For decades, Larry Leathers was a familiar face at the Neiman Marcus flagship in downtown Dallas. He worked in the store’s visual merchandising department from 1981 to 1999, helping create and maintain the elaborate window displays that became a signature of the flagship location.
"A friend of mine had gotten a job at Neiman's,” Leathers said. “He called me and said do you want to dress mannequins for a living and I was like yes and I hung up the phone and quit that moment."
He continued his display work at the store while also working with the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas. It’s one of the largest collections of historical fashion in the country. Stanley and Edward Marcus started the collection in 1938 in honor of their aunt Carrie Marcus Neiman, a founder of the store.
Over his career, Leathers witnessed generations of Dallas shoppers, memorable customers, and the changing culture of the store.
"What I've seen happen over the years is [shopping] is no longer part of our life,” he said “It's something we have to do...It's time consuming and people don't like to take that kind of time."
As Neiman Marcus prepares to close its downtown doors on Sept. 30, Leathers looked back at the artistry and stories behind the windows. Click above to listen to our conversation.
"You're never gonna capture that sense of reverence that people had for the downtown store because it's a place where entire families, generation after generation, every wedding dress was purchased there. It was part of their life."
1 of 14
— IMG_6228.jpg
Alvin Colt was a tony award winning theatre designer from New York City that Stanley Marcus hired in the 50’s to improve the look and total experience of the fortnight events.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
2 of 14
— IMG_6227 (1).jpg
For Neiman's founder Stanley Marcus's 90th birthday party, Larry Leathers arranged 90 cakes on the walls around the elevators, each with their own candle.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
3 of 14
— IMG_6239.jpg
For a window in 1984. "I built the subway car out of Foamcore," Leathers said.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
4 of 14
— Graffiti.jpg
Sometimes Leathers worked with other artists. "We were using this great artist at the time named Lou Kregel who painted all the graffiti on the car," Leathers said.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
5 of 14
— Neiman Marcus.jpg
“This is one of the first windows I did," said Larry Leathers. It was tied to Crystal Charity luncheon and fashion show in 1985. "I met Stephen Stefanou, a dealer in fine gems and minerals. These two halves are from South America and weigh about 800 pounds each. I asked if we could use them in the window to commemorate [the event]."
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
6 of 14
— IMG_6231.jpg
A somber window highlighting designer Romeo Gigli from 1987. "This is one of the most beautiful windows we ever did," said Larry Leathers. "A girl wondering through the ruins."
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
7 of 14
— Neiman Marcus.jpg
This window was created in 1987 and features two women moving into an apartment together. The walls and set pieces were painted in the style of Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the Madeline books. "It turns out that his style is very easy to replicate if you don't get into too much detail," Leathers said. The two dog sculptures growling at each other are by French sculptor Gerard Rigot.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
8 of 14
— IMG_6234.jpg
Reproductions of Neiman Marcus ads from 1948 in paper sculpture, 2007.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
9 of 14
— IMG_6235.jpg
Reproductions of Neiman Marcus ads from 1948 in paper sculpture, 2007.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
10 of 14
— Neiman Marcus.jpg
Reproductions of Neiman Marcus ads from 1948 in paper sculpture, 2007.
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
11 of 14
— IMG_6232.jpg
A whimsical take on athleisure from 2015. "One of many I did with the Texas Fashion Collection," Leathers said. "The flowers on the wall rotated and the disc platform rotated as well. Simple and bright."
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
12 of 14
— IMG_6229.jpg
Looks displayed at Neiman Marcus in Manhattan, 2018. "They called me to create some floral headdresses for the mannequins," Leathers said. "The store was open for less than a year. "
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
13 of 14
— Neiman Marcus.jpg
Neiman Marcus in Manhattan, 2018. "They called me to create some floral headdresses for the mannequins. The store was open for less than a year. "
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
14 of 14
— IMG_6233.jpg
Fifa Cowboy, 2026. "This was recent - I was asked to create a Cowboy hat for this awesome bronze sculpture of a soccer player so he fit in with FIFA in Texas. It was a great Tongue in Cheek project!"
Courtesy / Larry Leathers
Arts coverage on NTX Now s made possible through the generosity of TACA, the only non-profit providing both funding and training for Dallas arts organizations.
![“This is one of the first windows I did," said Larry Leathers. It was tied to Crystal Charity luncheon and fashion show in 1985. "I met Stephen Stefanou, a dealer in fine gems and minerals. These two halves are from South America and weigh about 800 pounds each. I asked if we could use them in the window to commemorate [the event]."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8625458/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x296+0+120/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4f%2Fbf%2F6dca4361475cbc8f1adc35a73ff4%2Fimg-6237.jpg)
