consumers—but are they all authentic? Navigating through such a saturated market, filled with these claims, is often difficult, especially for consumers who are not well-versed. Talking with Chase, I learned her thoughtful approach with KYPRIS. She instilled trust within her clientele base by creating a safe space to educate and provide superior sourced ingredients—going beyond the industry natural standards. The strategy is paying off and momentum is building, with the newly restructured and energized Nieman Marcus adding KYPRIS to their ecommerce lineup. Falling Cactus Sustainability and an ethically sourced supply-chain play heavily into KYPRIS. One brand ingredient, prickly pear (yes it exists), is locally sourced through a practice known as wildcrafting, aka the practice of going into the wild and strategically collecting an ingredient. Chase mentions the challenges that go hand in hand as there is a high risk, but is known for being an ethical and beautiful practice. The Pillars of Growth and Innovation The growth and innovation process for any brand is crucial; KYPRIS has a great guide to the seven core pillars they stand by. There should be no harm; this is really the brand's overarching motto they use to guide innovation—I expect others will follow. What's an Indie-Brand To Do For all the entrepreneurs out there, it is important to focus on where the opportunity lies, especially in today's current climate. Although the market seems saturated, and retail stores and sites looking more like a “beauty-jungle”—there is still much room for innovation. One Indie-brand tip: rather than only hopping on the current trend bandwagon, that are likely to be short-lived, entrepreneurs should seek to develop out-of-the-box ideas to revolutionize the market—like in the areas of technology and personalization. Whatever you decide, do it authentically well. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rebootchronicles/message

Kurt tells about playing an Oscar de la Renta gig at the original Nieman Marcus store in Dallas. John tells about getting punched in the face at a gig. Kurt tells the infamous purple gift bag story.

The Power Of Brand Consistency The concept of branding is thrown around a lot these days but there’s few with a better handle on what that means than Bernt Ullman. Bernt has a weighty and impressive trail of success in fashion and branding with the likes of Donna Karan whom he took from 40m to 250m in international revenue. Roland and Bernt talk today and garner some great takeaways for you, our listeners. Mr. Ullmann has been the trusted business acceleration expert by CEOs such as Daymond John, Eddie Lampert, and Tommy Hilfiger. He’s arguably the world’s leading expert in celebrity brand development, brand management, licensing and distribution, and monetization - having contributed to the successful launches of brands for clients including Jennifer Lopez, Adam Levine, Nicki Minaj, and many others. The brands he has worked with have generated over $6 billion dollars in global sales, and as such, some call him the “6 Billion Dollar Man”. But Bernt didn’t start out in high fashion, he had a more down-to-earth start with his launch of Scandinavia's first home delivery pizza service, Pizza Pronto, in Copenhagen. All that to say, we think you’ll enjoy his story and will benefit from his experience! If you want to dive deeper, check out his website and his book, the Billion Dollar Branding Blueprint. "You cannot be 'best in class' within every single product category. It's just not even credible... I believe in concentrate and dominate. Be really, really good at what you're good at. If you want to be a global lifestyle brand, you need to have a number of different product verticals, but it's not logical that you're the best operator for every single vertical."- Bernt Ullman Listen For The 'Good, Better, Best' pricing strategy that Bernt learned at Donna Karan that caters to people who can’t afford higher-end products and pricing, but still protects the feeling of exclusivity at the higher end. 'Halo Products' and Brand Essence. Consider the emotion you want your brand to evoke and make sure that feeling is consistent across all your product lines and everything you do as a company. This is Brand Consistency.  How licensing can help you expand your brand and ensure better quality - without tapping out your resources The three ingredients that make up all great brands: Authenticity, Aspiration, and Credibility. Find out what you can do when you have all these under your belt! What Bernt learned from his first entrepreneurial venture, Pizza Pronto. How he moved to LA and managed to get a foot in the door at Barneys, Nordstrom, and Nieman Marcus. How he and his partner worked with a ‘factoring company’ to fund the orders (listen for Roland’s explanation of what a factoring company is/does). How he took Donna Karan from $40 million to $250 million in international revenue. The Price Anchoring tactics FUBU used to sell ‘boatloads’ of high-end jeans. How to put your brand ‘on steroids’. “At the end of the day, brands are about trust". - Bernt Ullmann   Click to visit our website or find us on your preferred podcast player. References and Links Mentioned: The Power of Broke by Daymond John The Billion Dollar Branding Blueprint.    Contact & Follow Roland On Facebook  On Instagram  Through his Website. Contact & Follow Bernt Ullmann At his Website On Facebook On LinkedIn   Subscribe & Review Business Lunch With Roland Frasier Podcast! Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Business Lunch with Roland Frasier? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on ApplePodcasts and leave us an honest review! Your feedback will not only help us improve the show, but it will help us connect with more high flyers like you.     Follow @BizLunchPodcast on Twitter and Instagram

