1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
The first thing you picture when we say 'Nashville chic” may be distressed jeans or that 'y'all” on your t-shirt, or perhaps even a tee adorned with bourbon in a Mason jar. Try this instead: a sleek business jacket cut from rich Italian wool or velvet, tailored to fit perfectly; glamorous six-fold neckties in hard-to-find silk and cashmere; or dress shirts with hand-sewn collars and cuffs.
To Don Merrimon, of local clothing brand Dorien Gray, 'Nashville chic” should mean the latter list of characteristics, with flawless English tailoring and grown-up, modern style.
He knows Nashville. A graduate of Whites Creek High School, Merrimon spent his childhood watching his mothera buyer for Castner Knott, a locally based department storedesign and make custom prom and event dresses. After she passed away in 2008, Merrimon decided it was time to pursue his own long-held interest in classic men's suiting.
'I had discovered men's bespoke tailoring in a Cincinnati shop while there on a business trip,” Merrimon recalls. 'That changed my views about how clothes should make people look.”
Merrimon found a mentor in Kathy Oberlin, an expert custom tailor and costume designer. He apprenticed with her for two years, learning the crafts of pattern-making and tailored design.
'I wanted to master every step in the art of making a custom suit, from measuring the client, to drawing the pattern freehand, to sourcing and choosing the best fabric, buttons, trims, and linings. All the way through to the final detailed fitting,” Merrimon explains.
That passion shows through in Dorien Gray, the label Merrimon founded in 2014. At his showroom, clients can commission either fully bespoke clothingentirely unique garments, custom made from Merrimon's hand-drawn patternsor made-to-order clothing, which are specially tailored versions of his ready-to-wear line. Fabrics and trims are sourced from prestigious European mills, and garments are hand-constructed in New York from Merrimon's specifications. Hand-crafted slip-on loafers, made from velvet and wools, joined the line this summer, and Merrimon plans to add bespoke denim jeans for women and men by the end of 2016.
Already, Dorien Gray has developed a reputation for luxurious bespoke and made-to-order suiting in beautiful cuts and perfect fits. Clients include music stars and a couple Tennessee Titans. But Merrimon's real target is Nashville's business men and women, all those lawyers, creatives, and dealmakers whose clothes, he thinks, should be as modern and sophisticated as their work in the new Nashville. 'My classically modern, conservatively bold tailoring is just right for Nashville now,” he adds.