Former Chattanoogan's designs channel timeless Parisian style

September 1, 2018 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated August 23, 2018 at 2:54 p.m.

In the words of enduring style icon Audrey Hepburn, "Happiest girls are the prettiest girls." But a flattering dress never hurts. Carmella DiMella dresses have a vintage vibe reminiscent of the '40s and '50s, when women wore gloves and wouldn't dream of leaving the house without a swipe of lipstick.

Designer and former Chattanoogan Kerri Jamison recently moved her handmade dress business overseas to Paris, the birthplace of Christian Dior, whom she counts among her main inspirations.

The City of Light is also home to many women who take a lot of pride in the way they look, favoring simple, timeless pieces that make dressing up as easy as throwing on a pair of yoga pants. Jamison channels that Parisian style with her Carmella DiMella designs, with dresses focused on a flattering fit while not omitting attention to practical details, such as the addition of pockets and use of quality fabric that's also machine washable.

"It's going back to a time when you could tell the shape of a woman's body," says Jamison, who learned the art of dressmaking at age 8 from her mother. The skill was passed down from Jamison's great-grandmother, Carmella DiMella, who made wedding dresses in her native Italy before coming to the States in the early 1900s. It's from her that Jamison gleaned the idea of taking a simple piece of fabric and turning it into something that enhances a woman's body, making her feel truly beautiful.

A Carmella DiMella dress

Jamison advocates dressing up for almost any occasion, even in Chattanooga, where you're likely to be asked which wedding you've attended if you wear a dress outside of church. "It shows a level of respect for others and for yourself," she says. "It would be a more beautiful world if everyone dressed up a little bit - or at least when you go for a $15 drink at Flying Squirrel."

For the most part, Jamison eschews prints for solid fabrics, particularly navy blue, emerald and other jewel tones. Not only are solids super-flattering and timeless, she says, they're also easy to put on repeat rotation - something worth considering as your social calendar fills with fall benefits and luncheons and the holidays begin to loom in the distance.

If the stock of Carmella DiMella dresses at Sarah Campbell's Signal Mountain gallery, Culture and Couture, has been depleted, don't fret. It doesn't mean you need to hop a flight to Paris (though we would argue there is always a need). Jamison will soon have her designs available online at carmelladimella.com.

Check out her Instagram @carmelladimella for some serious fashion (and travel) inspiration.

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