Photo: CeCe Dawson
Lainey Wilson is known for her “signature fashion” nearly as much as she's known for her award-winning music.
The Bell Bottom Country artist will team up with creative collaborators CeCe Dawson and Raina Gir in a panel discussion to “explore how Wilson's style and branding have evolved as her profile has grown,” the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum stated in a press release on Wednesday (July 30). The panel, titled Bell Bottom Country: Creating the Lainey Wilson Look and led by museum writer-editor Jon Freeman, will take place in the museum’s CMA Theater at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 6.
“Lainey Wilson’s signature fashion statement — her omnipresent bell bottoms — calls to mind a look from the past, but Wilson's music and style are fresh, modern and ideally suited for her unique sensibility,” the release states. “This panel will explore an assortment of Wilson's aesthetic, costuming and staging choices, examining how they have aligned with her artistic vision. The panel will also take stock of creative shifts throughout Wilson's career and look ahead to what's next for Wilson.”
Museum members will be able to reserve tickets beginning Thursday (July 31) at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets will be available for the general public to reserve beginning Friday (August 1) at 10 a.m. CT.
Wilson’s panel announcement arrives shortly after she celebrated the opening of her exhibit in the museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails made its debut earlier this month. The exhibit includes items from the Baskin, Louisiana-born country star’s childhood, interview and performance footage, and more, plus her signature bell bottoms and other wardrobe pieces. The exhibit is now open, and included with admission into the museum. It will remain available through June 2026.
“When I think about the journey, when I think about all the moments where I’ve come to a roadblock and had to figure out whether to go right or left, and just have to switch gears a whole bunch, I’ve had to be tough as nails,” Wilson told iHeartCountry of the exhibit’s title, which nods to a lyric in her Bell Bottom Country single, “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” “I’ve had no other choice. But I feel like because my journey hasn’t been like an overnight success, I feel like that’s given me the songs that I’m supposed to be singing to people, you know? …I’m not mad about it. I’m not mad that I’ve been in Nashville for 15 years, you know? I’m proud of that.
“What I’m realizing is at this point, the sky is the limit, and that’s a really cool thing,” Wilson said later. “We’re about to go on a tour…the biggest one I’ve done so far, and I’m just so excited to continue telling my story as I’m living, as I’m experiencing life. I’m about to get married and do all these things, and so it’s cool for me to be able to share those parts of my life with the people who support me. It’s a genuine support that I don’t take lightly.”