On this episode we dive into the billionaire making the world thinner by reinventing the corset Sara Blakely. Listen up as we let you in on how hounding the executives at Nieman Marcus, for over a week, and sending a basket of her goods to Oprah helped create a woman who eventually named her son Lazer. That’s right Lazer, and if you are looking for Sean’s ASMR goodness we are severely lacking this episode due to his absence. Tune in and tune out you got Grubstakers on the dial.

This week Forbes contributor and regular keynote speaker, Steve Dennis, joins Allison Hartsoe in the Accelerator. Steve has witnessed first-hand the reimagination of retail from his former senior executive roles at Sears and Nieman Marcus.  Steve describes the combination of forces affecting modern retail from scarcity to the power of digital measurement to customer lifetime value. Steve breaks down what’s working for retailers who will success (and those who won’t). Steve believes, “Retail is not dead. Boring retail is dead.”    Please help us spread the word about building your business’ customer equity through effective customer analytics. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play, Alexa’s TuneIn, iHeartRadio or Spotify. And do tell us what you think by writing Allison at info@ambitiondata.com or ambitiondata.com. Thanks for listening! Tell a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mr. Burton M. Tansky, also known as Burt, is Senior Advisor with Marvin Traub Associates since 2017. Mr. Tansky served as the Managing Director of Marvin Traub Associates, Inc. Mr. Tansky served as the Chief Executive Officer and President at NMGP LLC. He was the Chief Executive Officer at Bergdorf Goodman.com, LLC. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and President at NM Financial Services Inc., Worth Avenue Leasing Company and Neiman Marcus Holdings, Inc. Mr. Tansky was the CEO of Neiman Marcus Group from 2004 to 2010.

When Anna Marshall was a little girl, she’d watch her mom completely redesign spaces as an interior designer. Born into a family that remodels and builds new homes, the appreciation and desire for creating beautiful things was in her DNA.   Anna’s passion for design led her into fashion at a young age, landing her first job with a couture designer just out of high school. Soon after, she enrolled in the renowned art academy, Otis Parsons, where she studied design before launching her own brand, Anna Paul. With her designs found in over 600 boutiques nationwide, as well as at premier retailers like Nieman Marcus and Nordstrom, Anna traveled the world sharing her gift and pulling inspiration from the beautiful places she experienced.   But as Anna’s success in fashion grew, so did her pull toward home — both professionally and personally. Now with two babies at home, she decided to close her fashion business and join her family in the high-end staging business, creating beautiful spaces to prepare multi-million dollar estates for sale. Designing and staging homes belonging to Beyonce, Madonna, Tom Petty and so many more, Anna developed a keen sense of what her clients need, transforming the most challenging spaces into irresistible works of art.   It was during that time that Anna experienced her own personal transformation. After she exited the fashion industry she went through a painful divorce. Becoming a single mother of two, Anna was feeling depressed and uninspired. She went into the family staging business, and began freelancing interior design projects. While she was finding success with her own clients’ spaces, she began to notice that her own home was leaving her feeling stuck and negative. She was determined to clear her space of anything that symbolized the life she had left behind, only keeping things that evoked feelings of happiness. Soon she felt revitalized, with a sense of hope and for her own future and excitement for what she could now provide her clients.   Through her own personal transformation, Anna would discover that while she was staging and designing these high end properties to sell for millions, what she really was doing was realigning the spaces in a way that felt inviting and peaceful, leaving most clients wishing they had hired her years before. Anna loved the feedback but felt like she was missing an opportunity to help clients redesign their space to actually enjoy their homes, not just to sell.   Today, Anna works with a diverse array of clients, designing functional rooms on any budget that look incredible but, more importantly, inspire people to live the way they’re meant to. Now as the best selling author of D.R.E.A.M. Home and host of the brand new podcast, Detox Your Space, Anna has expanded her reach even further to help even more people transform their homes --  and their lives.   Get my new book, D.R.E.A.M Home: Detox Your Space, Transform Your Life today!

