Has minimalism lost its monopoly on elegance? With "Elegance, Untamed," its Fall 2025 campaign, Neiman Marcus offers a visually striking and decisive answer. The American department store is reviving rich colors, animal prints, embellishments, feathers, and layering, without sacrificing the precision expected in the world of luxury.

Officially unveiled on September 4, 2025, the campaign embraces the "more is more" ethos. It features models Andreea Diaconu and Mathieu Simoneau photographed by British photographer Charlotte Wales. Together, they create a narrative in which abundance is not a chaotic accumulation, but a way to express individuality.

Elegance, Untamed: what is Neiman Marcus's Fall 2025 campaign?

The title Elegance, Untamed could be translated as "untamed elegance." The entire creative program lies in this tension: preserving sophistication while freeing the silhouette from its most conventional reflexes.

For this campaign, Neiman Marcus has brought together creations from Dries Van Noten, Loewe, Tom Ford, LaPointe, Aknvas, Ganni, Alex Perry, Christian Louboutin, Valentino, Givenchy, and Armani. The selected houses do not share a uniform aesthetic. They are united by their ability to produce instantly recognizable fashion, crafted through the use of materials, cuts, and contrasts.

The campaign therefore does not seek to impose a maximalist uniform. Rather, it proposes a vocabulary:

jewel tones , from ruby to emerald green;
coats and jackets with a strong visual presence;
animal prints and graphic patterns;
oversized earrings;
feathers, embroidery and ornaments;
layered textures to create a more defined silhouette.

Each piece becomes a sign. Clothing no longer discreetly complements an identity: it participates directly in its construction.

The deliberate return of maximalism in luxury fashion

Chic maximalism is not about wearing everything a wardrobe can hold at once. It relies on a demanding composition, in which contrasts are numerous but hierarchically ordered.

At Neiman Marcus, a rich color responds to a tactile fabric. A spectacular print is balanced by a precise cut. An oversized accessory punctuates the silhouette without obscuring its structure. This orchestration is essential: without it, exuberance becomes visual noise.

The campaign thus defends a more nuanced idea of excess. Abundance can remain elegant when guided by a point of view. It does not necessarily oppose refinement; it shifts its criteria.

This evolution extends beyond ready-to-wear alone. Jewelry, leather goods, and design are also exploring contrast, color, and expressive volumes. Luxe Daily observed this in particular through Boucheron's Quatre Sand capsule collection, conceived as a dialogue between the richness of materials and self-affirmation.

A visual shock, but never chaos

The success of Elegance, Untamed lies in its mastery of density. The sets are rich, the clothes opulent and the accessories conspicuous, but each image retains a center of gravity.

Charlotte Wales's photography plays a central role. Her gaze transforms the two protagonists into cinematic characters. They don't seem to be simply posing to present a succession of products: they inhabit a coherent universe, made of depth, movement, and confidence.

The eclectic backgrounds extend the look of the outfits. The textures of the scenery echo those of the clothing. The chromatic saturation draws the eye, while the lines of the silhouettes maintain the overall clarity.

This tension between exuberance and control sums up the campaign's vision. Excess is allowed, provided it is edited.

Andreea Diaconu and Mathieu Simoneau: a stylish couple rather than two models

By bringing together Andreea Diaconu and Mathieu Simoneau, Neiman Marcus constructs a narrative told in two voices. The models embody a woman and a man whose style attracts attention less through provocation than through self-assurance.

The two characters move through the same world, but are not dressed identically. This distinction allows the campaign to present maximalism as an adaptable attitude rather than an exclusively feminine trend.

The message is clear: a strong silhouette does not depend on a specific gender or age. It arises from a conscious choice, a personal combination of clothing, materials, and accessories.

This approach naturally broadens Neiman Marcus's potential audience. It speaks to historical customers, sensitive to established houses and the quality of the selection, while also appealing to a younger generation, accustomed to mixing references, eras and aesthetic identities.

Luxury as a tool for self-affirmation

For several seasons, understated luxury dominated the conversation. Silent cuts, neutral palettes, and the absence of visible logos were presented as the most sophisticated expressions of taste.

Elegance, Untamed doesn't reject this quiet elegance. The campaign simply reminds us that it's not the only possible path.

