The event was held at the Crystal Fountain Church in East Nashville (just a stone’s throw away from my usual weekend hangouts of Red Door and Three Crow). I arrived to the show around 6:50 and met up with my NFW buddy / student where we stood outside in line for the next 45 minutes. As the minutes rolled on, the lines kept getting longer and longer and longer. We were in the Insiders Pass / All Access Pass lines, but the line for individuals who had just purchased tickets for that night was outta control!! I’ve never been one of those people who can guess the number of M&M’s in a jar, but I’d have to guess there were around 300 people there? At least 200-250 had purchased the one use only tickets for the evening. I did hear some people complaining about the cold and standing in line, but comparative to Wednesday night, fuggitaboutit!
When the doors finally opened around 7:40 or so, my student and I rushed to the front of the church and grabbed the front row pew. I never really thought I’d say that in a blog post before, but obviously since the event was held at the church, it was set up like, well, a church. Three rows of long pews faced a large stage. The first ten or so pews were reserved for pass members and when we were seated the other guests found spots. My student and I had thought grabbing the front pew in the center would be the ideal location. But for photographic purposes? Not so much. (Too far away and poor lighting.) For other purposes? Oh my god yes. And those details are forthcoming.
View of the church as the seats began to fill up.
It seemed liked we sat there another twenty minutes or so before the show started. And before I start talking designers, I need to make two points. First, who sat next to me most of the night? Kelly Cutrone’s adorable eight-year-old daughter. This girl was a total cutie pie with sparkling eyes, an infectious smile, and a bubbly personality. Seriously. I wanted to take her home with me. Next, as I was sitting in the front pew on the leftish side, I ended up getting weird angles of the models. They walked out from the right front of the building, down the aisle, across the back, and up the left hand side. It was a little weird for people on the left side of the show, having to turn to see the models like a bride walking down the aisle.
First designer: Olia Zavozina. This designer creates high end fashion bridal gowns and menswear. If only I were getting married… Some of these dresses were beautiful and I wish you could really see the detail on them. There was one mermaid lace gown that I was drooling for. There’s just something about an all-lace wedding gown that gets me. Also, the gown with the black and white lace detailing… le sigh. I didn’t go ga ga over the menswear, but how crazy can you really get with bespoke menswear? It was appropriate for the collection.
Second designer: Cooper by Courtney Warren presented by Posh Boutique. I thought these clothes were cute, but not my personal aesthetic. They are definitely sellable, wearable, girly, and flirty. This collection consisted of silk and cotton tops, skirts, and dresses in a spring color pallet of blues, pinks, yellows, oranges, and peaches. I did absolutely adore the giant turquoise detailed necklace adorned on the neck of the model wearing the hot pink dress. I could hear it clinking together as the model rounded the corner and glided in front of me.
Third designer: White Rabbit by Shea Stelle. Of course you know who this Nashville-based designer is.. the owner of the uber hip Local Honey. I had very much been looking forward to the unveiling of this collection because I really like White Rabbit’s past looks. And this collection was my favorite one yet. This was absolutely and totally my design aesthetic. Keeping on trend with popular silhouette structures for the upcoming seasons, these looks embodied a multitude of past decades styles. An array of tops, dresses, skirts, pants, capes, and even a jumpsuit were shown. Color blocking was used on a few of the designs, while others showcased whimsical patterns or bold solids. Black seemed to be at the base of this collection with an infusion of bright lipstick red, light pink, hunter green, online gray, and burnt orange. I also loved the tiny black gloves featured on most of the models. There’s just something about gloves that really make an outfit stand out. Also, I’m pretty sure I’d purchase and wear most of this collection.
Fourth designer: Union of Angels presented by Stacey Rhodes. Although again, this collection didn’t fit my personal aesthetic, I thought it absolutely appropriate for Nashville Fashion Week. These looks gave off a vibe of classy gal with a flirty edge. Various tops, dresses, pants, and skirts were featured on the runway, and the color pallet consisted of searing blacks, navy blues with pops of bright white. Rock and roll thick leather boots and detailed cowboy boots accompanied many of the looks. Also, the last dress, a beautiful white silk piece, reminded me of something Jackie O would wear with a pillbox hat and some oversized black sunglasses. Love it.
Now, before I get to the last, and arguably most important designer of the night, let me take a quick fashion break. Remember how I said I was sitting next to Kelly Cutrone’s daughter for the majority of the fashion show? Well, remember that time that Kelly Cutrone squeezed in between the two of us and sat next to me for the Christian Siriano fashion show? Now, I was dying just a little on the inside, but I don’t really go bonkers for celebrities or try to make face time- just not my style. However, I was secretly thrilled and totally ecstatic we were a mere two inches from one another. Annnnnnnd, she totally started the conversation. When she sat down she smiled at me and said something about how she had to help out with the craziness backstage. I just love that type of personality- the kind where you see something that needs to be corrected and you just put yourself into the mix to get it done. She even schooled me! When the first Christian Siriano look came out I snapped a photo and immediately after doing so Kelly turned to me and said, “Why don’t you shoot from this [other] angle?” I told her with the models rounding the corner in front of me it was too hard to grab a shot and she agreed. I also loved that she was on her phone the entire show. She’d grab a quick shot of a model passing by then would immediately return to her blackberry. Love her!
Fifth designer: Christian Siriano. This is what we were all waiting for and the collection did not disappoint! I wish my camera would have picked up all of the beautiful and intricate detailing of these garments, but I did get a ridiculously close up view when the models walked in front of me. This nearly all black collection of dresses only had a few pops of rose and army green. I would wear all of the pieces showcased. Beautiful cuts, excellent draping, and surprising silhouettes- this collection was outta control! The amount of photography flashes nearly blinded me! I think I’ll just let this one speak for itself.
After the final walk, the crowed exploded with applause and cheers and Christian himself emerged from behind the curtain to greet the audience. He was adorable, flitting from side to side with a huge grin on his face, blowing kisses and waving to the crowd. Ah…. What a night!
Two of my students, Corey and Treona, after the show.
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