For once Jay really lets go and you can hear about his recent travels. Zee went to Denver on a big Airbus on Frontier Airline and she loved the airport in Denver. Jay DROVE to Illinois. What a trip. And by the way, Jay is really sold on the new Holiday Inn Express in Calhoun, GA. Zee stresses again and again the need to having your passport current. Of Course, Zee has an idea for the person that is hard to shop for. Nieman Marcus. Where else. You are going to find Jay in the kitchen with the Recipe of the Week. Chewy Caramels. (You can get the recipe on Zee's Blog)Zee sends you to Belgium for the Destination of the Week.

With 20 years of experience running two companies in the health and fitness space, Karen Behnke was horrified when she learned about the ingredients found in beauty products and the damaging effects they pose to people’s health and wellness.  Knowing she could offer a better, more natural product, she got the idea for her third company, Juice Beauty, while she was pregnant in her early 40’s.  Founded in 2005, Juice Beauty sells certified organic beauty, skincare, and makeup products and was one of the first brands 12 and a half years ago to offer products sans parabens, a group of synthetic compounds commonly used as preservatives in health and beauty products that has been known to be detrimental to our health.  While Juice Beauty is considered their prestige brand, found in stores such as Nieman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Ulta Beauty, and Dillards, they also have a sister brand, Juice Organics, which sells shampoo’s and conditioner’s and can be found at several Target locations throughout the United States.  For full show notes, visit http://wealthywellthy.life/89

May 18-24, 1968 Today Ken welcomes the fantastic musician Fred Schneider to the show. Ken and Fred discuss Boston's industrial Nieman Marcus, having to watch what your mother likes, The Flintstones, I Married Joan, SNL, being trash talked on Carson, meeting David Bowie, Beanie and Cecil, F Troop, Petticoat Junction vs. Green Acres, Night of the Living Dead induced vomit, Alien panic attacks, Mama's Family, Forbidden Planet, loving bad movies, Martha and the Vandells, meeting Jimmy Page, Dinosaurs, Monsters, and MTV's hatred of hot dogs.

Last of travel logs for a while -- Retrospective Oahu and best food, shady parts of Oahu (0:41), return trip and my view on American Airlines fiasco and United/Southwest overbooking (9:35), Maui review - Intra-island Terminal Airport fiasco (19:33), Haleakala National Park (30:00), Maui water and beaches - Kamaole and Malauka (36:28), Driving in Maui through HWY 30 and HWY 340 (48:25), my disappointment in Da Kitchen (56:30), Intro: Thornley - Come Again

