Bright Pants

Dear Kara,

I have been obsessed with my Purple Prada Pants lately which are full on 70's Bell Bottom and wanted to see what other bright pant silhos the stars have been spotting. I love the pleated wide leg trouser look on Rachel Bilson and Chrissy Teigen- it makes an elegant pant fun. The Hammer pants on Nicole Richie look AMAZING but I don't think I could pull that off, that is for waifs only. Jessica Alba's easy pegged pants look so comfortable and Kate Middleton's cigarette pants look like a great staple that goes with everything.

XOXOOXOXOX

Margaret

My C.Jane Picks...

Dear Margaret,

     Hi! I'm in Austin for a C.Jane interview/photo shoot for Austin Monthly Magazine.. (and bachelorette party:) and wanted to share with you my favorite picks from C.Jane.. the store looks so good right now.. nice to see Spring clothes finally!

xo,

Kara

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent dresses with Love Heals necklaces.. so pretty for spring weddings!

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Tank with BB Dakota green skort and Love Heals necklace.. love these colors together.

Love this outfit because it looks like Chloe! Joie white top with Mcginn peach high waisted shorts and Love Heals necklace. I bought the shorts:)

Chan Luu and Nakamol bracelets

12th Street fringe nude dress with Love Heals layered. Obsessed.

Jen's Pirates Booty Guadalajara cut offs and Kenny high waisted Guadalajara shorts! I def have some of these:) Summer staples with white Joie linen slub tees

Minnie Rose fringe scarves in pop colors.. can also be used as sarong. Great for vacay

Vanessa Mooney Tribal jewelry.. love that this is in right now!

French Connection fringe white shirt with Sam and Lavi pink lace shorts (elastic waist... genius).. they come in black and sand too and are only $98. Love this Feed bag as a travel bag or beach bag! Chan Luu necklace.

LOOOve this Beyond Vintage sweater with lace insert sleeve detailing. This is an exact replica of one of their vintage Chanel sweaters! So cute with the 12th st tank and Jbrand cut offs.

Ronaldo prayer bracelets.. these are so cool stacked (there are different styles!) and are real gold.

**all items available at C.Jane in Austin, Texas (512) 236-1435

My new Alexander Wang "Rocco" Bag...

Dear Margaret,

       Speaking of handbags, I forgot to tell you!.. Nana sent me her Alexander Wang "Rocco" Bag I picked out for her at Barney's in L.A. because it was too heavy for her! (It is very heavy bc the grommets on the bottom but I can handle it.. she's like 85 pounds:) I've always loved it so much and admired the way Kate Bosworth styles it all casual chic..Now I can do the same! Here's some pics of the beauty and of my inspiration for outfits! (can purchase at www.neimanmarcus.com) 

xo,

Kara

My "new" Alexander Wang Rocco handbag.. such a beautiful color and pebbled leather.. in love.

Other Alexander Wang bags.. Love all of them. Edgy without being too hardcore.

Celebs with the "Rocco" bag.. love the way Nicki Hilton styles it here.

My fave Kate. So classic yet interesting!

Pop Bags

J. Crew Edie Purse

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/handbags/shoulderbags/PRDOVR~44804/44804.jsp

Dear Kara,

I need to try that recipe.... Micheal and I both love our wings. 

It has turned cold in NYC again this week but my bright yellow Michael by Michael Kors is keeping me cheerful. It is amazing how the purse manages to go with everything. Bright purses are big for the season so I wanted to share some of my favorites I have been seeing on the streets.

XOXOXOOXOX

Margaret

Marc By Marc Jacobs Shopper

http://www.marcjacobs.com/marc-by-marc-jacobs/womens/bags/m3121024/bars-and-bells-tote#?p=1&s=27

Cambridge "The Fluoro" in other NEONS! Love them all

http://www.cambridgesatchel.co.uk/shop/collections/the-fluro#

Michael by Michael Kors

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-michael-kors-medium-travel-tote/3217680?origin=category&resultback=1428

Mulberry Holiday Bayswater Patent Textured Leather Bay

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/190507

Healthy Buffalo Chicken fix..

