British Fashion Invasion

Move over, Zara and H&M: Topshop is headed to Dallas

A British fashion invasion is set to land in Dallas next month. Topshop and Topman departments are coming to Nordstrom in NorthPark Center, with a wide array of trendy apparel, shoes and accessories from Britain's grooviest clothing chain.

Calling Dallas a key market, Nordstrom officials announced Tuesday that both brands will be available in the NorthPark store on October 3, introducing shoppers to the full range of the British import’s merchandise. The brand competes with H&M and Zara in offering "fast casual" fashions at reasonable prices aimed at young adults.

A Topman suit department will open at the Nordstrom Galleria store on November 5.

Topshop and Topman have flagship stores in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But rather than building standalone stores across the United States, the company teamed with Nordstrom last September, introducing departments at the upscale retailer in smaller, trendy markets like Austin, where a Topshop department is in the Nordstrom store at Barton Creek Square.

The collaboration has been so successful that Nordstrom is adding 28 Topshop and eight Topman departments, including the Galleria Houston store on September 30 and the Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio on October 1.

“It’s definitely working,” Pete Nordstrom, president of merchandising, told Women's Wear Daily. “We can literally measure that Topshop is attracting a lot of new customers. The average age is significantly younger — like 10 years younger than the typical Nordstrom’s women’s apparel customer.”

He characterized Topshop as “a really big catalyst to Nordstrom’s fashion authority” and a “big part” of the company’s strategic initiative to attract younger fashion customers.

Nordstrom is adding Topshop departments to 28 more stores, including Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Nordstrom is adding Topshop departments to 28 more stores, including Dallas.

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Fashion on display

Rare Halston fashion exhibition now on display in unlikely Texas city

Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen Noël Art Museum

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

A rare exhibition honoring fashion pioneer Halston has popped up in an unexpected place: West Texas. Dallas fashionistas who are fans of the designer can make a five-hour pilgrimage to Odessa’s newly revamped Ellen Noël Art Museum to view "Halston: Inventing American Fashion."

Halston’s minimalistic fashions are rarely the subjects of retrospectives, although the designer’s dramatic life story recently had a pop-cultural resurgence through a 2021 Ryan Murphy miniseries. "Halston: Inventing American Fashion" assesses the talent that made him a household name.

Known now for outfitting 1970s icons like Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger, Halston changed the international reputation of American sportswear as part of the famous 1973 “Battle of Versailles” fashion show, holding his own against Paris’ most lauded couturiers. His uniquely louche style still influences contemporary brands like Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, and Tom Ford, who was briefly the creative director for a revised Halston label.

The mannequins in the Odessa display are outfitted with 75 ensembles from flowing Ultrasuede daywear to more dramatic draped gowns. The pieces “illustrate how Halston revolutionized fashion by prioritizing comfort, confidence, and modern femininity,” according to a release.

Although Odessa may seem an odd choice for the show, Halston had deep Texas connections. After he moved on from hat making, Amarillo millionaire Estelle Marsh was his sole backer willing to fund his first Madison Avenue boutique.

$Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum, Odessa, new facade.$ The new facade at Ellen Noël Art MuseumPhoto courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

$Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum$

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

And the recently completed renovation of Odessa's Ellen Noël Art Museum has some of the designer’s signature sleek. Designed by architect R.J. Lopez, the renovation includes new galleries and improved circulation, but the centerpiece is a striking transparent façade, replacing the original brick of the 1985 building.

“The renovation project has been over 10 years in the making and in the construction phase for the past two years,” says the museum’s buildings manager, Steve Patton, via a release. “The completion of the project has resulted in an incredible facility that is a shining star in West Texas, offering programs and exhibits that will be a destination point for people all over the world!”

"Halston: Inventing American Fashion" will run through March 22. Admission to the Ellen Noël Art Museum is free.

exhibits odessa fashion west texas museums designer texas