Seven invitations to moments money usually can’t schedule, and one very happy list of houses to be part of them.
Every autumn, one date in the luxury calendar feels like opening a storybook. This year it is especially bright: Neiman Marcus, the Dallas-born luxury retailer, now part of Exemplar Luxury Group alongside Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, has unveiled its Fantasy Gifts inside the 100th edition of the Holiday Book, titled Grand Gestures. A century of catalogues, and a tradition of Fantasy Gifts running since 1959.
The Idea Behind the Magic
What do you give the person who already has everything? Not another object, but a door that opens. The 2026 Fantasy Gifts are less about what you receive and more about where you are invited, who welcomes you, and what you get to create. The campaign, Holiday Fantasy, was photographed at the Beverly Hills store by director Alexandre Bassard and stars supermodel Natasha Poly, with a red bow as the unifying thread, and the launch celebration brought champagne towers, a live painter and a performance by the Womack Sisters.
The Seven Gifts
1. The Grand Tour with Buccellati: $860,000. Buccellati is the Milanese jewelry house celebrated since 1919 for lace-like goldsmithing. This is six days through Venice, Florence and Milan, hosted by the Buccellati family, with private museums and ateliers, culminating in a design session with Andrea Buccellati to create a bespoke piece of high jewelry. It is the most extraordinary invitation in the book.
2. Legendary Style with Verdura: $515,000. Verdura is the New York jewelry house known for its Maltese Cross cuff. The gift includes a private salon tour of its historic museum collection, a fitting for a custom one-of-one cuff with emerald, sapphire and diamonds, dinner at Orso and producer house seats to a Broadway show.
3. Ultimate Wakesurf Escape with Austin Keen & Arc Boats: $460,000. Arc is the California maker of all-electric performance boats. The gift is a fully loaded Arc Sport wake boat with white-glove onboarding, custom gear and private lessons with world champion wakesurfer Austin Keen: a day on the water that feels like the future.
4. Star Wars Legacy Experience: $182,500. A behind-the-scenes journey at Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, the studio George Lucas founded, at One Letterman in San Francisco’s Presidio. It includes a one-of-one Ahsoka season 2 lightsaber hilt prop replica signed by Dave Filoni, a private consultation to design custom lightsabers, and tickets to an upcoming world premiere and afterparty with cast and creators.
5. Dolce&Gabbana Casa Carretto Siciliano Foosball Table: $180,000. Dolce&Gabbana Casa is the Italian house’s home line. This playable work of art honors the Carretto Siciliano, Sicily’s hand-painted horse-drawn carts, with a motif created for Neiman Marcus, a solid wood case, double-chromed steel rods, a screen-printed glass field with Carretto figures, polished aluminum stop rings and a varnished wooden scorekeeper. Made to order (production takes at least three months) and delivered with white-glove service within the continental United States; $7,500 of the purchase goes to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.
6. SAUJET and Lalique Crystal Fragrance Experience: $115,000. SAUJET is the perfume house of Thomas Saujet, and Lalique is the French crystal maker founded by René Lalique. The journey goes to Alsace with a stay at Villa René Lalique, private tours with Thomas Saujet and Silvio Denz, a masterclass with a master perfumer, two-Michelin-starred dining with wines from Lalique’s cellar, and a world-exclusive first-edition SAUJET crystal trunk in Lalique flacons.
The Map to Modern Luxury
THE CURATED CALENDAR
Discover the world’s most prestigious gatherings & exhibitions7. Your Heritage Recipe at The Restaurants of Neiman Marcus: $15,000. The most personal gift in the book: refine a cherished family recipe with the corporate chef and see it on Neiman Marcus restaurant menus nationwide for a full year, with a custom hand-illustrated menu. The full amount supports The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.
Why the Houses Love Being Part of It
For the participating brands, a place in the Fantasy Gifts is a kind of golden ticket.
- A global spotlight. Few stages in luxury reach so many people at once. For Buccellati, Verdura, SAUJET, Lalique, Arc and Dolce&Gabbana Casa, being named in the book is an introduction to millions of new admirers.
- A showcase for craft. Each gift lets a house show not just a product but its world: the atelier, the museum, the family, the master perfumer.
- Stories that travel. A custom cuff, a crystal trunk, a hand-painted table: each becomes a story people share, long after the holiday.
- A trusted curator. Neiman Marcus brings the access and the audience; the house brings the artistry. It is a partnership that feels celebratory for both.
- Giving back. Every Fantasy Gift purchase benefits The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, and a seasonal campaign for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which has raised nearly $2 million since 2018, runs in stores and online through January 31.
What It Tells Us About Luxury
The book points to a lovely shift: luxury is moving from owning to experiencing. Six of the seven gifts are invitations rather than objects, and even the foosball table is a story with a maker. Craft, family heritage and personal creation (a jewel, a fragrance, a recipe) are the new treasures.
And there is something for everyone. Alongside the Fantasy Gifts, the Holiday Fantasy gift guides run from Gifts for Her and Gifts for Him to Gourmet Food & Treats and Gifts Under $200, and the restaurants will have festive menus, Breakfast with Santa photos and storytimes from November 29. Luxury, at its best, welcomes everyone into the season.
A Final Thought
If you have everything, the greatest gift may be a memory built with the people who make beautiful things. The 2026 Fantasy Gifts understand that, and the houses involved are delighted to be part of it.
