This past weekend marked Billy Reid Shindig No. 8, the designer’s annual celebration of fashion, music, art, food, and friends in Florence, Alabama.The weekend kicked off with “Warstic Presents the Business Man’s Special”, a round robin baseball game: the Texas Playboys vs. the Alabama Slammers (Billy Reid’s company team) vs. the Third Man Triples with Jack White himself playing first base for the Third Man Triples.CFDA award winner Pamela Love produced a shop-in-shop within the Billy Reid flagship store, located at 114 N. Court Street, which also featured art exhibitions by musician Alison Mosshart of The Kills and artist Jeremiah Ariaz.Dawes headlined and debuted songs from their forthcoming new album “We’re All Gonna Die” at the Shoals Theatre on Friday night and were accompanied by opening acts Joshua Hedley and Jonny Fritz. On Saturday night, John Paul White performed his new album “Beulah” accompanied by The Watson Twins. And in an entirely new direction, Shindig No. 8 also featured the first ever Billy Reid Runway Show in Florence, AL with a live performance by Amanda Shires.

This show was produced at the full scale of a NYFW show but aimed at sharing with their customers a real live runway experience featuring the in-season collection and various limited-edited pieces, all available for immediate purchase.Reid believes this approach takes fashion directly to the customer and creates an aspirational experience that will translate into meaningful sales and marketing initiatives. As Reid moves into the next season, he plans to take the Shindig experience on the road to other markets including Chicago, Charleston and New Orleans. Billy Reid now has 13 stores in the U.S., in nine cities.Notable attendees included musician Jack White, musician Alison Mosshart of The Kills, model Matthew Mosshart, the band Dawes, Tony Award winning actor Alex Sharp, musician John Paul White and The Watson Twins, jewelry designer Pamela Love, Chef John Besh, Chef John Currence, Master Brewer Roy Milner of Blackberry Farm Brewery, Co-Founder of Magasin Josh Peskowtiz, designer Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin and many more.

SHARE Type and Press “enter” to Search Billy Reid and Alabama Chanin’s Homegrown Cotton In this series, the photographer Rinne Allen documents harvests across the South, exploring the many uses of nature’s seasonal yield of ingredients. Two years ago, I found myself knee-deep in a field in rural Alabama, picking organic cotton by hand. A few hundred other pickers were there too, bent over the rows of white cotton with bags at their hip, repeating the same hand-to-plant-to-bag motion over and over again. It was a picking party hosted by Natalie Chanin, the founder and creative director of the clothing line Alabama Chanin, and the fashion designer Billy Reid to celebrate and harvest their first homegrown, organic cotton crop. The friends and CFDA award-winners coincidentally moved from New York to the Shoals community of Florence, Ala., more than 10 years ago. Since both source organic cotton in their lines, with Chanin using it exclusively, they decided to grow their own.

It became a community affair: two partners in the Billy Reid brand, K.P. and Katy McNeill, supplied the 7-acre field, and the local farmers and caretakers, Jimmy and Lisa Lentz, joined in on the project alongside a host of the pair’s family and friends. Spin Tires Game Download MacThe only things the group outsourced were tips from California’s Sustainable Cotton Project on growing cotton, and organic seeds — they needed some with a good staple length for spun fiber — from the Texas Organic Marketing Cooperative. 48 Inch Jetted TubTheir crop was planted in May 2012 and then harvested twice that year, in October and November. Light Bulb Daylight Vs Soft WhiteAlabama Chanin’s Erin Stephenson continued to oversee the operation: the cotton went to a local gin and a 100-year-old North Carolina mill before being sewn into limited-edition garments at Chanin’s The Factory.

In the slideshow above, the duo share a behind-the-scenes look at the two-year process. Prabal Gurung Steps Into Footwear Happy 75th Birthday, Verdura Happy 75th Birthday, VerduraOn Friday, August 26 through Sunday, August 28 in Florence, Alabama, designer Billy Reid will host Shindig No. 8, his annual celebration of fashion, music, art, food, and friends.This year’s schedule is filled with more events than ever before. Key events include the “Business Man’s Special” Baseball Game, the Big Bad Breakfast with Chef John Currence, and exclusive concerts by Dawes and John Paul White. Notable attendees include Tony Award winning actor Alex Sharp, jewelry designer Pamela Love and Chef John Besh.  Love and Besh will also be signing copies of thier books. The Billy Reid flagship store at 114 N. Court Street will feature art exhibitions by musician Alison Mosshart of The Kills and Jeremiah Araz as well as a shop-in-shop by jewelry designer Pamela Love.On Saturday, the Shindig Music & Food in the Park will feature performances by Charlie Mars, Tony Joe White, and Jerry Douglas Presents the Earls of Leicester.

On-site food trucks include Biscuit Love, Bao Down, Rivertown, Odette, and many more.Since 2008, Billy Reid’s Shindig has grown into an annual multicultural festival, bringing fashion, music, art and food together in a way that only Billy Reid can.For the full line-up and to purchase tickets, please click here.In the midst of what often seems a “dog eat dog” world with violence, rudeness and utter disregard for common courtesy arrives this little note. Written on a white embossed card, it reminds me of the lovely dove flying to find a place to land in Biblical times.   In this case, the card traveled from Alabama to land in Portland, Oregon. A sales clerk from the Billy Reid store in Florence, Alabama took the time to thank me for a recent purchase of two sale tops which were shipped free to Portland.  Not a big sale for Billy Reid. The tops were wrapped in heavy Kraft paper and tied with a ribbon.   These tops, like most of what I have purchased from Billy Reid, are made in America.

Other pieces are made in Canada. The clothing at Billy Reid is not mass produced.  The few pieces that I own have become my “go to” pieces for what I call my “casual chic” look.  I wear something from Billy Reid almost everyday…which says a lot considering that I own an obscene amount of clothes from other brands! There was a time when shopping was a more intimate experience.  The shop owner was present and involved in the business.  Buying from the store meant that most of the dollars stayed in the community. The owner and employees may or may not have been neighbors but they were part of the community. I live in Portland and not Florence, Alabama where the designer Billy Reid has his flagship store. Yet, when I am in Florence, I visit the shop.  Locals tell me that Billy Reid’s opening his store in downtown Florence helped to jump start the  rejuvenation of downtown Florence. As I walk the few blocks of the downtown area, the vibe feels like a Portland neighborhood with vibrant restaurants and shops.