On the eve of NYFW, nestled inside Marcel at Sotheby’s on Madison Avenue, Nordstrom hosted a celebration of its Fall 2026 designer campaign, titled Friends of Friends, with a wide array of industry pals in attendance.
Photographed by Ethan James Green, styled by Dara Allen, and delivered as a special printed mailer, the tangible format is both rooted in nostalgia and decidedly of the moment. On Wednesday evening, Allen was holding court at a table in a lime green sequin mini dress, signature sunglasses pushed up against her forehead. The celebrity stylist lamented not bringing a handbag to take home some of the piles of postcards echoing the campaign. “I remember getting catalogs and mailers as a kid, and how much it made me dream,” she told Vogue. “There’s something so special about flipping through a little book like this. So it’s really cool that Nordstrom is bringing that back.”
Guests, including designers Christopher John Rogers, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, and Emily Adams Bode Aujla, also shared in the excitement about having something analog to peruse as they browsed the mailer between bites of umami tarts, sticky morsels of confit duck, and crisp glasses of Sancerre. Alongside them, executives—like Tom Ford CEO, Lelio Gavazza; Giorgio Armani CEO, Matteo Mascazzini; Thom Browne CEO, Sam Lobban; and Tracy Piazza, President of Brandon Maxwell—caught up, while models Jessica Joffe, Laura Ponte, and Polina Isadora moved through the room with the same effortless ease they bring to camera.
Despite the low hum of humidity, everyone had gathered outside, enjoying the last gasps of summer, as well as a rare, unstructured moment before the chaos of New York Fashion Week truly begins. As dusk fell, Yumi Shin, Executive Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships at Nordstrom, took to the mic. “We wanted to capture that feeling of friends and creative people coming together to celebrate individual style, discovery and the next generation of talent that’s influencing all of us to get dressed up,” Shin beamed.
The imagery highlights the latest looks from Bottega Veneta, Sacai, Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Khaite, and Thom Browne—given an extra jolt via set design by Marcs Bird and art direction by Drake Carr. “And on that note,” Shin continued, “I’m especially excited to introduce Brooke Bobb, our new fashion director.”
As the night drew to a close, the crowd slinked inside and sprawled on the plush chocolate couches and stayed for a second glass of wine or madeleines from La Mercerie Pâtisserie. It was clear the concept of the mailer had become the thesis of the evening, bringing together friends, old and new.
