When Beth Buccini sifts through her memories, often it’s the clothes that stand out most. The pink, sleeveless, ostrich-feather shift dress she wore to a fundraiser last night? Fabulous, she says. The puff-sleeved, pin-tuck blue jumper that tied in the back with smocking across the front that she donned in first grade in Norfolk, Virginia? A classic. The blue mohair sweater with pink checks she paired with fuchsia pants for her thirteenth birthday? A perfect way to usher in her teenage years. In high school, she kept a notebook tracking her outfits so she wouldn’t repeat a look for weeks.
In the past quarter century, Buccini has translated that knack for creating memorable ensembles into her series of Kirna Zabête boutiques, including two new outposts, in Nashville and Miami. Standing under the red chandeliers of her Nashville shop, among racks of feathers, sequins, and florals, Buccini muses on her first location, founded in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in 1999. “I love the discovery of labels and designers, and I wanted to find these interesting designers that you couldn’t find anywhere else,” she recalls. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she had embarked on a career as a fashion editor, first for Mirabella and then New York magazine, where she learned the ins and outs of the industry and built an ever-growing Rolodex of brands—Loewe, Dolce & Gabbana, Alaïa. When she left to launch her flagship, she used those contacts to fill it.
Although she takes the clothes seriously, a sense of play underpins Buccini’s operation, which includes storefronts on Madison Avenue and Mercer Street in Manhattan; and in East Hampton, New York; Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; and Palm Beach. A stroll through one feels almost like perusing a museum gallery dedicated to designers taking risks with fabrics, textures, and silhouettes. Color and patterns run rampant.
Her sixth store debuted in Nashville’s posh Green Hills neighborhood late last year, a testament to Buccini’s belief that every day is worthy of a fashion moment. In the 4,200-square-foot pink-floored shop, ball gowns share racks with power suits and T-shirts, beside floor-to-ceiling shelves of handbags and heels. Between Chloé miniskirts and Golden Goose sneakers, Buccini has slipped in wardrobe basics from the sustainable brand Maria McManus and colorful jewelry handcrafted in Charlotte by Surya and the Moon, among other up-and-comers. “I like to have the best edit of the best designers,” she says. “We have the Valentinos, the Bottega Venetas—brands that you love. But there are also the ones that you will discover.”
And while Music City has attracted luxury retailers such as Chanel and Saint Laurent in recent years, few spots offer the range of lines Kirna Zabête does. “The energy in this city is really incredible,” Buccini says. “Every woman is dressed with a designer bag. It feels like New York felt when I opened my first Kirna Zabête.”
In August, Buccini will welcome a seventh location, in Miami’s Design District. Although situated in a longtime fashion hub, the new two-story boutique will be one of the few multibrand shops in the neighborhood, where “we can wardrobe you without giving you a monobrand head-to-toe look,” Buccini says. Personalized service and attention also get emphasized. “I look at clothes all day long, but if that is not your profession, how do you know how to navigate that huge world?” Buccini says. “We’re in our clients’ closets. Literally. Like, I was in a client’s Nashville closet yesterday helping her pick out and sort outfits.” It’s a trait she believes has kept her clients loyal—especially in the South, where relationships mean just as much as the clothes themselves.
On any given day inside the Nashville store, for instance, you will find shoppers huddled around the emerald-green bar conversing with employees—including, often, Buccini herself. Sure, they chat fashion, but also about family stories and weekend plans. “Everyone is so lovely, having rosé and talking with my team,” Buccini says. “It’s an unexpected sidebar of joy here in Nashville.”
