Wild About Feathers and Fur

Along with the animal prints that have made their way back into mainstream fashion this fall, feathers and fur have also made a strong comeback. Whether faux or real, feather and fur jackets, scarves, skirts and dresses are making winter clothes even warmer this season. Look how warm and cozy the Olsen twins look in the brisk, chilly New York City weather in their over-sized black fur coats! Here are some of my favorite buys to bundle up and sport the “foxy” trend.

Feathers look winter-y and warm in a jacket or vest like this navy feather jacket from ASOS, but the great thing about feathers is that they are not restricted only to fall and winter. This J Crew sequin skirt with multi-colored feather embellishments works great for any season. This cobalt blue BCBG belt is also a great buy for all seasons, and the bright, beautiful color and unique texture that the feathers offer would make any plain top or dress stand out!

Fur is a great staple for your winter wardrobe because although it comes and goes as a trend, it is still a classic that can always be worn will inevitably come back into mainstream fashion. This Tucker leopard faux fur jacket takes the animal print and fur trend in a two for one combo, making it extremely fashion forward, and super warm and cozy too. This brown faux fur wrap from The Limited would look great with any winter jacket, and comes at an amazingly low price too! Cheap Monday's unique black sweater dress with faux fur detailing makes for a great winter dress and would look great with heels on a warmer day or tights and boots for those chilly winter nights.



The feather and fur craze is a great example of how textures are extremely popular.This weekend at the grand opening of my Austin retail store customers gravitated toward my textured pod earrings collection. Inspired by my customer's favorite choices, I am featuring my Melody and Rena Earrings in all colors in my Daily Deals for this week! Pair them with your favorite fur or feather piece and you'll have this fall trend mastered!

Kendra Scott Retail Store Grand Opening Tomorrow!

I cannot believe our grand opening at the new space is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited to share my passion with Austinites! We will be open tomorrow from 10-8pm and I will be there to celebrate with cupcakes and champagne. Please stop by to say "Hello!" and check out some of our fabulous pieces. The new Kendra Scott retail store is located in Austin’s trendy SOCO district at 1400 South Congress, nestled between By George and Service Menswear. We will be open Monday-Saturday 10-8pm and Sunday 11-6pm.

Along with hundreds of gorgeous gems from my collection, the store will also feature a live Color Bar, where you and your girlfriends can have a fun and creative experience of playing designer. We also have several great holiday gifts to choose from for under $75, so come check it out at tomorrow’s grand opening!

I’m also super excited because today, Tribeza came by for a photo shoot of the new space. Tribeza is an amazing and well-respected Austin lifestyle and culture publication and I’m honored to be a feature in their upcoming December issue. Also, be sure to mark your calendars for the Austin Christmas Affair going on next week from November 17-21. We will have a booth featuring beautiful pieces from our holiday and resort collections. Christmas Affair will be open Thursday 12-9 pm, Friday 10-8pm, Saturday 10-7 pm and Sunday 11-5 pm. Click here to get your tickets online!

Hope to see you tomorrow for the Kendra Scott grand opening event!

Kendra’s Philanthropy Wednesdays: Remember Haiti

Nearly ten months after an earthquake devastated Haiti, Hurricane Tomas passed between Cuba and Haiti this past weekend, putting the 1.3 million Haitians living in tents and shacks in grave danger. At least 21 people were killed due to floods caused by the tropical storm and over 1,000 homes were destroyed by the floods caused by Tomas. With the new danger and devastation that Tomas brought and the recent October cholera outbreak that has already infected over 5,000 people and killed 400, it is so important that we recognize that Haitians are still in desperate need of our help. Although some of the charitable organizations have ceased in bringing aid to Haiti, there are still some organizations that are continuing to raise money and bring volunteers to Haitians. Listed below are some of the organizations that are still sending supplies and volunteers to Haiti, and ways you can help give to these people affected by the devastation.

CARE: CARE has organized volunteers from throughout the country, distributed supplies, and disseminated information about storm preparedness for hurricane Tomas. You can donate specifically to hurricane Tomas and cholera outbreak relief by clicking here.

