Your Next Chapter, Well Dressed: Find Your Fall Print at Ensemble Nashville
A Wear To Stare Moment: Coveted labels, unexpected finds, and a wardrobe that keeps pace with the woman you’re becoming.
Wear To Stare X Ensemble Nashville |
Wear To Stare X Ensemble Nashville |
Fall Print noun — Your personal fashion blueprint for the fall season: connecting where you’re headed, what you’re dressing for, and how you want to show up. Built through the colors, prints, silhouettes, and pieces you make your own.
You have plans this fall. Does your wardrobe?
Perhaps there’s a position you’re stepping into, an invitation you’re excited about, or simply a desire to enjoy getting dressed again. You know how you want to feel. Finding the pieces that get you there is the interesting part.
For this edition of Find Your Fall Print, we’re turning our attention to Ensemble Consignment Boutique—for the woman searching for a coveted label within reach, a vintage piece worth planning an outfit around, and the satisfaction of finding what no one else thought to look for.
We’re sitting down with Dae to discover what’s arriving, what’s worth trying on, and how to make those finds your own.
First, Meet Ensemble
Kristen Armstrong, Founder
After years in banking, founder Kristen Armstrong followed her passion for fashion and opened Ensemble’s original James Island storefront in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2011. Her vision eventually expanded to Nashville, bringing a curated selection of sought-after brands and luxury treasures to a second city.
Ensemble’s list of brands they love offers a glimpse of its fashion perspective: Ulla Johnson, Veronica Beard, Farm Rio, Ganni, and Staud, alongside names such as Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton.
Consider those names a reason to explore. What’s actually waiting on the racks? That’s where our conversation with Dae begins.
What Would Dae Pull First?
Before you pay full price for your fall designer wish list, consider whether an earlier collection holds what you’re looking for.
Bring a few references: a runway look you saved, a color combination you want to try, a silhouette you keep coming back to. They can help you recognize the potential in a piece you might otherwise pass over, and give Dae a starting point for recommendations.
Dae’s first picks bring us straight to the pleasure of shopping consignment: discovering designer pieces from earlier eras that feel exciting to wear now.
During our visit, she pointed to an influx of 1990s Tom Ford pieces and bamboo details among the recent arrivals. Burberry also stood out as one of her fall favorites, with several pieces available to explore.
“I feel like Burberry is a really good brand for fall,” Dae says.
Then there’s fringe. According to Dae, it’s moving quickly through Ensemble this season.
“It seems like that we can’t keep it in. So once it gets here, it’s gone.”
For cooler days, Dae also directed our attention to wool, fur, and long coats, describing pieces “that you are going to just want to snuggle up in during the fall and winter seasons.”
Where should you look first? Most new arrivals are worked into the store’s existing assortment rather than placed in a separate new-arrivals section. Coats are the exception, so give the outerwear its own stop as you browse.
To keep up between visits, Dae recommends following Ensemble Nashville on Instagram.
“That is where you can find our latest arrivals, especially the things that are super in style right now,” she explains.
Explore Dae’s featured arrivals below:
The Wear To Stare Lens
Our eye. Ensemble’s racks. Your fall possibilities.
Some pieces ask you to look twice. These are the ones that caught our attention at Ensemble Nashville and how we brought them together.
Each look was hand-selected and styled with our fashion friends in mind: women who appreciate quality, want room for individuality, and are dressing for a season with somewhere to go.
Consider this your fitting-room preview. Look closely at the color combinations, the balance of textures, and the details that give each outfit its character. You might discover a new way to wear something you already own, or recognize the piece you’ve been looking for.
Selected and styled by J Valentyn for Wear To Stare:
Find Your Fall Print and Somewhere to Wear It
Where is Ensemble’s fringe-loving customer headed?
“She’s going out,” Dae says.
Some shoppers are local; others are taking their finds on their travels. As we browse, Dae spots a piece she would love to see worn on Broadway and starts imagining the layers that could complete the look.
She’s also noticing fringe styled with heels instead of boots, a small change that gives it a different attitude.
That’s an idea worth taking into the fitting room. If you love a piece but its usual styling doesn’t feel like you, try changing the shoe or adding a layer before passing it over. Your fall print can take shape in how you wear the find.
And at Ensemble, the possibilities extend beyond a night out.
“You will find an outfit to perform in, but you will also find very well-made cashmere sweaters,” Dae explains.
For your calendar, that could mean a piece with presence for an evening out, or a beautifully made sweater you’ll enjoy on an ordinary afternoon. Both deserve consideration when you’re deciding how you want to dress this season.
When Your Wardrobe Needs to Meet You Where You Are
What brings the Ensemble customer back?
“What she’s coming to find is quality, for sure,” Dae says. “And then also color.”
