Nashville’s 12South neighborhood looked like a sea of Delta Nus on Wednesday night as Reese Witherspoon launched her Draper James line to a mix of style bloggers and community locals.
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“I was afraid no one was going to come!” she said to the crowd of 500, which included Nashville notables including newly minted Mayor Megan Barry and friends and family from Witherspoon’s childhood, including her brother.
In addition to bloggers and fans of Witherspoon’s pretty-preppy designs, the guest list was like a “who’s who” of A-list Nashville residents, including Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Lily Aldridge, Nathan Followill, Jessie Baylin, Kacey Musgraves, singer Cam and Reba McEntire, who was seen taking selfies with several starstruck party-goers.
After paying homage to her grandparents (Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon, who inspired the label) the actress-turned-entrepreneur (turned model and clothing maker!) introduced musician and Draper James model Ruby Amanfu to perform a short set, then invited surprise guest Lee Ann Womack up to the stage for a few songs. When Womack closed out the evening with “A Little Past Little Rock,” Witherspoon was visibly weeping from the crowd. (She has two ears and a heart, doesn’t she?)
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And though Witherspoon told PeopleStyle that her classic character Elle Woods still inspires her style mantra, there was no pink in sight at the store: Instead, she chose blue-and-white stripes with signage declaring “Pretty as a Picture,” and the interior (intended to feel like a modern Southern home) follows suit. Guests browsed the cheeky designs with saying including “Hello, Sugar!” while servers passed around trays of ham biscuits, mini cobblers and, of course, sweet tea (served with vodka because this is the South, y’all).
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Witherspoon has been making the rounds in Nashville this week, having given talks on creativity and start-ups at both Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management and YWCA’s “Girls Just Want to Have Funds” event. She even squeezed in time for not one, but two lunches at Burger Up with her husband, CAA agent Jim Toth.
Are you a fan of Draper James? Did you attend? Tell us below!
–Kristen Luna
