How La Vie Style House’s Caftans Became a Collector’s Item in Dallas and Beyond

How do you know you’ve truly “made it” in the fashion industry? Perhaps it’s when your designs are being bought, sold, and traded as coveted commodities. When the founders of La Vie Style House launched their brand in 2017, they never imagined it would become a quintessential staple in women’s wardrobes. But nearly eight years later, that’s exactly what it has become.

Just go to any Dallas event or an evening out to dinner. You’ll spy a La Vie Style House piece somewhere. Being seen as an investment piece, women are collecting them like fine art. Lines often stretch around the building during the brand‘s annual warehouse sale in August, and devoted followers meticulously plan their purchases around events like Partner’s Card. With price tags reaching upwards of $850 or more, these investment pieces have become immensely popular, and Dallas women can’t get enough.

With women racking up so many pieces, we caught up with the duo behind these coveted caftans to learn how they created such a stir in Dallas.

La Vie Style House’s Origin Story

La Vie Style House founders Lindsey McClain and Jamie Coulter sought to forge a fashion company solely out of their shared affinity for vintage caftans. Neither of them could’ve ever predicted where the brand is now — affiliated with countless retail partners and brick-and-mortar stores popping up across the country. They also launched a new app this year. 

“I had just moved from L.A. and I had a collection of vintage caftans that I’d gotten from places like the Long Beach Swap Meet and the Rose Bowl,” Coulter says. “Lindsey looked really good in them and I let her borrow some.”

At one point, McClain even tried to buy one from her. While Coulter wasn’t willing to part with any of her treasured pieces, the two decided they would start a company together. They created a silhouette that looked good on both of them and found someone locally to sew the pieces. McClain had a small trunk show at her home and next thing they knew, someone was wearing one of their pieces in the Hamptons, and they were getting a DM from a buyer at Barney’s.

“We thought it was a joke at first,” Coulter recalls. “We took a leap and fulfilled their order, which sold out in just six weeks,” says McClain. “Barney’s was instrumental in putting us on the map, showcasing our collection in their Madison Avenue window.”

Over the next couple of years, McClain and Coulter were connected with the “godfather” of fashion, Andrew Rosen, a prominent figure in the fashion industry, and he helped them grow their business in unimaginable ways.

Dallas’ Newest Collector’s Item — The La Vie Caftan

Among La Vie’s sought-after styles, the caftans stand out with their distinct silhouettes and vintage-inspired fabrics, earning them iconic status. Rather than owning just one, women are curating collections like gold coins. For instance, Dallasite Katy Hall has garnered a collection of 34 pieces (and plans on adding more this holiday season), unknowingly starting her journey when she made her first purchase in 2019.

“I first saw the brand on Instagram through Amy Berry,” says Hall. “She did a collaboration collection back in April 2019, and I was obsessed with every piece. I saved up for my very first one which was a white fringe mini caftan that I purchased for my bachelorette weekend in Nashville.”

Hall says she snagged four more shortly after and they were her go-to wardrobe for her honeymoon and has been “living in La Vie” ever since. 

Another one of the brand’s loyalists is Laura Price who purchased her first caftan for a party when the brand simply resided in a pop-up in Highland Park Village, long before it took over residency permanently. 

“If my husband is reading this I probably shouldn’t disclose how many I have,” says Price. “But I do have a section in my closet dedicated to La Vie pieces.”

These pieces (the original silhouette has expanded to wraps, dusters, jackets, shirts, skirts, and more) transcend being just an article of clothing. They are collector’s items intended to be preserved and passed on for generations to come. 

“Each of my caftans is a living heirloom, representing so many experiences and memories,” says Hall. “The classic silhouette is timeless, making it the perfect souvenir for the life lived in them. I can’t wait to share my collection with my daughter one day.”

Another fan of the brand, Meredith Allen Connally, says she pleads the Fifth on the number of pieces in her collection but does share that La Vie Style House has become the “gold standard of closet staples for her.”

“If my La Vie collection could talk, they would have the best stories,” she says. 

Their caftans, often adorned with intricate embellishments and produced in limited quantities, have become much more than just an article of clothing — they’re collector’s items. Despite their premium price tags, women across Dallas and beyond are willing to invest in these pieces, with some even building collections of La Vie’s iconic designs. Owning one of their signature caftans has become a statement of style and status, with fans frequently swapping, selling, and searching for exclusive designs from past collections.

What’s Next for La Vie Style House

The La Vie founders say that for 2025, they aim to make smaller collections to maintain that exclusivity and will even have in-store-only, one-of-a-kind pieces. And this week, they open up a new brick-and-mortar in the mecca of caftans: Palm Beach. Although the brand already has a strong footprint in the Florida city, the new store will be welcomed among other household names at The Royal Poinciana. Also on the horizon is a store opening in Chicago, near Lake Michigan. 

“As we look ahead to next year, we are trying to make every decision with intention and integrity,” says Coulter. “Just how we were from the beginning.”