Two of Nashville’s most passionate fashion advocates happen to be mother and daughter. Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Mclaine Richardson joined forces for Nashville Fashion Week and in business — with Mclaine as designer and owner at Margaret Ellis Jewelry and Connie serving as the head of business management and marketing.
Today, find out about Connie and Mclaine’s lifelong loves of art and fashion, what inspired them to go into business together, and how they spend quality time outside of work as this week’s mother-daughter FACES of Nashville duo!Â
What drew you to fashion?
Connie: I don’t remember ever not being fashion-obsessed. I inherently knew it was how I expressed myself from a young age. As far back as I can remember, I was putting on my own fashion shows. I played with Barbie way past an acceptable age. I endlessly poured through Mademoiselle and Seventeen magazines, dreaming of the day …
Mclaine: I knew since I was a little girl that I would be doing something creative. I just didn’t know exactly what it would be. When people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d answer a “paintist.” When asked if I meant a painter or an artist, I’d say that I was going to make up my own job. Little did I know!
I explored all mediums of art throughout high school and college. I took a sewing independent study in high school and even got a blue ribbon at the TN State Fair for my prom dress. I’ve tried lots of different mediums because I was always drawn to expressing myself visually, and fashion is the most outward expression of that.
What is the career trajectory that led you to this point?
Connie: I started modeling when I was 13 and really wanted to study fashion and move to NYC to run a fashion magazine. But a cute boy (hubby of 40 years) changed my trajectory, and I never left Tennessee. I studied marketing and English and pursued a 25-year career in the print advertising agency business, pre-internet. Automotive financial services, real estate, and hotels were my focus for years. When Mclaine left for college, I had that mother meltdown that I didn’t expect to have and started questioning what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I did a deep dive, tapped into my 18-year-old self, and knew it had to involve fashion.
It’s a long, crazy story, but I was offered the opportunity to launch a local style magazine in 2007, which led to several years of styling, creative direction, and fashion show production. That path led me to meet and mentor a lot of young creatives (designers, models, stylists, photographers, etc.), which ultimately translated to co-founding Nashville Fashion Week in 2010 to give them a platform for exposure.
I’ve also managed back-of-house and cast models for the Nashville Symphony Show with Gus Mayer since 2011, so I’ve had the privilege of working closely with most of my dream designers. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been living and breathing Nashville fashion for 17 years. I love the creativity of fashion, but it’s the people that have my heart. This has truly been my favorite and most fulfilling season of life so far, and it’s even more meaningful because I’ve gotten to share it with Mclaine.
Mclaine: A couple of years after graduation, I worked on a freelance graphic design and photography project for a client and reconnected with Margaret through a Facebook post my mom had made. I had grown up very familiar with Margaret because it was the only jewelry Mom wore, and it was the first piece of nice jewelry gifted to me at 10 years old.
Margaret brought me on temporarily to help during the holiday rush while one of our metalsmith artists was sick. I started to learn her techniques and how to create jewelry in a studio rather than in the production methods I had been taught in jewelry classes. And I taught her how to use social media and updated manual tasks she had been doing since the ’80s. I worked for Margaret for three years before she asked if I’d like to buy her business. That was almost 11 years ago now; the rest is history.
What inspired you to go into business together?
Connie: Mclaine and I are a great team! Our varied gifts, skills, and personalities complement one another. I’ve always sucked Mclaine into whatever I’ve been involved with since she was a little girl. She’s been an instrumental team player in Nashville Fashion Week since day one. She serves as our creative director, designing and overseeing all of our graphics and photography, as well as anything else that needs to be done at all hours of the night.
When she purchased Margaret Ellis Jewelry in 2012, I “volunteered” to help her with marketing and strategic planning. Little did either of us know what we were signing up for!
Mclaine: Working with my mom wasn’t originally a “conscience” decision. We’ve always balanced each other out. I started helping her with graphics for Style615 when I was in college, then once she started Nashville Fashion Week, it was just something I continued to help her with. Whenever she needed help with check-in, backstage, or styling photoshoots, I would help. I enjoyed those tasks and being part of her world. Eventually, I told her I was done with the anxiety of working backstage, so she put me in charge of wrangling photographers and front-of-house tasks.
When I took over Margaret’s business, it was just as natural for her to help me with it. I was 26 years old. I had never run a business, and she had managed several. We’re a good team!
What is the best part about working together, and what is the biggest challenge?
