Inside Linda Fargo's Bergdorf Goodman Personal Style Shop

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Her favorite pieces include a pot necklace and a bar of chocolate. It’s safe to say we love her.
“One of the messages I would like to convey with Linda’s at Bergdorf Goodman is the idea of ‘why not’ in dressing. I think people have gotten far too safe. I don’t think people take enough joy–first of all, with themselves, to delight themselves. When you walk around [the space], it’s almost so exciting, or it’s so fun, or it’s so decorated that it brings almost a naughty smile to your face, and why not? Buy it. Make yourself happy. We’re here once.”
“[When it comes to] price points…. Price is not the point. It’s a mix of brands; it’s not merchandised by collections, it’s merchandised on the merit of each piece.”
“[Signature style is] something you grow into. I think it needs to be authentic. I don’t think it should be forced.”
“I’ve been with Bergdorf’s [for 20 years, and this], organically maybe, was a bit of a high point. Instead of the gold watch, I got a shop. The shop pulls together all of the things that I’ve done here, like interior design. I’m responsible for all of the architecture and interior design of the store. I did the renovation of the main floor that opened last September. I designed this floor, I designed that carpet years ago, the elevator doors, the moldings. This shop will change at least four times a year, with decor, as the seasons change. Again, that is part of who I am.”
“Liking it was not enough, loving it is what counted because there is too much stuff in the world. How do you decide what’s in and what’s out? You have to really love it.”
“This is a little more fantasy closet [than my actual closet]. My real closet is a room that has a lot of rolling racks.”
“I love these Naeem Khan feather skirts, they’re like candy, you have to have every color. I am kind of a shirting person, I like the idea of wearing those with shirting or wearing them with your bathing suit.”
“This is my favorite tea for summer. We’re going to serve it in the shop. This is Mariage Frères Casablanca, which is kind of a bergamot, Moroccan mint. And this is my absolute favourite chocolate bar in the entire world. It’s hands-down the best chocolate, I think, and I feel like I am a bit of a connoisseur.”
“The furniture–some of it is for sale. It is a mix of all the things that I’m about: art, furniture, interior design, fashion, food.”
“Those chairs are from a very famous French furniture artist designer. His nameis very complicated, no one can pronounce it—it’s Christian Astuguevieille. He’s represented by Holly Hunt in the U.S. I’ve always wanted to own some of these or work with his pieces. Doing the shop was a way to pull together years of obsessions and gather things that are near and dear. It was always a fantasy of mine to be able to do something with him.”
“Besides my hair and my lipstick, definitely leopard is an all-time classic for me. The shop will always have elements of leopard in it. I think a sense of drama is a bit of a signature for me.”
“The shop is broken into components of my feeling about dressing. One, I want the shop to be pretty seasonally sensitive. Yes, I have a couple of summer furs in here, but for the most part, this is kind of ‘wear now.’ I’m kind of fatigued with the industry being so far ahead when people actually want to wear and need to wear things. When we hit September, for example, that is the most high-fashion to me. September and October are the season for anyone who loves it, where you are really turned onto it. That will be the most *fashion* fashion. When we hit October, November, December, it will be all of the things you need then. Gifts, one for me, one for you.”
“Bergdorf’s is a one-of-a-kind. It’s the only store like it in the world. It sits in this very special perch in New York. We’ve embraced and stood for the best of the best for 114 years, and I think we still do that. We are historical as well as forward. I think it’s utterly unique. It’s a treasure hunt.”
“For me there is always an element of classics. I buy nautical stripes kind of over and over, it’s a little like leopard to me. Obviously they’re updated and they’re interesting and they are not kind of the roundup of the usual classic.”
“Definitely Lisa Eisner’s marijuana leaf necklace is one of my favorites. I just like it. Who would have thought to make that? I love things natural—leopard, antelope, wood, the whole natural world—and Lisa’s things are very rooted in the natural world. Look at the craftsmanship. It’s beautiful.”
“I think I probably have a few basics in my own themes that I fall back on, surrealism—the ants, they actually mount. You can have them crawl up your wall, they don’t have to sit on a shelf. Why do I love surrealism? It kind of turns your world upside down. It’s super fun.”

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Linda Fargo attends 2010 NYC & Company Foundation Leadership