Dear Margaret,

     That wedding looked gorgeous! Great pics:) Here's a delicious recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs (www.busybuthealthy.com).. I made it yesterday and Ryan couldn't even tell it was healthy (huge plus).. they taste like real dude wings:) You should definitely try them.. here's the recipe:

Grain Free Buffalo Chicken tenders: serves 4

-1 pound of raw chicken tenders
-1/2 cup of almond meal (ground raw almonds)- I bought mine at Sprouts in the bulk section
-1 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt.. big difference)
-Pepper
-1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce..(she mentions you can sub BBQ sauce if you don't like spicy)

*Preheat oven 400 degrees. In shallow bowl, mix almond meal, garlic powder and desired amount of pepper. Place raw chicken in mixture to coat. Place in oven-proof dish or cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Mist the "breaded" chicken with oil cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Meanwhile, place hot sauce in larger bowl. Remove tenders from oven. While still hot, lightly dunk in hot sauce using tongs. Serve with side salad.

Nutrition facts per serving:
calories:179, fat:8.4, carb:3.7, sugar:.7, fiber:1.6, protein: 23

Hope you like!

xo,
Kara

Grain Free Buffalo Chicken Strips.. recipe from www.busybuthealthy.com .. one of my fave blogs



Served with side salad drizzled with Annie's lite honey mustard dressing and shaved Romano cheese.. for a complete, balanced meal.

Dear Kara,

That recipe looks yummy! I wanted to share some pics from the wedding I was at last weekend. Everything was beautiful but my favorite was the decor. The wedding took place at the Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach; the hotel was just renovated and is amazing. I would highly recommend the place. Enjoy!

XOXOXOXOOX

Margaret

Flowers in the entry way. Love the combo. Hotel, The Breakers

Ceremony in the "Gold Room" Love the archway

Cocktail hour, Gorge!

St. Patty's Day Bagpipe Player

Reception, Tables a mixure of sizes and shapes- LOVE

LOVE this arrangement

Crunchy Spicy Chickpeas...craving squashers

Dear Margaret,

      Today I made some crunchy, spicy chickpeas to satisfy my craving for salty chips:) It definitely did the trick! I saw a similar recipe in my new "clean eating" magazine, but  I changed the seasonings to my likings. I recommend these for sure.. plus it's so easy. Here's the recipe:

Crunchy Spicy Chickpeas

-2 cans (15 oz) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
-2 tablespoons of olive oil of your choice.. I used jalapeno infused
- sea salt
- ground cayenne red pepper (If you aren't in the mood for spicy, I think garlic powder would be really good too.. or lemon pepper!)
-Olive oil spray (to help the seasoning stick)-- optional- (the original recipe didn't call for this but when they were done cooking, I thought they looked a lil dry.. so I added this)

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chickpeas on large baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the chickpeas evenly on the baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until very crisp.. about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, spray with olive oil spray, and sprinkle desired amount of seasonings. Serve warm or at room temp.

*Nutrition facts: (1/4 cup) Calories:182,  Fat:6, Carbs:25, Fiber:5, Sugars:1, Protein:8

xo,
Kara

The ingredients: 2 cans of organic garbanzo beans, any type of olive oil (mine is jalapeno infused), ground cayenne red pepper, and sea salt

The final product:) soooo good and filling. Quite addictive.

Olive oil spray.. I used this after they were done cooking and before I added the seasonings.. that way it would stick better and be more moist.. without added calories:)

New Obsession: Trove T'Kees Flip Flops

Dear Kara,

I am back from my Florida vacation; West Palm Beach and Naples were awesome. My favorite purchase that I have to tell you about are Trove T'Kees flip flops..$48! They are made in Brazil and are the first skinny flip-flop I have tried on that is actually comfortable! Normally skinny flip flops give me rubs across the top of my feet and between my toes but these needed no break in whatsoever. They come in TONS of colors and every shade of neutral, but the Rose Gold got me. I liked how the rose gold makes them a bit dressy and glam. 

XOXOXOXO

Margaret

My new Rose Gold Flip Flops

http://www.tkees.com/

Dear Margaret,

       My Isabel Marant boots came today (had them shipped so I could save tax $ duh)!!!! I've been wanting these forever, so when I was in Manhattan Beach, CA last week we stopped back into Wright's boutique and they still had them. I called Ryan and convinced him to buy them for my for my Bday:) Anyways, Isabel Marant has been my favorite designer for quite some time now and I'm so excited to finally have these neutral slouchy boots that I can wear with everything! Here are pics of some of my favorite looks.

xo,

Kara

P.S. these are available at www.net-a-porter.com too.



my new boots:)



Coconut oil, the "miracle" food..

