Jerrie Marcus Smith remembers her great aunt Carrie as a humorless woman who always wore black and who, Jerrie says, "scared me to death." Only as an adult did Jerrie grasp the impact of Carrie Marcus Neiman. Along with her brother, Herbert Marcus Sr., and her husband A.L. Neiman, Carrie co-founded in 1907 the famed Neiman Marcus department store in Dallas, Texas.
Carrie played an integral role in the store's success, despite having three strikes against her: she was a woman, she was Jewish, and (after her husband's illicit relationship with a second-floor saleswoman) she was divorced. Yet with impeccable taste and exemplary manners, she traveled as a buyer to New York in the 1920s (without a man!) and, as Jerrie says, "was nobody's pushover."
Carrie was self-taught and never attended college. Her only pregnancy ended in miscarriage; she worked at Neiman Marcus until her death at age 66. Yet through memories shared by her father, the late Neiman Marcus legend Stanley Marcus, as well as through spellbinding interviews with long retired salespeople, Jerrie has felt inextricably tied to Carrie. Each recollection of Aunt Carrie, each remembrance, each detail melted away Jerrie's childhood fear of the stern woman in black, leaving in its place a colorful portrait of a person to be admired, to be loved and--perhaps most of all--to be shared. "This captivating portrait of a strong and elegant woman will take you through fashion into the journey of a changing America and the birth of its most prestigious store, Neiman Marcus."--Diane von Furstenberg, fashion designer, philanthropist "A Girl Named Carrie is essential reading for everyone who admires the establishment and growth of the iconic Neiman Marcus, which set the standard for the American department store era and influenced stores around the world. Carrie Marcus Neiman was present at the creation and established the essential concepts that remain today. Yes, it's a must-read!"--Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. "There are reasons why LIFE magazine sent some of its most celebrated photographers to capture the world of Neiman Marcus and the waves it created in American culture, fashion, and business. A Girl Named Carrie shows us all of them."--Bill Shapiro, Former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE magazine "Carrie Marcus Neiman--A Female Founder and Chair of the Board long before this was even a dream of women. As the co-Founder of Neiman Marcus, she brought contemporary style