That last detail caught my attention. A fresh color combination can give familiar fall pieces an entirely different presence: maroon becomes more expressive alongside fuchsia, forest green gains richness beside emerald, and vibrant red feels unexpectedly fresh with sky blue.
The Wear To Stare Lens: Fall, in Full Color
Inspired by our conversation, I created this palette edit to help you explore those possibilities. Consider which pairing you’d enjoy wearing, then use it to guide your next fitting-room experiment or revisit what’s already in your closet.
These illustrations do not depict Ensemble’s merchandise.
That enthusiasm for color is part of what makes the Ensemble customer memorable. Alongside quality wardrobe staples, Dae describes excitement around sparkle, sequins, and pieces that invite women to be more expressive.
When asked to describe the Ensemble girl,
Kristen offers two powerful words: “Vibrant and daring.”
Dae expands on the thought: “They want to step outside that box.”
If you’ve been wanting more expression from your wardrobe, there’s something relatable in that. You may already have the practical pieces. Now you’re looking for the color you keep admiring, the texture that makes an outfit interesting, or something you’re excited to make plans around.
Dae sees that excitement happen in the store. She describes children exploring the racks as though they’ve entered Barbie’s Dreamhouse, and adults responding with much of the same delight.
“I have people come in and giggle the entire time that they’re in here,” she says.
Perhaps the most telling example comes from a staff outing on Broadway. Their outfits prompted someone to ask who was celebrating.
“We’re celebrating life,” Dae recalls.
It’s a lovely reason to get dressed, and one you don’t have to save for a special invitation.
Your Closet Could Help Pay for Your Next Find
Before you visit, take a look through your closet. Is there a Veronica Beard blazer you no longer reach for? A Farm Rio dress waiting for another outing? A designer bag you appreciate but rarely carry?
Ensemble’s list of brands they love makes those pieces worth a conversation. But timing matters: during our visit, Dae emphasized that the boutique was looking for fall pieces, even as some consignors were clearing out their summer wardrobes.
Designer finds are welcome for consideration, and Dae makes one expectation clear: items should arrive clean.
Here’s how she explains the earnings:
Luxury: a 50/50 split between the consignor and Ensemble.
Contemporary: the consignor receives 40% of the selling price.
Shopping with your balance: a 10% discount when using your store credit.
“You get 10% off whenever you shop your store credit, which is really exciting,” Dae says.
That designer piece you’re considering? Your past purchases could help make room for it in your budget, too.
Contact Ensemble before bringing pieces in to confirm current acceptance guidelines and drop-off arrangements.
Seasonal Events We Should Know About
A private shopping evening with friends, champagne, cookies, and a few unexpected fitting-room favorites? That’s worth asking about.
During our visit, the team described after-hours shopping gatherings where friends can explore the boutique, try pieces on, and receive styling help in a more private setting. Music and refreshments make an evening of it, with a shopping discount also mentioned as part of the experience.
Kristen and Dae’s suggestion: follow the shopping with dinner nearby.
For the woman who enjoys discovering fashion with friends, this offers a personal introduction to Ensemble and the chance to try something your usual shopping routine might never lead you toward.
Ask the boutique about arranging a private shopping experience, including availability, group size, refreshments, and any applicable discount.
A holiday gathering was also being considered at the time of our interview, with details still to be announced.
Your Look Good, Feel Good Check-In
Before your next shopping trip, finish this sentence:
“This fall, I want to show up feeling __________, __________, and __________.”
We put the question to our hosts, too. Their answers included energetic, polished, and put together.
What would yours be?
Keep those words beside your shopping list. When you try something on, ask: Does this help me feel that way, and where will I wear it?
Let the answers guide what earns a place in your wardrobe.
From Ensemble, to Our Fashion Friends
For the woman ready to elevate her style but unsure where to begin, Dae’s advice is direct:
“I would say you get uncomfy.”
Dae encourages women to try something unfamiliar, whether that’s a color, a balloon jean, or a new pattern combination.
Her encouragement is to explore first and discover what feels right through the process.
Kristen adds another part of the experience:
“Having someone help you see the possibilities.”
Kristen describes watching what a customer selects, then pulling additional pieces based on those preferences, often introducing something outside of their usual choices. She also helps complete the outfit, so the customer can picture wearing it beyond the fitting room. Ultimately, they leave with a new perspective and style they’re excited to show up confidently in.
“It’s all in helping someone figure out how to elevate their style.” - Kristen
For your next visit, bring a little curiosity, and let the team pull something you might not have picked yourself. Until next time, Fashion Friends.
VISIT ENSEMBLE NASHVILLE
Find it: 5014 Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Plan your visit: Monday - Saturday 11AM - 6 PM
Sunday 12PM - 5 PM
Ask about DAE’S FEATURED ARRIVALS :
Sometimes the first step toward elevating your style is simply giving yourself permission to explore.
Find your inspiration. Make it your own. Have your Wear To Stare Moment.
