Jeffrey Kalinsky, known for founding the acclaimed Jeffrey boutiques in New York and Atlanta, also happens to be our EVP of Designer. We’ve highlighted a few tidbits you might not know about the storied fashion insider.
1. Jeffrey grew up in the fashion business, working at his dad’s shoe shop in Charleston, so coming to Nordstrom was a natural fit—we started as a shoe store, after all.
2. Fashion cred aside, Jeffrey has a degree in communications from George Washington University. This probably comes in handy with the oodles of fashion designers he meets from all over the world. Imagine being on the phone with Rei Kawakubo one minute and Alber Elbaz the next—you’ve got to shift gears quickly!
3. When he opened his acclaimed Jeffrey boutiques—in Atlanta in 1994 and New York in 1999—the latter was a particularly daring move. It was the first high-end shop in the Meatpacking District, a neighborhood that used to be all about, well, meatpacking. Now he counts stores Alexander McQueen, Diane von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney, La Perla and Yigal Azrouël among his neighbors.
4. In 1990, Jeffrey founded Fashion Cares (formerly named Shoe Cares), an annual runway show and auction benefiting AIDS and breast cancer charities. Last year’s event raised $650,000!
5. Jeffrey’s tastes are second to none (working in the designer market for 15+ years tends to have that effect), so he gave us the scoop on his favorite designer looks for fall in our latest online feature, Jeffrey’s Fall Favorites. Check it out!
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