Lounge of Style

Front Door Fashion swings open doors to Design District style lounge

Dallas entrepreneurs Nina Lowe and Andrea Isom founded their personal shopping service Front Door Fashion as a way to make shopping easier. Now they're making it more personal.

The partners have opened the doors to their style lounge at 2251 Vantage St. in the Design District to clients seeking in-person consultations. Customers can now drop by to visit with a stylist as opposed to receiving a shipment at home.

"The service has always been about a personal stylist that will put together name-brand fashions customized to your taste," Lowe says. "Now you have the option of having it sent to you or coming into our style lounge and having a one-on-one session."

Lowe and Isom launched Front Door Fashion in spring 2013 for busy professionals who had no time to shop or keep up with fashion trends. It began as an online personal shopping service in which professional stylists selected pieces for customers without their having to set foot in a store.

Just as before, clients create style profiles online, including sizes, likes and dislikes. But now they have the option to make an appointment at the style lounge to view the clothes and accessories selected for them. They can try on the clothes and buy only what they want to keep. Brands include Nicole Miller, Rory Beca, Dolce Vita, Nanette Lepore and Citizens of Humanity, to name a few.

To celebrate their new service mode, Front Door Fashion is offering gift cards ($250 minimum), which grant recipients a one-on-one consultation in the lounge with a professional stylist. The style lounge can also be rented for private events, in which groups can shop right off the racks.

It sounds like a store, but it's not, Isom says. "It's not a retail establishment; it's a styling and fashion service," she says. "Some of our clients want a more personal relationship, or a chance to sit back and have a glass of champagne while they review the styles."

Andrea Isom and Nina Lowe recently opened the Front Door Fashion style lounge in the Design District.

Andrea Isom and Nina Lowe of Front Door Fashion

Photo courtesy of Front Door Fashion

Andrea Isom and Nina Lowe recently opened the Front Door Fashion style lounge in the Design District.

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Shopping News

Where to shop in Dallas right now: 7 zany new stores to check out

Thrifted Threads

Thrifted Threads chill vibe

With the holidays on the horizon, shopping is on the rise. This November edition of Where to Shop, CultureMap's monthly roundup of new shops, sales, and alternative shopping, has five unique new openings, ranging from fashion to skin care to sports apparel.

The roundup also includes two non-traditional entries, including a new benefits program at an area mall, and a place to get your passport — in case you're planning on shopping abroad.

Here's where to shop in Dallas for November:

Baseballism
Baseball camp that transformed into an off-field baseball clothing brand is now open at Allen Premium Outlets. The store offers baseball-themed clothing, hats, and accessories. Their collection features collaborations with several big league names, including MLB, Babe Ruth, Vin Scully and Field of Dreams. Caps and hoodies are especially popular items, such as the Junior's Silhouette for $36 or the short Sleeve Yankees hoodie for $79.

Firewheel Town Center
Garland shopping center is in the giving spirit with its latest Shop, Dine & Save program. Visitors can shop or dine at select stores, including Buckle, DSW, and Razzoo's, Ferah Tex-Med Kitchen, and receive a $25 Simon giftcard when they spend $150 or more. To get the giftcard, receipts have to be shown at the mall management office and include at least one shop and one restaurant from the same day. The special lasts through November 27.

Hill House
Originally a bedding company that launched in 2016, Hill House has extended their collection to offer home, accessories, baby & kids, bridal, and apparel. They opened a location in NorthPark Center at the end of October — their first in Texas and only their fifth store. Hill House is best known for the "Nap Dress," a flowing dress made for day or night wear. There's also a short version of the dress, such as the Scarlett Long Sleeve Mini, a plaid dress for $188. Just in time for season, they've launched holiday pajamas, featuring pajama sets, robes, and children's sets.

Glossier
Skincare, beauty, and fragrance concept just opened a 1,000 square-foot store at NorthPark Center, featuring its trademark whimsical displays that one might mistake for an art supply or paint store. They sell fragrances, scented skin creams, balms, cleansers, moisturizers, makeup, eyelash curlers, and other beauty products, a little on the pricey side, but they make the shopping experience fun with an immersive shopping experience. That stuff doesn't come for free. This is their 12 location in the U.S., joining Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, DC, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, NYC, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

Rally House
Sports apparel chain opened a location at Rockwall Crossing Shopping Center in Rockwall, with merchandise — headwear, accessories, collectibles — dedicated to Dallas-area teams including Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, and college teams like the Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Texas A&M Aggies. They also offer locally-themed apparel and accessories that celebrate Dallas destinations and landmarks, such as an Uscape Pom Mens Knit Hat with a graphic of the Dallas skyline for $30 or a long sleeve Dallas sweatshirt for $42. This is the 22nd location in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Thrifted Threads
Houston-based vintage clothing reseller just made its debut in Deep Ellum at 2646 Main St. #620, next to Vidorra. Thrifted Threads was founded by Laith Awad, who began reselling clothes in 2017, initially as an online store until he opened a location in 2022 in Houston's Montrose District when he was only 18. He opened a second store in College Station in 2023. Deep Ellum is the third. They're known vintage apparel from jerseys to sweatshirts and hats, as well as collections of color-sorted clothes from the 70s to the 2000s. It's more than a store, with arcade games that don't require coins to play, a motorcycle display, and ice cream.

Collin County Passport Office
If you're "shopping" for a passport, a passport office just reopened in the Collin County Courthouse at 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney. The new passport acceptance office will initially be appointment only, with bookings available through the District Clerk's website. Plans are underway to introduce same-day and walkup services in the near future.

openings where to shop