Lily Pulitzer is bringing its fashionable resort wear to the River Oaks Shopping Center. According to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation permit, Houston’s second Lily Pulitzer is expected to open in Montrose at 1993 W GRAY STREET SPACE 34.
The permit further details that the construction project for the new Lily Pulitzer will be short lived. Construction started late last month and is slated to wrap up by the end of November 2026. If all goes well with permitting and the estimated $400,000 construction project, the new Lily Pulitzer should open by this fall, latest winter.
“Tenant remodel including facade changes,” the permit for the 2.181 square-foot store reads.
What Now Houston reached out to Rozanne Berlien, who was listed on the permit and Chief Executive Officer Michelle McQuality Kelly to find out more about the upcoming opening. Unfortunatley, we did not hear back by the time of this publication.
“It all started with one incredible woman who had the courage to find her joy and create her own sunshine,” the Lily Pulitzer website reads.
“She immediately embraced a bohemian, barefoot lifestyle filled with lots of friends and endless parties. Sounds fabulous, right? It turns out life wasn’t always as sunny as it seemed, so she sought help and the doctor’s orders were quite surprising. Lilly was told she needed a renewed sense of purpose. That’s when our spirited founder took a fortuitous leap and literally turned lemons into lemonade by starting a juice stand to occupy her time.”
Lilian “Lily” Pulitzer started at a Palm Beach juice stand in 1958 before evolving into an iconic American resortwear empire Lilly Pulitzer. Squeezing citrus caused messy splashes, prompting Lilly to work with a dressmaker to design a practical, bright, sleeveless shift dress. Customers loved the colorful cotton dresses more than the juice, leading her to close the stand and launch Lilly Pulitzer in 1959. Former schoolmate Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy wore a Lilly fit while vacationing in Italy, and her appearance in Life magazine propelled the brand into national prominence. The bright, bold prints became the unofficial uniform for high-society socialites and resort-goers throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
But shifts in fashion trends led the original company to cease clothing operations and file for bankruptcy in 1984. The brand was revived in the 1990s by Sugartown Worldwide and later acquired by Oxford Industries in 2010, modernizing with updated fabrics and tailored fits while honoring its colorful archive.
There are now more than 130 total Lily Pulitzer retail locations, consisting of more than 60 company-owned retail stores and over 70 independently operated Signature Store. Texas has just four of those stores, with only one in Houston.
Until now.
Check out the new Lily Pulitzer when it opens in the River Oaks Shopping Center at 1993 W GRAY STREET SPACE 34 by this fall, latest winter.
(This is a developing story. As more information is made available, we will update this article. Stay tuned!)
