Update For Lexus Fashion Week

It's a comparison that bears repeating: In many ways, Nashville's fashion scene reminds us of Nashville's rock scene in recent years. Both have thrived in country music's shadow where others have wilted, and just as Nashville's offbeat music scene gains traction every time another publication discovers one of our scrappy indie rockers for itself, the fashion scene too finds itself charting on notable fashion radars — from tastemakers the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow to Kings of Leon to Elle and Nylon magazines.
As usual, when reflected back at ourselves, we see a city of contradictions — to borrow an oft-used phrase, we are inescapably a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, a little bit fancy, a little bit unadorned. Turn one corner, and we find a city's worth of crafty gals rifling through discount fabric bins and stitching their own handmade goods after hours. Turn another, and we find luxurious designer fabrics at Textile Fabrics. We frequent high-end boutiques owned by the spawn of country royalty (H. Audrey), and browse musical instrument stores doubling as a vintage- and thrift-lovers paradise (Diamond Halo Vintage). Our fashion schools such as O'More keep national pace by offering students future-minded courses focused on using recycled materials, while sleepy Christian university Lipscomb holds within it a magnificent nod to the past: the archives of legendary '70s icon and designer Halston — yes, that Halston.
But this frequent vacillation between an off-the-rack and on-the-cutting-room-floor existence isn't really so surprising, because Nashville is as much Manuel's glitz as it is Anna Sui-designed suits for the gents at Jack White's Third Man Records. It is just as much the rugged country-western wear of Katy K's, the embodiment of our rural roots, as it is Imogene + Willie's, a remodeled gas station a stone's throw away selling coal miner-inspired raw denim blue jeans. For $300.
So we devote this issue to embracing these tangled contradictions. The occasion? Our city hosts its first official fashion week showcasing sartorial pursuits with Lexus Nashville Fashion Week, March 29 through April 2. With it comes a spate of runway shows (see this story for our roundup of featured designers) and boutique-hosted events at retailers around town that portray a city eager to strut her stuff, even if, in many ways, she's still looking over her sequined shoulder. Visit www.nashvillefashionweek.com for a detailed schedule of events.