CUSP: A store within a store concept at NM

Nadine Kam photos
Jewelry and accessories have been incorporated into Neiman Marcus's contemporary department, which has been rebranded Cusp.

After being out of town a while, I got my first chance to check out the new CUSP shop-within-a-shop at Neiman Marcus last weekend.

All my favorite contemporary brands are still there, including Alice + Olivia, Helmut Lang, DVF, Rag & Bone, Roberto Rodriguez, Rebecca Taylor, Theory, Alexander Wang, and 3.1 Phillip Lim, and the rebranding and remodel of the store's contemporary department has the effect of shopping a walk-in closet, with accessories from footwear to jewelry right there for mixing and matching as you shop and easy styling as you go.

I couldn't help but notice the comfy looking bright new ottomans that men could plop down on so that wives and girlfriends could shop longer!

Neiman Marcus launched the CUSP brand in 2006 with two freestanding stores that offered customers a contemporary assortment of apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories in a boutique environment. The brand has since grown to six CUSP stores and CUSP.com.

Looks from Alice + Olivia still read young and fun.

Seating areas to park the men and/or boys in your life so you can shop as long as you want.

Accessory displays within CUSP help shoppers create a head-to-toe look without searching the entire store.

Bright design elements and proximity of finishing touches like jewelry, below, give the department the appeal of a walk-in closet.