International Medical Corps: This nonprofit organization is providing critical medical care to cholera victims while simultaneously taking preventive measures to make sure the cholera outbreak doesn’t spread to the larger population. You can donate anywhere from $24-$5,000 to International Medical Corps by clicking here.

Meds and Food For Kids: This nonprofit helps provide Haiti’s malnourished children with Medika Mamba—a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. You can donate any amount of money to Meds and Food For Kids here.

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is on the ground in Haiti, funding programs that create jobs, teach skills and assist local businesses. As of today, the fund has raised $52 million in contributions and has committed $20 million to various different projects. You can check out what they're doing and make a contribution to their efforts by clicking here.

Unicef: The United States Fund is dedicated to help the Haitian children in the wake of this disaster, and you can donate any amount by clicking here.

Please don’t forget about the millions of Haitians who need our help! Any amount of money you can give could end up providing food, a home, or even save the life of a child or adult in the aftermath of this devastating disaster.

Fall Fashion Turns Southwestern Chic

This Wednesday evening, country stars across the United States will head to Nashville for the 44th annual CMA Awards. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be hosting it again this year, and I can’t wait to see the other country celebrities that this star-studded evening will bring out! Thinking about the CMA Awards inspired me to talk about the current western trend that has women turning to cowgirl inspired leather riding boots and Native American infused cardigans and sweaters to keep warm in the chilly weather. I love the southwestern look that many celebrities have been sporting, like Camila Belle's (right) tan fringed skirt and over-sized belt and country cutie Miley Cyrus' funky cowboy boots, daisy dukes and southwestern style jewelry.

As Miley shows in the above picture, turquoise is the perfect stone to compliment the southwestern look, and here at Kendra Scott, we carry several different styles of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings in this bright and beautiful gem. Our southwestern-inspired Cayenne pieces, which include a mix of turquoise and tiger’s eye, look amazing with this trend. All of my Cayenne pieces are on sale in my Daily Deals for this week, so you can get the western look for less!

Brown, worn-in cowboy boots and riding boots are a staple for your fall wardrobe. Here, Joy Bryant completes the urban cowgirl look from top to bottom in her cowboy boots, floral dress, cardigan and leather belt. To get some great cowgirl boots at an even better price, check out the Matisse Georgia Boots from DSW. If riding boots like Alyson Hannigan’s are more your style, look at these Halogen Saffron Tall Riding Boots from Nordstrom.



There are a couple of ways to wear the western look from airy, feminine floral dresses to Native American inspired sweaters and tunics. Lauren Conrad looks great in a belted floral dress with a matching leather bag and heels. Steal her look with this Charlotte Ronson Floral Pleated Ruffle Dress and brown braided Metallic Macrame Belt from Urban Outfitters, perfect for fall with its long sleeves. Ashley Tisdale rocks the western look with her Navajo inspired cardigan, complete with turquoise jewelry and brown boots. This Lucky Brand Woodland Fair Isle Cardigan Wrap would keep you warm and cozy and would look great paired with jeans and some riding boots.



I love Urban Outfitter's Pendleton Buckle Bag, complete with traditional Native American prints and a western buckle. Tory Burch’s Kara Tunic also incorporates American Indian prints with turquoise accents that would look great with black leggings and brown cowboy or riding boots.



Put your own twist on the southwestern look and be sure to tune into the CMA Awards on ABC this Wednesday night at 8/7 central where you can see country stars like Female Vocalist of the Year Nominee Taylor Swift and Grammy Award winner turned country artist Gwyneth Paltrow take the stage to perform! And if you are still surprised about Gwyneth's singing talent like me, check out her video of "Country Strong" on YouTube (she has a beautiful voice!).

Kendra’s Fashion Friday: The Vest Craze

When I walked into my office yesterday, I noticed that several of my team members were wearing vests! There was one in fur, a faux, and a festive suede number. This completely inspired me to blog about vests for my Fashion Friday post today. They are so hot right now, and can be seen everywhere from Forever 21 to Blair Waldorf. I absolutely love the idea of partnering a vest with an oversized top, a cute pair of cropped pants, and my favorite over the knee boots. Furry vests have especially been tickling my fancy this season. Look how chic and put together Heidi Klum looks with her black feather vest and shades!

