On Tuesday May 2, 2017 Bergdorf Goodman hosted a cocktail party from 6:30-8:00 PM to celebrate the opening of the Linda Fargo concept store located on the fourth floor of Bergdorf. The store called “Linda’s at Bergdorf” pays homage to Linda, who has been at the helm of Bergdorf since 2006, and features items curated by her including ready-to-wear, accessories, vintage pieces, beauty products, edibles and art.
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| Fargo mannequin |
I can’t think of another department store that features a room devoted to its Senior Vice President’s likes and dislikes-it says a lot about Fargo as a fashion influencer that she has been given this well deserved honor.
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| Linda Fargo & Glenda Bailey |
As I entered Bergdorf I bumped into Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, who was excited to see what Linda literally had “in store”. There were a host of other fashion notables who came to pay respect to Fargo including: Alber Elbaz, Gilles Mendel, Carlos Souza, Stefano Tonchi, Patricia Field, Frederic Fekkai, Lynn Yaeger, Francisco Costa, Ralph Pucci, John Demsey, Ed Tricomi and Martha Stewart.
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| Martha Stewart holding the Spirit and Flesh magazine which features Fargo on the cover |
Linda, whose trademark silver bob was shining, wore a black cape with white lettering that said “she’s the boss” and greeted guests with her signature warmth and professionalism – some people have the “it factor” and Linda is among that group.
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| The store |
What Linda was able to accomplish in this tiny space, that took her five months to organize, was remarkable-even Martha Stewart looked duly impressed. There was a mannequin that mimicked Fargo’s look to perfection, coffee table books, flowers, dolls, shoes, candles, pictures, etc.-there were so many details shoved into this little space it was hard to process.
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| Dressing room of the store with all of Fargo’s invitations |
Even the dressing rooms were perfection with invitations Linda had garnered over the years covering the walls-this woman doesn’t miss a trick. The clothing was similarly unique and much of it one-of-a-kind featuring new artists as well as staples such as Gucci, J. Mendel, Erdem, Alexander McQueen and Dolce.
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| Nicole Fritton, Gilles Mendel and Joanna Hillman |
The prices were not for the faint of heart as I spotted an $8,500 Lapointe blue fur coat and a $5,000 Libertine leopard jacket. Hey nobody said looking super chic like Fargo was cheap.
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| Carlos Souza |
As the guests streamed in, I noticed some other super stylish fashion luminaries enjoying the landscape such as Valentino Global Brand Ambassador Carlos Souza who was still recuperating from the Met Gala-the 30th one he has attended. This man is effortless cool and with his chic silver mane he and Linda made a perfect combination.
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| Patricia Field |
Patricia Field, another fashion favorite, said she admired “Linda’s great spirit” and that you couldn’t put her in a box. Field who represents several artists featured in Linda’s store, said she was pleasantly surprised by this year’s Met gala as the stars chose to break loose from conventional attire; however, she felt conflicted because it ended up looking like a nudie show.
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| Ralph Pucci and President of MAC John Demsey |
Field said that a woman whose style she most admired was Cleopatra as she continues to be a fashion icon 2,000 years later. John Demsey, President of MAC, told me that for him Linda was a great fashion icon and he especially appreciated her store with its definitive point of view and triumphant originality.
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| Camilla Olsson and Linda Fargo |
Demsey, is elegance personified, and enjoys wearing designers such as Tom Ford, Gucci and Berluti. When I asked what was on the horizon for MAC he simply responded “we are always scheming.”
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| Stefano Tonchi and Linda Fargo |
Just as I was exiting Stefano Tonchi, the editor of W magazine, arrived and was spraying some of the Hermes cologne on his wrists. Stefano loved the design and frivolity of the store. Stefano, who looks like he spends all day at the tailor, surprised me with his claim that he never buys custom suits as they are boring and only likes purchasing off-the-rack. Would you ever buy Zara or H&M I naively inquired? “No way,” replied Tonchi, in his subtle European accent, “I hate imitations.” One thing I can say for sure, the expertise and glamour of Linda Fargo is something that can never be replicated and this store is a testament to that.
– Lieba Nesis
