It's here, y'all

Reese Witherspoon's new Draper James boutique pops open in Dallas-Fort Worth

Fans of Reese Witherspoon's Draper James brand, put down your sweet tea and pick up your handbag. Her highly anticipated new pop-up boutique at Southlake Town Square is here. It will open officially on Sunday, September 15, and will stick around until September 2020, the company confirms.

The store will feature the brand's newest apparel and accessories, including best-selling pieces from classic dresses and wardrobe staples with a touch of Southern charm, they say.

The Southlake boutique marks Draper James' exciting return to Dallas-Fort Worth after a three-year-old standalone shop in Highland Park Village closed in early 2019. The only other standalone stores are in Nashville; Atlanta; and Lexington, Kentucky.

"Draper James is proud to have had roots in Texas for three years, and the brand is eager to welcome customers to its newest Texas home after recent departure from Highland Park Village," a release says.

When the Dallas store opened in 2016, Witherspoon herself dropped by to christen it. She has no plans to swing through Southlake on Sunday, the company says, but never say never.

Witherspoon, the Oscar-winning actress known for blockbusters like Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, and Walk the Line — as well as the hit HBO show Big Little Lies — was born in New Orleans and raised in Nashville. She started the Southern-inspired fashion and lifestyle brand in spring 2015 and opened the first store in Nashville later that year.

Adorably, she named the company in honor of her grandparents, who "taught her everything she knows about gracious Southern living," the company says.

In early August, Southlake Town Square teased a major retailer alert with a picture of Witherspoon on Facebook and Instagram, and on August 5, a Draper James spokeswoman confirmed to CultureMap that the brand was headed there.

Why Southlake and not, say, Uptown Dallas, Plano, or Frisco? The location came as a result of extensive, data-driven market research.

"When determining the location of the brand’s new location in Texas, Draper James landed on Southlake Town Square by geo-targeting their customers," the release says. "Draper James found that the ZIP code encompassing Southlake Town Square was one of its top 20 best performing in the country for e-commerce sales and had one of the highest sales-to-person ratios."

Draper James CEO Taylor Rettig adds, “We are excited to bring the full, in-person Draper James experience to such a concentrated audience of our fans and are also looking forward to the continued expansion of our retail footprint into additional markets in the near future.”

Draper James' easy-breezy styles lean toward shirt dresses, wrap dresses, and midi and maxi dresses. There are also tees and tanks, sweatshirts and outerwear, totes, handbags, and sunglasses. A popular T-shirt asks, "What Would Dolly Do?"

In the past year, they've also launched extended sizing, swimwear, and new footwear in response to customer requests.

The new Southlake store is at 311 E. Grand Ave.

Beginning September 15, hours will be from noon to 6 pm Sunday and 10 am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday.

Reese wears a Draper James belted chambray shirt dress, $115, and carries a leather backpack, $275.

Draper James/Facebook

Reese wears a Draper James belted chambray shirt dress, $115, and carries a leather backpack, $275.

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Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

celebrities country music exhibitions-visual-arts fashion miranda lambert museums music national cowgirl museum temporary exhibition