Dear Margaret,

      Hope you have safe travels back from Florida.. can't wait to hear abou your trip and see pics! In the meantime, I wanted to share this with you!:

As you know, I’m a diet/health/fitness fanatic…obsessed with reading and learning about anything and everything to improve my health, aging process, appearance, energy, etc. etc. etc. I’ve read a million times that coconut oil is supposed to be a miracle food…but the idea of adding saturated fat calories to my diet always really freaked me out… until I tried it.

My parents, Ryan, and I were in Flagstaff one weekend just lounging around a beautiful mountain home and opened  Kevin Trudeau’s book “more natural ‘cures’ revealed” that was sitting on the bed side table. Of course we turned right to the weight loss sectionJ and there was that  “coconut  oil” word again. Since I had strength in numbers (If I got fat trying it, so did they haha), and since the health benefits listed were so intense and promising (aka helps prevent Alzheimer's which runs in my family), we finally decided to get some unrefined, extra-virgin, expeller-pressed coconut oil at the local health market to try. There are many suggestions on how to use it… like cooking with it, spreading it on bread (like butter), putting it in your coffee, etc. etc. but we decided to just melt it and take it like a shot (1 tablespoon in morning and one in late afternoon..I actually mix mine with Zico coconut water, mango flavor, to cut the oily consistency). My cousin just told me too that she dips some almonds in it after meals as a lil dessert.. genious.

Coconut oil contains a high amount of lauric acid which has many healing properties, but most importantly it gets burned for energy immediately and doesn’t easily store in the body as fat. I have been taking it for almost two months now and I’ve noticed that my sugar cravings aren’t as bad and my energy level seems to be better. Apparently it helps you lose weight too… If you are skeptical like I was, here is a great book to load you up with info… you have nothing to loseJ I’m sold.  *side note BONUS* I bought one that I hated the taste of so I put the tub in my shower and use it on my skin and ends of hair before I get out … best natural moisturizer ever!

xo,

Kara



http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Miracle-Previously-published-Healing/dp/1583332049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332083829&sr=8-1





LA Market Trip, Fall 2012 Preview

Dear Margaret,

      I'm back from market!!! So glad you posted our "hearts of palm" dip... it's the best ever and the world should know about it:) Anyways, L.A. was so much fun! We shopped and ate and worked and exercised and ate and wrote orders and ate, etc. etc. I did a lot of pre-shopping for myself this market too.. yikes.. you're going to have to help me pick and choose. I'm such a sucker for outerwear. Thought I'd share with you some of my fave pics from my buying trip with c.jane and Pink Lagoon (boutiques)... almost like you were right there with us:) Also, here were the main trends we saw for Fall 2012:

-Merlot hues.. especially in fur (real and faux) and leather
-Leather detailing on everything! (which I love and know you do too)
-Aztec/Navajo still
-Velvet burn-out detailing
-Animal prints.. especially snakeskin
-Shearling coats and vests
-Short booties
-Fringe still

Hope you're having fun in Florida!
xo,
Kara





Last night dinner at Palmilla Cocina y Tequila in Hermosa Beach, Ca. First time to try it.. so good. I made it semi-heatlhy by having my beef on corn tortilla and instead of refried beans and rice, I subbed vegetable quinoa and black beans. But then of course I had skinny margaritas and tres leches rum cake:) You HAVE to go here next time you're in Cali:

http://www.palmillarestaurant.com/



Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Navajo sherpa bomber jacket in army, Fall 2012.  Will be available at C.Jane boutique.. 512-236-1435

Chan Luu necklaces layered on a cropped fringe leather top in Chesnut. I definitely wrote a personal for this top:) Will be available at C.Jane boutique: 512-236-1435

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Navajo Velvet Burn out top in deep plum.. .you know velvet makes me cringe but this one was actually done beautifully. Will be available at C.Jane boutique: 512-236-1435



