Lindsay Nicholas New York’s Only U.S. Store Just Landed in Dallas

About 15 years into her career as an advertising and marketing executive in New York, Lindsay Nicholas marched into her supervisor’s office and made what she thought was a life-altering announcement. “I’m done,” she said. “I’m going to go live my dream. I’m going to be a fashion designer.” Several years prior, Nicholas had gone back to school to study fashion at Parsons School of Design and followed that up with a degree in image consulting from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She realized she had found her true calling, and she was finally ready to go for it. Her boss’s response, however, was dismissive at best. “He sort of said, ‘Shut up and go back to your desk.’ And I did,” she says. “I just sort of tabled it.”

Nicholas continued to work in marketing for another 15 years or so, but as she began to round 50, she came to a realization: “I said, ‘It’s now or never. I’m doing nice things for other companies. I’m making other companies money. Let’s go with my passion.’ ” In 2015, she launched Lindsay Nicholas New York, a line of luxury women’s apparel inspired by her three decades of business travel. Nicholas saw a gap in the market for clothing that could go from work to the weekend and separates that were suitable for plane travel but also appropriate for client dinners. Today the line includes pieces ranging from glittery crew neck tops and flowy floral dresses made from wrinkle-resistant recycled polyester to classic turtleneck sweaters and wool suits in sophisticated Prince of Wales plaid. 

“We like to push women to the edge of their comfort zone, but not push them over the edge,” Nicholas says. “And we do have a New York vibe. I’d say that there is a bit of New York in every piece we sell.”

Though the Boston native launched her brand in New York—the city she calls her spiritual home—in 2019, Nicholas moved operations to Australia, where she opened her first two stores. Now Nicholas has branched out again.

In her previous corporate life, Nicholas traveled to Dallas for work on a regular basis and she grew to love the city. She moved here part time in June, and, by mid-August, Lindsay Nicholas New York had opened its doors at the Galleria Dallas. “Everything happened so quickly,” she says. “It was one of those things that everything just fell into place.”

In addition to carrying accessories by Australian makers, including handmade jewelry by Stephanie Browne and leather handbags by X Nihilo, the Dallas store features exclusive jewelry pieces by Dallas designer Tiffany Forsberg. Nicholas also offers complimentary personal styling to all of her customers, even though, in her experience, her clients typically don’t need it. 

“In Australia, we dress a lot of politicians, women on boards,” she says. “They’re fearless, and they have self-confidence. It’s the sort of woman who knows what she wants.” 

This story originally appeared in the November issue of D Magazine with the headline “Blonde Ambition.” Write to feedback@dmagazine.com.