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    Neiman's Top Salesperson

    After $73 million in sales and 86 Last Calls, Neiman Marcus couture guru goes out on top

    Clifford Pugh
    Aug 29, 2015 | 9:31 am

    When Sylvia Goldstein joined Neiman Marcus in 1972 , her first sale was a $132 boa. She was thrilled, but was soon destined for bigger and better things.

     

    During a 43-year tenure as the top saleswoman at the Houston Galleria store and the entire Neiman Marcus chain, Goldstein sold close to $73 million in merchandise, including items at 86 Last Call sales.

     

    Her biggest single sale: A luxurious $250,000 James Galanos sable coat.

     

    Her biggest single day: $383,000 of Galanos gowns and Chanel attire to three international clients, including a Mexican customer who traveled with her personal assistant and her small dog on a private plane to meet with Goldstein at night.

     

     

      "I never had worked a day in my life," Goldstein recalled, "but I learn fast. I'm a quick study."

     
     

    The spitfire couture saleswoman with flaming red hair and hardly a wrinkle on her face — unlike many of her clients, she has never undergone cosmetic surgery and instead has studiously avoided the sun, noting there are no windows in the couture department — enjoyed her last day at the store Friday. At a morning staff meeting, she was placed on a throne and thanked for her service, and she shared an intimate lunch with 13 of her top clients at the store's Mariposa restaurant.

     

    At 82, she has decided to retire, leaving a sales legacy that will likely never be topped.

     

    "Every day I come and learn something new," she said during an interview amid designer fashions in the store's couture department on the second floor. "These customers are the loves of my life. Getting to know people and taking care of them is the thrill. It's a wonderful thing."

     

    Goldstein didn't even have a Social Security number when she applied for a job in the Neiman's couture department on the advice on her sister, who worked in cosmetics at the store. "I never had worked a day in my life," Goldstein recalled, "but I learn fast. I'm a quick study."

     

    Within two years, she was the No. 1 saleswoman, a title she has held through most of her career. "I could only have done this at Neiman Marcus. It's the best store there is. There is none better," she said.

     

     First name basis

     

    In a career that has spanned the breath of fashion design, Goldstein has been on a first-name basis with such stars as Galanos, who she admits is her favorite designer, the legendary Bill Blass, who famously chain smoked, leaving cigarette butts on the store's marble floor, the gentlemanly Oscar de la Renta, the mercurial Ralph Rucci, the masterful Geoffrey Bean and the idiosyncratic Karl Lagerfeld. And she's been quick to champion designers like Tom Ford, Azzedine Alia and Akris' Albert Krimler.

     
     

       "I'd rather see my customers underdressed for an occasion that wear the wrong thing." 

     
     

    She was among the first to urge her clients to mix and match styles and not stick to just one designer head-to-toe. And she has never been shy about tell a customer if an ensemble doesn't work. "You can dress up something to be cocktail and it doesn't have to be a cocktail dress," she said. "I'd rather see my customers underdressed for an occasion that wear the wrong thing."

     

    Although she had no formal fashion experience, having majored in dance in college before getting married and raising a family, Goldstein had long helped friends and neighbors put their wardrobes together. As a 1997 Texas Monthly article noted, many of her Houston clients wouldn't go out at night before calling her to ask what they should wear. “Almost everything I put on, head to toe, I buy from Sylvia,” said Elyse Lanier, who has remained a close friend. “I trust her judgment and her taste completely.”

     

    Having had three back surgeries in the past 18 months, Goldstein has finally decided it's time to retire for good. She plans to continue to stay in shape by pedaling a stationery bike for 45 minutes every day, 7 days a week — but not at 5 in the morning like she has been doing before going to work. "I'm going to spread it out," she said.

     

    "I've had a few lulls in my career, but the next day something opens up and you're back in business. I made my mark and that's what I worked for," she added. "It is bittersweet. It's hard to think that my customers are going to be taken care of by someone else."

    Sylvia Goldstein, left, and Neiman Marcus assistant store director Kathy Kates.

    Neiman Marcus Sylvia Goldstein Kathy Kates
      
    Courtesy photo
    Sylvia Goldstein, left, and Neiman Marcus assistant store director Kathy Kates.
    unspecified
    news/fashion

    TAILORED TRADITION

    Cult-favorite French denim brand Chevignon makes U.S. debut in Houston

    Gabi De la Rosa
    Jul 9, 2025 | 9:15 am
    Chevignon Galleria
    Photo courtesy of Chevignon
    Chevignon’s Galleria boutique marks the brand’s first-ever store in the United States, launching its Texas-focused expansion plan.

    Heritage denim brand Chevignon has arrived in Houston, introducing its cult-loved leather jackets and customizable jeans to a new boutique in the Galleria. Known for its rugged style, the French-born label is expanding its presence in the U.S. with a store designed to appeal to loyal brand aficionados and fashion-forward newcomers. The outpost is complete with an in-store Denim & Repair Shop offering complimentary tailoring and one-of-a-kind customization.

    Located on the second level adjacent to the Westin Hotel, the new outpost is modeled after the brand's most successful stores in Bogotá and Medellín. At over 2,100 square feet, customers can expect a spacious and well-lit shopping experience. Light colored floors with handsome dark features lend themselves to the masculine energy of the store. The spacious fitting rooms, complete with lounge seating and oversized mirrors, make trying on the latest styles comfortable.

    The brand was founded in 1979 by Guy Azoulay, who was obsessed with American fashion, in particular the leather aviator jacket. With decades of success in Latin America and a massive following in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, Chevignon is widely known for its leather jackets, down coats, and denim.

    Comparable to Levi's or All Saints, a pair of jeans typically starts at around $130, while a leather jacket retails between $400 and $600. The brand offers denim, outerwear, footwear, and accessories with collections divided to focus 70 percent on menswear and the remaining 30 percent on women's styles.

    Chevignon's expansion into the U.S. was three years in the making. With broadening brand recognition at the forefront, expansion plans include opening 10 additional boutiques by 2030 in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth. These new stores will round out their portfolio to 102 brick-and-mortar stores, along with several partnerships in other large-format locations.

     Chevignon denim repair Chevignon’s in-store Denim & Repair Shop offers complimentary tailoring and custom patches for truly personalized jeans and jackets.Photo courtesy of Chevignon

    "When it came time to think about locations in Texas, Houston came to mind. We thought about the Houston rodeo, and we knew the city was right for the brand," Chevignon brand manager, Diego Alvarez Salazar, tells CultureMap. "We wanted to be part of the place where people were moving to and investing in, and that was in Texas."

    One of the stand-out offerings at Chevignon is their Denim & Repair Shop. Customers who purchase denim are treated to complimentary, bespoke tailoring to ensure the best possible fit. The store also offers a wide selection of patches, pins, and accessories to completely customize leather and denim jackets, as well as jeans. While there is a cost for the accessories themselves, the complimentary customization services ensure a one-of-a-kind look for every customer.

    "I always tell people that my first 'grown-up' pair of jeans was from Chevignon," says Bogotá-native, Luisa Babarczy. "Their denim is something that lasts forever. Now that they are here in Houston, I am so happy to be able to buy my daughter her first Chevignon denim jacket."

    Chevignon Galleria
      

    Photo courtesy of Chevignon

    Chevignon’s Galleria boutique marks the brand’s first-ever store in the United States, launching its Texas-focused expansion plan.

    houston shoppinghouston galleriatexas fashionlatin american fashionchevignon
    news/fashion
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