Southern Fall/Winter 2022

36 / ’southern
Ragan Dillon Cain ’99, BSC Trustee, readily admits she had to grow into her sense
of style. The former accounting major is now chief administrative officer at Tacala.
She’s also well-known for her celebrated lifestyle website, The Frances Flair, a
creative outlet for her “musings” on classic, Southern style.
“I did not have any style [when I was younger], and I truly mean that,” she says,
laughing. “Maybe that’s true for a lot of people.”
When others in her dorm read People or Glamour, she was perusing Southern
Living, Southern Accents, and other popular home decor titles.
“I’ve always been very interested in homes and design, but not so much fashion. I do
like color,” she says. “It took me a while to understand that about myself, but that’s
always been something that I’ve been drawn to, in my wardrobe and in my home.”
The vibrant dress she’s wearing (a much-loved favorite that she calls her
“uniform”), and her home (painted soft yellow) are perfect examples of how Cain’s
taste has evolved and in how she asserts confidence in her choices.
“It took me a long time to have the confidence to be that person. I laugh
because I look back at pictures and my sorority sisters and I dressed like
we were going to a business meeting,” Cain remembers. “So, I don’t feel
like I dressed for my true self back then. But who really knows who they
are when they’re 18 or 19 years old?”
How did she blossom into a woman with bold style?
“I think I just grew up,” she says. “I developed confidence, and had some
professional development and success. I came into my own and became
comfortable being myself. Then I wished I’d done it much sooner. I think
nobody really knows who they are until they’re in their forties.”
Cain, who describes herself as a “simple person at heart” and an “old
soul,” has been deeply molded by family members — including her late
father’s “fun sense of style.” Heirlooms and traditions passed down from
relatives who took nothing for granted are cherished — she shares her
name, Frances Ragan, with her maternal grandmother.
“At a young age I felt I was a lot like her,” Cain says. “She loved
family, and she loved old, beautiful things.”
Cain feels a deep admiration for her “traditionalist” and
independent grandmother — “a strong woman who worked back
when a lot of women didn’t work.”
“She did things the way she wanted to do them,” she says.
“I think that is a little lost in our society.”
This confidence extends to Cain’s distinctive
taste and creative choices, from an ice cream
cone-decorated dress worn to children’s
birthday parties and the Kentucky Derby,
to her pale-yellow-painted home.
“Something about turning 40 said,
‘If I’m going to have a yellow house, why
not now?’”
How best to summarize her bold,
timeless approach to life, rooted firmly
in authenticity and transcending anything
shallow? Cain shares a quote from an artist
she admires:
“When I grow up, I want to be exactly who I am,
but a bit nicer, stronger, smarter, a little more resilient and
open-minded. But most of all, I want to be happy.”