Lily Aldridge Talks Balance, Beauty and Building Her Dream Family Life in Nashville (Exclusive)

For Lily Aldridge, the idea of slowing down doesn’t mean pressing pause — it means becoming more intentional. That ethos is woven into every stitch of the model’s 14-piece pajama capsule with Eberjey, a collection that turns cozy nights into chic mornings, thanks to romantic slip dresses, silk sets and a touch of rockstar plaid. 

“I love to paint in watercolors,” Aldridge tells PEOPLE during an intimate sit-down ahead of the line’s launch in Franklin, Tenn. “And I love painting flowers. What I love about these designs is that flowers are usually associated with spring, but we chose a color palette that felt more fall.” That vision bloomed into the capsule’s hero print — a delicate botanical floral pulled directly from one of Aldridge’s own paintings.

She describes the aesthetic as “cozy and luxe,” but also “very wearable” if you’re looking to feel cute for a night out. Read: These aren’t your average pajamas. There’s the floral slip that Aldridge paired with black heels and the collection’s silk robe at the launch party on Sept. 18. But she also plans to wear it with boots and a turtleneck for a concert date night. There’s a lace-trimmed short set that pairs just as well with a chunky knit as it does with morning coffee.

And there’s even a men’s piece — co-designed with her husband, Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill. “I really wanted a plaid, but I wanted it to feel very different from a traditional plaid,” she says. “He helped me pick the styles… It’s delicate and cool and not the common plaid you’re used to.”

She already has her outfit planned for the next concert her husband plays in Nashville: “I was actually planning on wearing the Inez silk cami top in the merlot with jeans and just brown boots,” she smiles. “It’s cool, elevated and easy.”

And bonus, you can also wash these pieces right at home.

“One thing I love about Eberjey is that it’s luxe, it’s silk, but you can also wash it,” she says. “I don’t want to dry clean my pajamas. That’s so impractical.”

Whether it’s soft layers designed for the home or elevated separates meant for going out, the throughline is clear: comfortable pieces that look effortlessly cool. 

“I love that about the slip dresses… You can wear it with a turtleneck and boots in the winter or just wear it cozy at home,” she says. “When we were designing this, I was like, I want the tops for people to wear with black trousers and a tuxedo jacket for the holiday season.”

For Aldridge, creativity isn’t just a job — it’s a lifestyle. She’s passionate about home decor, deeply inspired by fashion, and most recently, she has brought painting into her work as a designer. “I do love painting. It’s like a meditation to me,” she says. “My dad was an artist and I feel like it’s brought me closer to him… I understand why he was painting all the time. This is so wonderful.”

Her world, while glamorous, is grounded in rhythm and ritual. Like her family’s Sunday night dinners: “My husband cooks spaghetti bolognese every Sunday. Doesn’t matter where we are, what’s going on, who’s working — we have a family dinner and we play games,” she shares. “We really are a team.”

Home for Aldridge is Nashville, where she’s lived for 18 years — almost as long as she’s been with Followill (the couple married in 2011). “The community’s just wonderful,” she says. “It’s a great place to raise a family.” And as a mother of two, her kids, daughter Dixie, 13, and son Winston, 6,  are never far from her style radar. “I always want them to think I look cool,” she laughs. “My daughter’s my biggest fashion critic. She loves fashion. My son too. We just went to Disney World and he’s really into Star Wars, so I wore a Star Wars T-shirt every day. He thought it was so cool.”

While Aldridge continues to make bold strides in fashion and design, she’s equally vocal about boundaries. Especially as a working mom.

“I think you just have to know yourself, know your family, know how much you can and know to say no when you can’t,” she says. “It’s the season of life and I’m so grateful for it.”

That authenticity extends into her self-care habits, too. “I love a bath. I always have. I find it so grounding,” she says. “It’s a time where I always come back and I just am like, ‘Thank you for my life.’”

Aldridge’s gratitude was on full display at the launch event for her Eberjey x Lily Aldridge collection held at Southall Farm & Inn, located just outside of Nashville. The event brought together a mix of celebrities, influencers and VIPs for the ultimate pajama party, everyone styling pieces from the capsule. 

Singer Jessie James Decker & her sister, Sydney Rae Bass, actress Laura Prepon, model Josephine Skriver, co-founders of The Home Edit, Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer, creator and style tastemaker Brittany Xavier, and the co-founders of Eberjey, Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito, all joined together to fete the collection. 

The dreamlike, boho-inspired tablescape overlooked the area’s rolling hills at sunset. Aldridge floated across the party, thanking everyone for their support. The event was her vibe in a nutshell — beautiful, breezy and effortlessly cool.

Lily Aldridge x Eberjey is available now at eberjey.com with prices ranging from $48 to $298.