Expressive luxury promotes a different relationship with clothing. A piece can be chosen because it catches the eye, evokes an emotion, or reflects a facet of one's personality. Color is no longer seen as a risk to be neutralized; it becomes a language.

This design reflects broader transformations in leather goods and accessories. As our analysis of the luxury bag in 2026, consumers are once again seeking objects that evoke a feeling and carry a personal narrative.

Maximalist clothing is therefore not necessarily worn to impress others. It can be adopted as a way to express oneself.

An omnichannel campaign serving a single universe

The rollout officially announced by Neiman Marcus is based on four areas: stores, digital channels, assisted remote sales, and paid media. The first in-store visuals were installed starting September 5, 2025.

This continuity is particularly important for a luxury department store. A campaign can no longer exist solely in an advertising photograph. It must maintain its identity across the screen, the window display, the sales floor, and the interaction with the sales associate.

In this logic, shops become immersive environments. The countryside setting prepares the eye, while the merchandising transforms the image into a physical experience.

This strategy aligns with the transformation of the luxury department store into a physical media outlet. The point of sale is no longer just a place to display a product range. It creates immersive worlds, produces content, and gives visitors a reason to visit.

The same continuity must be reflected in the service. As our analysis of the premium flagship as an experience laboratory highlights , visual and sensory consistency reassures the customer when they move from one channel to another.

In the case of Elegance, Untamed, maximalism becomes more than just an artistic direction. It constitutes a brand system recognizable at every point of contact.

Neiman Marcus, fashion and art: a long-standing relationship

The artistic dimension of the campaign is part of a longer history. In 1993, Neiman Marcus launched The Art of Fashion, an editorial portfolio photographed by Patrick Demarchelier. By 1994, the concept had become a regular feature, notably through the lens of Richard Avedon.

Over the years, Neiman Marcus has commissioned work from photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Arthur Elgort, and Peter Lindbergh. The objective went beyond the commercial presentation of the collections: it was about championing the link between haute fashion, beauty, photography, and artistic creation.

Elegance, Untamed is not officially presented as a collaboration with visual artists. Nevertheless, it extends this tradition through its photographic construction, its set design, and its treatment of each silhouette as a composition.

This blurring of boundaries between disciplines has become a powerful driver of desirability. Fashion houses create exhibitions, invest in art fairs, and entrust their spaces to artists. The collaboration between Miu Miu and Helen Marten at Art Basel Paris illustrates this evolution: clothing becomes a cultural object capable of engaging in dialogue with sculpture and installation art.

Can maximalism be responsible?

The question deserves a precise answer. Elegance, Untamed is first and foremost a creative and commercial campaign. The official press release does not present it as an environmental initiative and makes no specific commitment regarding the materials used in the photographed garments.

It would therefore be excessive to directly describe the campaign as "sustainable".

Neiman Marcus, however, separately develops the Fashioned for Change, which brings together brands and products that meet social or environmental standards established by third-party organizations. This platform allows users to identify products based on criteria such as diversity, sourcing, or responsibility.

This distinction is essential. Visual maximalism can coexist with more conscious consumption, but aesthetic richness does not in itself constitute environmental proof.

Responsible luxury requires verifiable information:

the origin and composition of the materials;
the traceability of supply chains;
the product's durability and repairability;
the limitation of substances of concern;
the social conditions of production;
the possibility of reuse, resale or recycling.

Responsibility, therefore, does not consist of stifling creativity. Rather, it requires brands and distributors to document what lies behind the image.

This search for evidence is also at the heart of our dossier on sustainable luxury according to Stella McCartney, where the desirability of alternative materials is analyzed with their benefits, but also their possible blind spots.

What the campaign reveals about the new luxury retail

With Elegance and Untamed, Neiman Marcus isn't just selling an autumn trend. The retailer is reaffirming its role as a curator.

Faced with single-brand boutiques and digital platforms, a department store must justify its presence through the quality of its vision. Simply accumulating prestigious items is no longer enough. They must be combined, prioritized, and contextualized.

Maximalism is particularly well-suited to this challenge. Its power lies in the mix. It allows Neiman Marcus to bring together very different houses while imposing a common narrative thread.

