Suits for Shelters

Tootsies joins forces with Mary Kay Foundation to aid victims of domestic violence

If you were contemplating cleaning out your closet, now’s the time to do it. Chic Texas boutique Tootsies and the Mary Kay Foundation are celebrating the fifth year of the Suits for Shelters initiative, which aids the fight against domestic violence by providing professional attire to women for job interviews.

From July 15 to August 5, shoppers are encouraged to bring gently used business attire to Tootsies; the clothes will then be distributed to women’s shelters. All donors will receive a $25 Tootsies gift card as a token of thanks.

The partnership between Tootsies and the foundation is a perfect philanthropic fit. Tootsies often hosts charitable events in store to show its support for community causes.

The Mary Kay Foundation, so named for its founder, makeup entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash, is committed to women’s causes, including helping to eliminate cancers affecting women as well as aiding victims of domestic violence via programs and financial support.

“Mary Kay is committed to bringing an end to domestic violence, and the Mary Kay Foundation’s Suits for Shelters program is a perfect way for the company to involve the community in one of our core philanthropic efforts,” says Mary Kay Foundation board member Ryan Rogers. “We hope the entire Dallas community will get involved and help us support these brave women.”

“We’re so excited to be partnering with Mary Kay and to support a great cause,” says Nerissa Helpenstill, store director of Tootsies Dallas.

The rewards of cleaning out your closet just got much greater.

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RIP Lester

Dallas women's clothing store chain founder Lester Melnick dies at 99

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Lester Melnick

Lester Melnick, who owned an eponymous clothing store chain in Dallas for many decades, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024; he was 99.

Born Norman Lester Melnick on October 29, 1925, Melnick opened his first Lester Melnick women's clothing store in the Preston Royal Village shopping center at 5959 Royal Ln. in 1962, where it became one of THE places to shop. He went on to open 12 stores total, including locations in Richardson, Plano, Arlington, Casa Linda Plaza, Bachman Lake, Fort Worth, and NorthPark.

In addition to his stores, Melnick gained fame as the original designer of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniforms. As one fashion blog notes, this came after Southwest Airlines began dressing their stewardists in hot pants, inspiring Melnick to incorporate hot pants style into the prototype he created — a style that prevails today.

In 1973, Melnick also designed the "Hockaday plaid" uniforms worn by students at The Hockaday School, the prestigious private school where his three daughters and three of his grandchildren attended. As this 2017 profile notes, when Melnick’s plaid became available, Hockaday students were so thrilled by the incorporation of the color green into the previous plain black & white that the school celebrated.

Hockaday students in Hockaday plaidHockaday

In an interview by the Dallas Jewish Historical Society in 2011, Melnick recounts his childhood in New Jersey, serving in the Marines, then attending college at the University of Miami where he majored in accounting.

He moved to Dallas initially to sell coats, but eventually went to work for Neiman Marcus for 9 1/2 years, where his creativity caught the eye of company chairman Stanley Marcus who promoted him to the position of buyer.

The Lester Melnick clothing chain became a family operation, with Melnick joined by his daughter Leslie Diers who headed merchandising; his daughter Julie Dearien serving as business manager; and his wife Cynthia handling special events and public relations as well as overseeing the gift department.

Melnick rose in the Dallas retail world during its heyday, when clothes were still manufactured in the U.S. before moving overseas. But as the fashion world changed, he closed down the business in 2003.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 2:30 pm at Temple Emanu-El, 8500 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas.

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