Chan Luu wrap bracelets... will be available at Pink Lagoon Boutique: 858-792-0882



The Grilled Ahi Tuna and Hortaat Petros Greek Restaurant in Manhattan Beach, Ca... where we always stay. Our favorite restaurant. So clean, nutritious, and such great quality meats, cheeses, and produce. Sometimes we even go twice:) This is what my mom gets without fail.

www.petrosrestaurant.com/

The Petros Horiatiki Salad with Chicken. My "go to" meal everytime with a side of Fasolatha soup and house made hummus. It's so clean, refreshing, and light.

www.petrosrestaurant.com/

12th Street by Cynthia Vincent faux fur vest with embellishment.. so stunning, both stores ordered this piece. Will have to have:) Will be available at: C.Jane and Pink Lagoon come fall.



Cleobella hand woven clutches. She has an awesome story.. check it out.

 http://www.cleobella.com/. Available at c.jane boutique 512-236-1435.



French Kande American Alligator skin cuffs. We just picked them up per special request and Kande (the designer) is such a sweetheart... all of her skins are domestic, which makes it even better:) coming soon to c.jane boutique.

 http://www.frenchkande.com/



Precious Dolce Cabo crotchet fur vest.. can't live without it. Coming to both stores in August. Call if you want to reserve one!



Boutique 9 Sparkle back peep-toes. We ordered the orange/red ones for c.jane, but they are both precious.



Community Service Showroom.. where we write Rory Beca. So beautiful and we love our reps, Dena and Allison:)



Sweet Jenny (owner of Pink Lagoon boutiques) in this amazing Elizabeth and James Shearling/Suede jacket.. that we both ordered for ourselves:) This honker is expensive but super worth it.. total investment/lifetime piece. Ordered a few for both c.jane and Pink Lagoon ..so if you're interested, may want to call and get on wait list. We will both be wearing this around NYC come September market haha.

Feed Guatemala bags.. so excited to finally get them. They have an amazing story too.. for every bag you buy, it feeds 15 people in a certain region that they are featuring. We ordered them for immediates so they should be in both stores soon.. perfect timing for summer:) http://www.feedprojects.com/

Haute Hippie cow skull sweatshirt. Will be at Pink Lagoon for fall. I want:)

Sixty Seven hidden wedge high top sneakers... just like the Isabel Marant ones but a fraction of the price. Ordered for me and for c.jane.. coming in April. 512-236-1435

Joie leather jackets.. beautiful colors and great shape. We ordered the tan one for Pink Lagoon!

June Leather Puffer.. great spin to your classic leather jacket. I had to have one.. and so did both stores!

Amazing new Love Heals long cross necklaces. They are such an awesome, family owned company and for every design sold, 10 trees are planted in Ethiopia! www.loveheals.com/ 

Most gorgeous Mara Hoffman tribal print chiffon blouse.. will be at both stores!

Minnie Rose Cashmere Tribal Fringe Poncho.. ordered in white/tan also.. Looooove it.

Gorgeous Missoni Pump- speechless. Coming to Pink Lagoon boutique.

Precious Ombre Dolce Cabo fur vest. A great way to incorporate fall's merlot color but still keep it neutral. Both stores.

Rory Beca leopard dress. Will be at c.jane. This is just the way I would style it.. with casual boots and messy hair:)

Rory Beca chevron tie front blouse and high waisted leather shorts.. duh ordered both for myself:) The top will be at c,jane. The outfit will be sported on me with my Isabel Marant boots and turqouise jewelry:)

Loooove this look by Rory Beca. Chunky sweater+shorts+booties= perfection

Rebecca Taylor black leather/tweed combo jacket. Great update to your classic. Available at Pink Lagoon.

Splendid showroom.. their method to display color options. So cute and clever.

See by Chloe lookbook. Love it. Ordered a lot of cute styles for Pink Lagoon!

My "creature of habit" clean breakfast I order every morning before market at the Zinc cafe at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach, CA: Steel cut oats with berries and naners, 2 poached eggs, coffee with soy milk. And it's only $10!!!! The wait staff is so nice and accomadating.. they always send us on our way with huge to go cups full of coffee! If you go, make sure to ask for Gustavo... nicest guy around. http://www.shadehotel.com/