Connie: The best part of working with Mclaine is spending so much time with her. I love having a front-row seat in her life. My little girl is quite the amazing woman! The biggest challenge is also spending so much time with Mclaine! We are seriously enmeshed in one another’s lives, so separating work from our personal relationship can be difficult. Sometimes, I have to pull rank and remind her that I’m her mama; other times, she has to remind me of her boundaries.
Mclaine: The best part of working together is she helps me with things I struggle with doing. But that also is our biggest challenge. Because I ask for help, she thinks that means I want her input with everything, so I get her feedback even when I don’t want it. We can both be opinionated, so we definitely have moments of high drama. But we’re back to BFF mode five minutes later.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Connie: That is the $6 million question! At 62, I’m entering yet another season of change and discovery. What do I want to do with the rest of my life? How do I balance what I want while still caring for myself and the needs of the people I love? I think that’s a question all women have to continually ask themselves. I don’t know what my next chapter looks like yet, but I’m excited by the possibilities.
Mclaine: Margaret Ellis Jewelry keeps me busy. I desire to invest in myself with more travel and education. I love to learn new things. I’ve got a few areas of interest I plan to explore as well as revisit some old interests more in-depth.
What are your favorite ways to spend time together when you aren’t working?
Connie: We have a standing family hike at Radnor every Saturday morning with no work conversation allowed. Mclaine and I also love to shop, attend dance performances at OZ Arts, and travel together.
Mclaine: We hike every Saturday at Radnor Lake together (along with Dad).
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Connie: Love one another. Period.
Mclaine: My mom always uses silly little sayings that I have picked up from her. They are so ingrained in me that half the time, I don’t even realize most people have never heard them. The one I’m really trying to own, that she’s preached to me for years, is “Be present.” We live in a loud world where we are pulled in 90 different directions on a daily basis. I’m a task-oriented person, so it’s easy for me to miss opportunities to connect. But I find it incredibly important to be there for friends, customers, and anyone I have the pleasure of coming in contact with throughout the day. Leave your phone in your purse and just “be.”
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what three things can’t you live without?
Connie: Radnor Lake, my weekly CSA basket, and most definitely foot rubs.
Mclaine: Mia, my 15-year-old Havanese (although she’s most definitely family!). My external hard drives. Radnor Lake.
Lightning Round:
If you could recommend one book, series, or podcast, what would it be?
Connie: The Bear! I recently binge-watched both seasons in a few days. I highly recommend this intense saga of struggle, growth, and chosen family.
Mclaine: I know I’m late to the game, but I finally just finished watching all seasons of Ted Lasso, which everyone needs to binge.
What was your most recent (local) memorable meal, and where were you?
Connie: A recent family dinner at Il Forno is at the top of the memorable meal list. Sharing homemade pasta and pizza with people you love is always a good idea.
Mclaine: I’m always game for Il Forno. The last time we went was while my mom’s sister was in town, and we were gifted limoncello from the owner. Watching my uncle and grandmother’s reaction to their first sip was a family memory we will talk about for years to come.
Where are your favorite local places to shop?
Connie: Believe it or not, I’m not a big shopper for myself. But local designers UAL, Gus Mayer, Shop Alice, Hero, and Emerson Grace are my go-to spots when I’m on the prowl. And I’m always adding to my extensive Margaret Ellis Jewelry collection, of course.
Mclaine: UAL, Hero, and Parrish.
What destination is on your travel bucket list?
Connie: Croatia was not even on my bucket list, but it will always be my favorite trip of all time. I’d love to go back and explore that beautiful country even more.
Mclaine: I’m always up for a European adventure. I’m in a nostalgic mindset and want to go back to Paris, London, and Florence soon.
What is one piece of jewelry you can’t imagine living without?
Connie: That’s a hard question, considering I literally have a giant tackle box full of ME jewelry. I have an extensive collection dating back to the early ’90s. My husband bought my first piece for me from Margaret at McClures and continued to gift me with her designs until Mclaine took over. That bronze cross will always hold a special place in my heart. Mclaine’s Electron Bracelet is also a statement piece I will cherish forever. Carolina Herrera admired it when I met her, so Mclaine made her one, too. I framed her thank you note.
Mclaine: My most precious piece of jewelry is my diamond stack rings that I made after my grandfather’s death. I have diamonds from his tie pin, my mom’s original engagement ring, and a ring my parents gave me when I turned 13. It reminds me that my family is always with me.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Connie and Mclaine! And thanks to Courtney Eckdahl for the images.Â
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Nashville women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them at our FACES archives!
