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Daniel Meigs
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Daniel Meigs
Everyone has that uber chic friend with a raid-worthy closet stocked with the perfect pieces for every occasion.
Full of everything from black-tie ball gowns and designer bags to classic jeans and sneakers, it’s a wardrobe that inspires confidence with every outfit. That’s exactly what it feels like stepping into the new high-end women’s clothing boutique in Green Hills, Kirna Zabête. With an impressive collection of designer favorites, Kirna Zabête is helping women dress (and feel) their best for all of life’s moments.
The 4,200-square-foot Nashville boutique marks the brand’s sixth and largest location to date, and features luxury women’s clothing and accessories from an international roster of brands including Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Chloé, Dries Van Noten, Elder Statesman, Khaite, Libertine, La Double J, and Loewe, to name a few. Owner and founder Beth Buccini personally chooses each designer carried by Kirna Zabête. She presents a comprehensive selection of the best of the best to not only meet shoppers’ needs, but to anticipate those needs before they come to fruition. And this exceptional knack for knowing what women need in their shopping experience started back in 1999, when Buccini thought about what she was missing herself.
“I was a fashion editor at New York Magazine in a pre-internet time, so everything we made mention of we needed to credit to a New York store. So, I had this great lesson in who bought what, where, and how they bought it. I felt like there were all these amazing designers that we were talking about, photographing, and putting in editorials and nobody was carrying them. I couldn’t understand why that was. Your only choice was basically a department store in midtown, and I lived downtown so I convinced a friend of mine from college who had retail experience to open a store with me,” Buccini explains. “I opened the first store in 1999 in SoHo, bought the partner out in 2015, and started expanding.”
Although Kirna Zabête has grown tremendously since its inception to include three New York locations (SoHo, Madison Ave., and East Hampton); Palm Beach, Florida; Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Nashville; an expansive e-commerce collection; and a Miami boutique set to open this year, Buccini’s mission to provide women with a selection of designers they love has remained a constant.
“Our goal from the very beginning has been to have the best edit of the most important designers of today and tomorrow. I love having up-and-coming discoveries of designers you’ve never heard of, like this French shirting brand that’s very new and super chic called Sébline; but we also have brand names that you know like Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent—more established designers,” says Buccini.
The Nashville store is divided into less expensive, more casual pieces on one side and a more designer-focused collection on the other side to make shopping easy and enjoyable based on what each guest is looking for. Whatever your occasion, Kirna Zabête aims to be a one-stop-shop.
“My goal is to dress a woman seven days a week. My life goes from fashion shows in Europe to a lot of soccer sideline games with my kids, and I think most women these days live very enriched lives where you do many things and you’re many different types of people,” Buccini says. “Come in and find that outfit you’re going to wear to that party tonight along with a hostess gift, plus the stuff that you need for the game this weekend, and then stuff for your upcoming trip to the Caribbean.”
Although fashion often focuses on the latest ever-changing trends, Buccini is a firm believer in the power of building a wardrobe with pieces that can withstand the test of time. As a result,
Kirna Zabête is filled with exquisite, high-quality pieces that remain in style year after year.
“The goal here is that you are building a closet of things you love that you’ll go back to over and over again. You may put it away for a couple years and come back to it, but I hope that you are able to come in here, be surprised, be delighted, and find some practical solutions to your busy everyday life so you can just focus on the fun and not be stressing about what you’re wearing. It’s our job to make that stress-free,” Buccini says.
And the boutique itself is just as glamorous as the apparel. Buccini worked closely with renowned interior designer Steven Gambrel to create an awe-inspiring feeling the moment you walk through the doors that sets the tone for an intimate, sophisticated shopping experience. There are some stunning signature Kirna Zabête design elements in each of the brand’s three newest stores like Venetian plaster walls, elegantly curved arches, and eye-catching red lacquered chandeliers. But perhaps the most unique design element is a pink marble terrazzo floor that was flown into Music City all the way from Italy.
Subtle yet impactful details like pops of pink, antique bronze racks, and black and white accent tables are a constant across all locations. But true to Music City’s fun-loving spirit, there are a few features exclusive to the Nashville store like a striking emerald green bar that’s as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing. With pink antique glass, a selection of home accessories, and cocktails ready for the making, it’s a playful nod to the lively energy of the city. The Nashville location also boasts extra large dressing rooms perfect for private shopping parties.
“For all of my stores, I’ve worked with interior designer Steven Gambrel, and he’s really a residential interior designer, so I loved the idea of working with him. He takes my ideas and raises them 100 times. I loved working with him to make a store feel very residential, not just generic silver racks and a big square space. We wanted to create different moods and elements,” Buccini says. “Everyone talks about how beautiful the store is, which is great because we wanted it to be impactful when you walk in.”
Above all else, the feeling shoppers get when they leave Kirna Zabête is the driving force behind the entire business. From the products offered to the design of the store, Buccini strives to create a welcoming, empowering environment where every woman leaves feeling even better than she did when she arrived.
“We’ve said from the very beginning, our goal is ‘leave looking lovely,’” says Buccini. “We are making women feel beautiful, sexy, smart, whatever they need to feel we can deliver. It’s a joy to be able to make women feel better than they felt when they walked in the door. Being an open and inviting space where we can really help is always our goal.”
(2001 Warfield Dr., 615-621-2081; kirnazabete.com)