Sara Blakely is weird. I wish I could think like she does. I want to be weird like her. "I look at any object and try to think of any use it has other than what people had planned for it." And then she acts on it. She sees a pair of pantyhose, cuts off the feet (why not?) and creates a multi-billion dollar company, Spanx. She sees her 9 month pregnant belly and paints a basketball on it. And then inspires hundreds of other women to do the same. Creates a book out of it: The Belly Art Project, and donates the proceeds to charity. "All my life I was taught how to deal with failure," she told me. "My dad would ask us at the dinner table every night: how did you fail today?" HOW DID YOU FAIL TODAY? She got comfortable with failure at an age when every other kid wants to get an A+ at everything. She got comfortable embarrassing herself. For two years she tried to be a standup comedian. "I wasn't very good at it." Practice embarrassing yourself... Ready. Fire. Aim. She got a huge order from Nieman Marcus even though she didn't have the inventory or the production ready. She said, "YES!". Then she figured out how to get the order filled. Oprah listed Spanx as one of her "favorite things" of 2000. Oprah wanted to film her office. Sara had no office. She said, "YES!". Then she got an office and filled it up with people. Say YES! Then make things happen. Don't argue yourself into failure. Excuses are easy. Saying "yes" and then executing is hard. Get your thinking time. "It takes me five minutes to drive to work," she told me. "But I take 45 minutes. I use that time to think." It's important to think. To be creative every day. This is how she comes up with non-stop ideas to expand her brand, expand her products, and work on other projects. I suspect this is the secret for how she always sees things differently. Being creative is a practice. It's not lightening from above. It's taking the long route when you could've taken the short route. Purpose = Infectious salesmanship. While I was talking to Sara she used the word "empower" several times. Spanx clothes gives women more confidence. Empowers women. The Belly Art Project empowers pregnant women. It seems like there are three parts to a project that leads to master salesmanship. - the higher purpose for it. This gets people excited. - the actual product and its benefits. - execution Combine all three and people will get infected with your passion for your ideas. Sara was unstoppable. Don't volley. Don't engage with the people who want to argue with you. That's time wasted when you can be creative. Don't invite ego in the door. Once you've worked on your project, have passion for it, started it, be willing to take suggestions and listen to people. Ego can kill a project and close the door on good opportunities. Be aware of you mortality. Sara was selling fax machines for five years before fully launching Spanx. She could still be selling them if she never started. If she listened to all the people who tried to dissuade her. If she became afraid of the multi-billion dollar companies that could have easily squashed her. Except they didn't. She was one person and they were billions. But they lost. We are here only this precious small amount of time. Make every moment a work of art. Make every moment move you one step forward towards your dream and purpose. Invent a new undergarment even if you had never made clothes in your life. Get 100s of women to paint their pregnant bellies and then raise money for charity with the idea. "EVERYTHING IS A CANVAS," she told me. Which makes everyone a potential artist. What a great way to look at life. But I can't! Why not? For anything you want to do, for anything that excites you, take the time to figure out the next step. Ready. Fire. Aim. Just why not? Why not? ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and...

Sara Blakely is weird. I wish I could think like she does. I want to be weird like her. "I look at any object and try to think of any use it has other than what people had planned for it." And then she acts on it. She sees a pair of pantyhose, cuts off the feet (why not?) and creates a multi-billion dollar company, Spanx. She sees her 9 month pregnant belly and paints a basketball on it. And then inspires hundreds of other women to do the same. Creates a book out of it: The Belly Art Project, and donates the proceeds to charity. "All my life I was taught how to deal with failure," she told me. "My dad would ask us at the dinner table every night: how did you fail today?" HOW DID YOU FAIL TODAY? She got comfortable with failure at an age when every other kid wants to get an A+ at everything. She got comfortable embarrassing herself. For two years she tried to be a standup comedian. "I wasn't very good at it." Practice embarrassing yourself... Ready. Fire. Aim. She got a huge order from Nieman Marcus even though she didn't have the inventory or the production ready. She said, "YES!". Then she figured out how to get the order filled. Oprah listed Spanx as one of her "favorite things" of 2000. Oprah wanted to film her office. Sara had no office. She said, "YES!". Then she got an office and filled it up with people. Say YES! Then make things happen. Don't argue yourself into failure. Excuses are easy. Saying "yes" and then executing is hard. Get your thinking time. "It takes me five minutes to drive to work," she told me. "But I take 45 minutes. I use that time to think." It's important to think. To be creative every day. This is how she comes up with non-stop ideas to expand her brand, expand her products, and work on other projects. I suspect this is the secret for how she always sees things differently. Being creative is a practice. It's not lightening from above. It's taking the long route when you could've taken the short route. Purpose = Infectious salesmanship. While I was talking to Sara she used the word "empower" several times. Spanx clothes gives women more confidence. Empowers women. The Belly Art Project empowers pregnant women. It seems like there are three parts to a project that leads to master salesmanship. - the higher purpose for it. This gets people excited. - the actual product and its benefits. - execution Combine all three and people will get infected with your passion for your ideas. Sara was unstoppable. Don't volley. Don't engage with the people who want to argue with you. That's time wasted when you can be creative. Don't invite ego in the door. Once you've worked on your project, have passion for it, started it, be willing to take suggestions and listen to people. Ego can kill a project and close the door on good opportunities. Be aware of you mortality. Sara was selling fax machines for five years before fully launching Spanx. She could still be selling them if she never started. If she listened to all the people who tried to dissuade her. If she became afraid of the multi-billion dollar companies that could have easily squashed her. Except they didn't. She was one person and they were billions. But they lost. We are here only this precious small amount of time. Make every moment a work of art. Make every moment move you one step forward towards your dream and purpose. Invent a new undergarment even if you had never made clothes in your life. Get 100s of women to paint their pregnant bellies and then raise money for charity with the idea. "EVERYTHING IS A CANVAS," she told me. Which makes everyone a potential artist. What a great way to look at life. But I can't! Why not? For anything you want to do, for anything that excites you, take the time to figure out the next step. Ready. Fire. Aim. Just why not? Why not? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nieman-Marcus’ 2016 Christmas Book, which was first published nearly a century ago as a 16-page leaflet, is 300 pages long. According to Advertising Age, catalogs remain an effective way to reach consumers all year round. This episode of BackStory tackles the tangled history of American advertising - from the nation’s first billboards to catchy radio and TV jingles. When did the industry come into being and how did advertising executives sell Americans on the idea of lunar exploration? We’ll answer these questions and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices

