Nordstrom Creates ‘Director of Luxury Styling’ Post and Taps Popular Neiman’s Exec for the Job
Nordstrom Inc. has a new weapon in its service arsenal.
Catherine Bloom, a veteran Neiman Marcus personal stylist for Hollywood stars, boardroom execs and elites from around the world, has joined Nordstrom as director of luxury styling, a new position.
To spotlight the appointment and make Bloom feel most welcome to the job, Nordstrom is transforming its Nordstrom Local location on Melrose Place in Los Angeles into the “Catherine Bloom for Nordstrom” storefront for Bloom to host clients.
“Catherine Bloom is an exceptional personal stylist, highly respected in the industry,” Pete Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Inc., said in a statement. “What’s also true about Catherine is that she is a genuinely lovely person who puts her customers first and works hard every day to serve them.”
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So hard, in fact, that she has more than $300 million in sales on the books, according to a Nordstrom rep.
“When you’re reading about high-profile people in the news and on the red carpet, currently most of them are dressed by Catherine. That’s the kind of currency she has without exploiting her clients’ names,” said Tracy Paul of Tracy Paul & Co., Bloom’s personal business manager. “People fly in from all over the world to meet with Catherine.”
Those who know Bloom say she has a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of style and functionality. She specializes in curating personalized wardrobes that blend vintage and contemporary pieces. Bloom also possesses a strong eye for emerging designers.
“Always forward-thinking, she finds creative solutions to style challenges while enhancing her clients’ fashion journeys,” Nordstrom said in its statement.
And those journeys could take Bloom’s clients anywhere.
“It could be a woman in Palm Beach needing a season of clothes, a woman in finance, board members, doctors, a man wanting to update and look more current,” Bloom said. “It’s made-to-measure. It’s special orders. It’s celebrities, musicians, CEOs, athletes, hotel owners, royalty. It’s everyone looking for the power of dressing.”
Bloom joins a company that’s well-known for its service culture. Nordstrom associates are said to indulge shoppers to meet their needs, and there are stories about Nordstrom employees delivering orders to homes at all hours of the day, even last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve. There’s a long list of services provided by Nordstrom including tailoring, a liberal return policy, shoe repairs, fast shipping, buy online, pick up in store, and curbside pickup of online orders.
The conversion of the Nordstrom Local in Los Angeles to the Catherine Bloom storefront leaves five Nordstrom Locals remaining, including two in New York City, and three in California — in Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach and Newport Beach. Nordstrom Locals are service hubs in convenient locations providing online order pickups, alterations, returns, exchanges, stylists and gift wraps.
“We have this great location on Melrose Place,” said Bloom. “Melrose Place is magical. People always want to spend more time there and when we imagined the space as a highly curated luxury space, it became very exciting. L.A. is about high service and location, location, location.”
Bloom understands the service mentality. At Neiman’s, which does have a team of highly capable selling associates and stylists, “Unusual or fast-paced client requests came up every day,” said Bloom. “It’s just our norm. We adapt and we figure it out. There is always a solution.”
Bloom is a regular in luxury brand showrooms, has placed her own buys each season, and will be accompanying the Nordstrom team on buying trips next month. She prefers viewing the collections in showrooms over the spectacle of the runways, but has accompanied clients to fashion shows.
“Brands reach out to me a lot and ask me what I think of their collection and what’s potentially missing for my customers,” said Bloom. “For example with Etro, I’m a big supporter of the brand and I do very well with their incredible pieces. They flew the designer and CEO to L.A. to meet with me and we talked and walked the line. They wanted to understand more about my customer. I really enjoy being collaborative with designers and brands themselves. They know that I know my clients so well and I know what they need. When you understand the client, you understand the collection even more and what the potential is. There are many designers that reach out and ask is there anything we’re missing for your clients.”
While stating she has a long list of clients, Bloom declined to share any of their names. “One of my strongest beliefs is that all clients are entitled to their privacy, whether it’s an Oscar-nominated actress, a revered Hollywood director, a music icon or head of state,” she said. “I’m always asked to divulge names, but their privacy is so much more important to me. My place has always been a safe haven for those moments in life when you just need to take a step away and surround yourself with beautiful things.
“I’m from Seattle so I grew up with Nordstrom, however when I graduated from high school, I left the next day. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do it on my own. I was curious to see and learn other points of view and lifestyles,” said Bloom. “And now after watching and admiring Nordstrom evolve and elevate and seeing how quickly they can pivot and develop new points of view with new and exciting brands, it feels like the perfect moment to bring my luxury expertise to their story.”
“We are committed to providing Catherine with all the necessary support to continue serving her customers, attract new ones, and bolster our team’s efforts to enhance personal styling at Nordstrom,” said Pete Nordstrom. “Catherine will play a crucial role in fulfilling our purpose of making customers feel good and look their best. Bringing Catherine to our team is like getting the Michael Jordan of personal styling. We are treating this like a big deal, because it is.”