The campaign thus transforms the product range into an editorial statement. Dries Van Noten, Loewe, Valentino, and Armani are not presented as isolated universes. They become components of a single seasonal vision.

For the customer, this presentation facilitates visualization. It suggests associations, opens up stylistic possibilities, and restores to the distributor an advisory role that algorithmic catalogs sometimes struggle to replicate.

Why is this campaign also of interest to the French market?

France occupies a central place in the global fashion and luxury economy. According to the Directorate General for Enterprises, the French sector represents 615,600 direct and indirect jobs, €154 billion in turnover and 25% of global sales made by French companies.

In this context, Neiman Marcus's campaign offers an interesting mirror to French players. It shows how a distributor can champion a strong artistic direction without erasing the identities of the brands it represents.

She also points out that fashion belongs as much to the economic field as to the cultural field. From June 5 to 7, 2026, the Festival of Art History, an event supported by the Ministry of Culture, dedicated its fifteenth edition to fashion, studied at the intersection of art, societies, identities and the economy.

Finally, France is gradually strengthening its environmental transparency requirements. Since October 2025, textile companies have been able to display the environmental cost of their clothing. By June 2026, nearly 100 brands and approximately 40,000 products were already registered in the official system.

The challenge of contemporary luxury then appears in all its complexity: to produce more desire, without producing more opacity.

Elegance, Untamed: a campaign of differentiation as much as fashion

The choice of maximalism comes in a market where luxury images sometimes tend to look alike. Neutral palettes, clean architecture, silent poses and discreet logos have formed a particularly homogeneous grammar.

Neiman Marcus takes the opposite approach to this standardization. Colour, pattern and theatricality allow him to rediscover an immediately recognizable signature.

This strategy, however, presents one requirement: the excess must remain coherent. A poorly executed maximalist campaign risks obscuring the offering or transforming the product into a mere decorative element. Elegance, Untamed avoids this pitfall by maintaining great precision in the silhouettes, poses, and photographic composition.

The campaign thus affirms a conviction: in luxury, singularity does not always arise from restraint. It can also emerge from a sweeping gesture, an unexpected color, or a layering that reveals something about the person wearing it.

Is Neiman Marcus redefining luxury through expression?

With Elegance, Untamed, Neiman Marcus reclaims a generous, tactile, and deeply embodied elegance. Maximalism is neither a caricature nor an invitation to indiscriminate consumption. It becomes a method of composition and a tool for self-affirmation. Above all, the Fall 2025 campaign reminds us that luxury is not limited to price, rarity, or discretion. It can be a voice.

A voice made of precious colors, layered materials, assertive cuts, and accessories that refuse to disappear. A way of dressing like one tells a story: with precision, intensity, and, above all, without apologizing for being visible.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Neiman Marcus Campaign

When was the Elegance, Untamed campaign launched?

Neiman Marcus officially unveiled Elegance, Untamed on September 4, 2025.The visuals began to be installed in stores on September 5, 2025.

Who appears in Neiman Marcus' Fall 2025 campaign?

The campaign features models Andreea Diaconu and Mathieu Simoneau.

Who photographed Elegance, Untamed?

The photographs and cinematic world of the campaign were created by Charlotte Wales.

Which houses are featured in the campaign?

Neiman Marcus notably features Dries Van Noten, Loewe, Tom Ford, Valentino, Givenchy, Armani, Ganni, LaPointe, Aknvas, Alex Perry and Christian Louboutin.

How is maximalism represented?

Maximalism is expressed through jewel tones, animal prints, ornaments, feathers, statement jewelry, dramatic coats, and layering of textures.

Is the Elegance, Untamed campaign eco-friendly?

The campaign is not officially presented as an environmental initiative. However, Neiman Marcus has a separate selection, Fashioned for Change, dedicated to products that meet certain social or environmental criteria verified by third parties.

Primary sources of the campaign

Three official French sources

About the author

Elise Moreau

Editor-in-Chief - Fashion & Jewelry

Élise Moreau is the editor-in-chief of Luxe Daily, specializing in haute couture fashion and fine jewelry. With over ten years of experience in the media…

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Neiman Marcus “Elegance, Untamed”