I reveal the secrets of enlightenment and how I had a spiritual experience at Nieman Marcus. I'm half way thru super hippie Michael Singer's book "The Surrender Experiment" and I fucking loooooove it. Also, how disappointing your parents is part of the fun of adulthood! In addition to that, what are some essentials necessary for adult life? And just a splash of David Hume. Big episode. Maximum deeeeepnessssss.

The Total Tutor Neil Haley will interview and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems. Hack Attacks Are On The Rise At Work & At Home!  How To Keep Your Assets Safe. New York, NY - May 5, 3016- Cyber warfare has become a very real part of our business, our government, our technology and our culture. Real cyber attacks have increased exponentially in the past 12 months and the growing fear of them has gone off the charts. Still, many of us do not incorporate simple, best practices when it comes to things like creating passwords or engaging with social media. When it comes to help with cyber hacking, Scott Schober, CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, is the go-to man for advice.  Schobers's new book: Hacked Again: It Can Happen to Anyone Even a Cyber Security Expert follows his initiation by fire into our craziest period of cyber security hacks and scandals ever. Trace through Scott's media highlights and personal blunders as he tries to run a successful business and all while trying to not get hacked again. This respected cyber security expert and industry go-to man was there from the beginning of the Target hacking over a year ago and witnessed the chaos and turmoil a cyber attack of this magnitude can inflict on a business. Lax security standards led to this breach which prompted Target to commit $100 million to technical upgrades. And Target wasn't the only corporate giant to take a hit – so did Nieman Marcus, Adobe, Yahoo, Michael's, and hospitality industry leader White Lodging (which includes Marriot, Hilton, Sheraton and Westin).      

Will the theft of personal financial information atTarget and Nieman Marcus accelerate a revolution in payment systems...or are we already in the middle of one? 

NWP welcomes South African super model Bryce Thompson.  Twitter: @Brycethompson8 South African model, living in New York. Passionate photographer and avid paintballer. http://brycephoto.tumblr.com Bryce rocketed on the radar of thousands of fan girls with a simple tweet confirming he had auditioned for the coveted role of Christian Grey, for the upcoming film Fifty Shades of Grey.  At this point it unclear that the role is his but many authors caught notice of the finely sculputed young model and shot Bryce to the TOP of romance authors, male lead, wish list! Bryce is seen frequently in GQ, Men's Health, Nieman Marcus, fashion house runways as well as numerous television and print ads. My guest co-host for this show is Lisa, one half of the popular book and fan blogging sites Fics2Flicks.com and 50shadesmoviefansite.com (shout-out to Kit, who could not join us) www.northwestprime.com @iguestinfo