In the Park Cities, days rarely follow a neatly structured schedule. A morning tennis match can easily lead to school drop-offs, errands, lunch in Snider Plaza, and evening plans in Highland Park Village. For Brooke Noffsinger, that constant motion became the inspiration behind her new brand, Lady of Leisure.
“I reached a point where yoga pants and predictable tennis skirts weren’t enough,” Noffsinger says. “My days didn’t exist in compartments. They moved fluidly from court to carpool to school meetings. I wasn’t looking for another outfit change; I was searching for a uniform that could keep pace with my life.”
That search ultimately became the foundation for Lady of Leisure, an American-made athleisure line designed to bridge the gap between traditional performance wear and polished everyday style. “True leisure, for me, is presence,” Noffsinger says. “It’s the rare moment when the mental checklist quiets, when I can fully focus on my family without thinking about laundry or logistics. Beyond that, it’s movement and connection: a spirited tennis match with friends or an unhurried coffee date. Leisure isn’t inactivity; it’s intentional joy.”
As a Park Cities wife and mother of three, Noffsinger designed the brand to accommodate the realities of daily life. “I thought about my friends, women moving at the same pace, juggling the same full calendars,” she says. “Each piece was created with that shared rhythm in mind: elevated enough for the afternoon, effortless enough for the morning.”
Though the brand feels perfectly suited for modern life, its visual inspiration reaches further back—to the bold femininity and athletic elegance of 1970s tennis culture. “When it came time to design the first collection, I found myself drawn to the era of Billie Jean King,” Noffsinger shares. “A time when strength and femininity stood confidently side by side.”
She looked to the pioneering athletes known as the Original Nine, whose courage reshaped the future of women’s tennis. Tailored, feminine, and built for performance, the dresses created for them by designer Ted Tinling offered an early reference point for Noffsinger’s collection. “That blend of refinement and athleticism became the blueprint for Lady of Leisure,” she says.
Although the idea of starting a brand had lingered in the back of her mind for years, the moment to pursue it arrived during a reflective season of life. As her youngest child turned two, Noffsinger began thinking more seriously about what she might build once all her children were in school. “I had always dreamed of entrepreneurship being a part of my story, but I hadn’t known when,” she shares. “One Sunday, sitting quietly in church, I felt in my heart that it was time to begin.”
What followed was a gradual process of researching fabrics, building relationships, and refining the vision for Lady of Leisure. Before she knew it, Noffsinger was meeting with manufacturers in New York. “Even now, I don’t know that anyone ever feels completely ready,” she notes. “Sometimes, momentum follows obedience.”
Along the way, she made a defining decision: the entire collection would be produced in the United States, allowing her to remain closely connected to the craftsmanship behind each garment. “I wanted to see and feel every fabric, to know the hands behind the seams,” she says. “There’s something deeply reassuring about knowing your pieces are cut and sewn just a few states away.”
Today, the collection reflects the community that inspired it: thoughtful, active, and quietly confident women who value pieces that feel timeless rather than trend-driven. “When a woman wears Lady of Leisure, I hope she feels assured, polished without effort, athletic without compromise,” Noffsinger says.
Beyond the clothing itself, the brand also carries a deeper purpose—a portion of Lady of Leisure’s profits supports charitable initiatives that serve women and families in need. “True leisure includes lifting others,” Noffsinger says.
Explore the collection at ladyofleisurebrand.com
“I wasn’t looking for another outfit change; I was searching for a uniform that could keep pace with my life.”
“When a woman wears Lady of Leisure, I hope she feels assured, polished without effort, athletic without compromise.”