Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild Helped Style the Band During ‘Nightfall’ Release Week
Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild was the brainchild behind the group’s Nightfall release week looks.
Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman have become known for their bold fashion moves as much as they’re known for their fearless music. When it comes to glam, LBT’s leading ladies have never been afraid to take left-of-center style risks—both on and off the red carpet. Fashion has long been a personal passion of Fairchild’s even before the group ever dressed in couture.
So when their longtime stylist, Karla Welch—who has dressed everyone from Olivia Wilde and Tracee Ellis Ross to Lorde and Justin Bieber—found herself with major scheduling conflicts, due to Hollywood’s heavy first-quarter awards season, the vocal group turned to Fairchild for an assist during release week for their new album, Nightfall.
View this post on InstagramKaren. Jimi. Kimberly. Phillip. #littlebigtown #grammys #nominees #tapandswipe
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“Karen’s been styling us since before we could afford a stylist,” Schlapman reveals. “She has a passion for clothing, and she’s amazing at it. She knows what works together. She knows us.”
For press surrounding Nightfall, Fairchild styled nearly 15 different looks for the group—many of which she and Schlapman documented on their individual Instagram pages—including their stage clothes for their Carnegie Hall debut. In addition, she selected their coordinating fashion for street week appearances on TODAY and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as well as their outfits for opening night of the Nightfall Tour at New York’s Apollo Theater.
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Fairchild’s meticulous style contributions don’t go unnoticed by her bandmates. “A lot of effort and time and energy goes into that,” Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet offers. “So the fact that she took extra time outside of all the other things we have going on was really incredible.”
“It’s impressive,” adds Jimi Westbrook, Fairchild’s husband. “Our house looks like a clothing explosion, but it’s OK.”
It’s not the first time Fairchild has brought her work home. Last spring, Fairchild and Westbrook hosted a party at their Nashville residence honoring Christian Louboutin during the French designer’s first trip to Music City.
It’s obvious Fairchild has a natural gift for styling. So does she plan to continue heading up glam for the group in the future? “I do love it, because I see it as a creative outlet to the music,” she admits. “But we have an incredible stylist, and she is as good as it gets. I’ve learned a lot from Karla through the years; but no, I’m not taking that job on full-time.”
