Nashville Fashion Week 2012: Day 5

Nashville Fashion Week returned to elegance with last night's runway show at the Pinnacle building downtown. Of all the venues and shows, this was my favorite one. Cozied between two new friends front row, I snapped photos of the exquisite collections, muttering things like "Sooo pretty" and "I need that..." to myself. My favorite collections of the evening were Nashville-based designers Jamie and the Jones with their always fascinating textile, color, and fabric pallets, and the Oscar-worthy gowns of Randi Rahm. So beautiful.

The evening ended with an after-party, delectable treats provided by Arnold Myint, and chit chatting with friends new and old. Here's a visual synopsis of the evening:

Collection 1: Jamie and the Jones

Jamie and the Jones is the brainchild of Nashville designers Jamie Frazier and Hannah Jones. The duo discovered their mutual appreciation for slow process design as sophomores at O’More College of Design. Their collective skill at creating clothes that combine clean silhouettes with painstaking handwork (knitting, crochet, embroidery, beading, and hand painting are all hallmarks) brought them high honors from O’More during both their junior and senior years, when they were awarded the Critic’s Choice and Distinguished Designer awards respectively. Jamie and Hannah have continued to produce their line from their studio inside Local Honey, Nashville's premiere source for local design.

Collection 2: Kal Reiman


Cleveland native “Cally” Rieman took an unconventional path into the world of fashion, graduating from Denison University with a degree in East Asian Studies and Political Science. Her interest in fashion began during a study program in Taiwan, where she taught English to the owner of a textile manufacturing and marketing company. After graduation, she spent four years working in finance before pursuing a degree in fashion design at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her design career began at Jean Charles de Castelbajac, a prominent French designer of men’s and women’s wear collections. She moved to New York in 2002 as a design assistant for Rubin Chapelle’s women’s wear collection. As a designer for Hilfiger’s H men’s line, she solidified her experience in tailored goods and began to work towards starting her own collection. Her collection launched in 2009 and is currently in its fourth season of distribution.

Collection 3: Magid Bernard

Magid and Michele Bernard make up the luxury fashion house, Magid Bernard. Their love of art, architecture, beauty and design of every kind drive their selection of luxurious European textiles which they craft into timeless designs with a twist. The Magid Bernard label is well known for its attention to clean lines and elegance. The line’s astonishingly engineered bias-cut dresses, French laces, and hand-embroidered fabrics are favorites among an international clientele. Magid Bernard’s showroom and atelier are in the prestigious New Mart Building, in Los Angeles’ Fashion District, where every piece is made under the Bernards’ watchful eye.

Collection 4: Randi Rahm


Randi Rahm’s runway show, featuring her Fall/Winter 2012 collection, will mark Lexus Nashville Fashion Week's finale on Saturday, March 24 at the the Pinnacle at Symphony Place, 150 3rd Avenue South in downtown Nashville. Rahm’s hand-beaded creations have graced the pages of major magazines and illuminated red carpets worldwide. Her designs have drawn rave reviews from fashion aficionados coast to coast including Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Julianne Hough and Halle Berry.

OMG, after party cupcakes. I may or may not have eaten two of these delectable treats.