DALLAS — Neiman Marcus celebrated Brunello Cucinelli and a few of his biggest fans Tuesday evening at a candlelit dinner for 200 within the Hall of State that climaxed in fireworks cascading over the famed Art Deco constructing in Fair Park.

“It’s overwhelming,” Cucinelli said in an interview. “We actually are honored to be here.”

Big spenders got here from Dallas-Fort Value, Latest Orleans and each coasts for the celebration, which marked the same-day launch of the Icon Collection for men and girls that Cucinelli created exclusively for the retailer. The event also highlighted the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service within the Field of Fashion that he received last month in Paris.

The award is the engine for a yearlong promotion of Cucinelli that may include an exclusive fall collection inspired by Hollywood glamor and a celebration in Los Angeles, noted chief merchandising officer Lana Todorovich, wearing a belted Cucinelli pantsuit and heeled sandals plus an interlocking Spinelli Kilcollin ring.

“It’s the entire idea of constant to make a relationship with our clients,” she explained. “These are big investments and a strong creative effort on his part and his team’s part.”

Sold in all Neiman’s stores and online, the Icon Collection is off to a quick start, with “many” customers buying all 50 pieces, she said. The looks include elaborate Opera knitwear items, which some people collect, in numbered editions of 24 and styles featuring Cucinelli’s signature monilli chain offered for the primary time in gold tone.

“He’s really loved by our clients,” Todorovich said. “In the course of the pandemic, Brunello held virtual Zoom meetings with tons of of our clients. His message of optimism and hope and reminder that humanity has undergone trials and tribulations before was really something that they looked forward to.”

Cucinelli met clients over Champagne on the patio on the constructing’s entrance on the balmy evening. During dinner, he strolled along the 2 long tables, pausing to toast individual groups and check that the boys within the sound booth had something to eat, which is his custom, in keeping with a Cucinelli spokeswoman.

The Hall of State’s facade features dramatic 76-foot limestone pillars fronting a curved blue tile wall and a gold leaf statue of an archer. Inside, the essential hall boasts a 46-foot painted ceiling towering over a green marble floor flanked by fluted square limestone columns and murals of events in Texas history.

Neiman’s decorated the columns with black-and-white blowups of Stanley Marcus presenting the Neiman Marcus Award to legendary designers, including Yves Saint Laurent.

“Once I saw the grand entrance of this constructing, I used to be really impressed,” Cucinelli said in an interview. “As soon as you walk in you’re met with this beautiful hall. That is architecture that lasts for 1,000 years.”

Standing below the huge gilt medallion at the top of the hall, Neiman Marcus Group chief executive officer Geoffroy van Raemdonck introduced Cucinelli as “a designer, an entrepreneur and most significantly, a humanist.”

Cucinelli and five of his executives all wore cream Stetsons as they mounted the white podium.

“I’m so very moved and honored to be here,” the designer told the group. “I actually have all the time thought Neiman Marcus is essentially the most beautiful luxury store on this planet.”

Cucinelli recounted that when he first learned of the prize last 12 months, he told his 100-year-old father, who has since passed away, and likewise announced it on the cemetery that holds his ancestors.

“Once I got here back from Paris, I went to the cemetery and I brought the prize and I said, ‘Here it’s,’” Cucinelli said.

The brand is certainly one of the highest vendors at Neiman’s, which is his largest wholesale account, Todorovich said.

The U.S. accounts for 35 percent of his business, the designer noted.

“We would really like this stuff and garments to be handed all the way down to your offspring because there’s a number of craftsmanship that goes into them,” he said.

Guest Lynette Miller donned a Cucinelli pantsuit and heels for the occasion, accessorizing the ensemble with 4 strands of diamonds on chains.

“I’m a fan,” she said. “I really like how he brings subtlety back and all the textures. He’s like an artist.”