With so many options floating around out there, I wanted to give everyone the 411 on where to find the cream of the crop. One of my team members, Celeste, found her amazing blue fox fur vest on E-bay. Kaki picked hers up at Zara. Recently, I have been eyeing the ones that Bergdorf Goodman featured on their latest e-blast. Take a gander at some of these fuzzy gems:

This authentic Michael Kors fox fur vest is to die for.

For something less pricey, check out this marvelous fluffy white Halston piece.

Shopbop.com has a wide variety of animal print vests available to purchase:

Kendra's Philanthropy Wednesdays: PlayBingo Ladies Luncheon

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to sponsor the Seventh Annual PlayBingo Ladies Luncheon that helped raise money for child victims of suspected abuse in Travis County. The event, also sponsored by Lexus of Austin and organized by the Friends of Christopher Guild, was on October 16th and was held here in Austin where ladies wearing tiaras and feather boas gathered for a day filled with great food, exciting rounds of competitive bingo, exceptional prizes, a glittering silent auction, and new to this year, Bubbles & Bling. This was a fabulous opportunity for the women to purchase a mystery jewelry item donated by us at Kendra Scott and a bottle of Lexus of Austin champagne. The bottles of bubbly and jewelry sold out in one hour and all together the event grossed more than $170,000 for the Center for Child Protection. Former Miss Texas Holly Mills-Gardner (right) emceed the event, and looked absolutely gorgeous in an emerald green dress and a matching pair of Kendra Scott Sona Chandelier Earrings. Sandra A. Martin (below left), CEO of Center for Child Protection, also looked stunning at the event in a Kendra Scott Galeana Bib Necklace.

It brought so much joy to us at Kendra Scott to be able to help such an amazing cause for children. The Center for Child Protection is a nationally accredited children’s advocacy center and is the first stop for children in Travis County who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, and for children who have witnessed a violent crime. Children go to the center for recorded interviews, medical exams, counseling and intervention during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. It’s the only non-profit in Travis County involved in the investigation of crimes against children, and all services are provided to children and their protective caregivers are at no cost. Last year alone, the center served nearly 1,500 children and more than 1,100 adults. As a mother of two little boys who are my world, it absolutely breaks my heart to hear about children who grow up in homes where they are abused and don't have a voice. I am so honored and proud to have been able to help the PlayBingo Ladies Luncheon raise money and awareness for these children in Austin.

Photography by Teri Mason.

It Just Comes Neutral!

One of the fall trends that I’m really excited about is the lean towards neutral colors in clothes, accessories, and even beauty products on the runways and the red carpets. I love the natural, clean, minimalist colors like beige, cream, khaki, and gray that look beautiful on all skin tones and lend our focus to the woman rather than the clothes, for a change. Neutral colors also great when paired with statement jewelry pieces! I did some research on the best way to wear these natural, organic colors, and choose my five favorite ways to wear the trend, along with complimentary pieces from my own line for each look.

1. Nude cocktail dresses paired with black pumps. One of the first things I noticed when looking at celebrities wearing solid nude and cream-colored dresses was that they most often paired them with black heels. Alberta Ferretti did this on his Fall 2010 runway, pairing nude-colored satin dresses, complete with girly black ribbon accents and black heels to correlate. Reese Witherspoon also does this (below) and looks stunning. My Nyla Starburst Earrings in Black would be the perfect piece to tie in black pumps with a nude dress. I love this nude-colored Kitson dress with black accents on the shoulders and these amazing black Stuart Weitzman pumps from Bluefly.com.


2. Gray over-sized sweaters. Who doesn’t love a big comfy sweater to throw over some jeans when it’s chilly outside? This year’s hot color for over-sized sweaters is the neutral color, gray. 3.1 Phillip Lim had gray sweaters galore featured on his Fall 2010 runway, like the super bulky one seen below. While a slouchy gray sweater looks great paired over jeans, the always fashion-forward Sarah Jessica Parker shows us that you can also wear it with a skirt and mini boots (below right). Any of my jewelry in Gray Pebble would look great with an over-sized gray sweater, and I’m featuring this color in my Daily Deals sale this week! Check out how great this gray over-sized sweater from Top Shop looks with my Nell Bib Statement Necklace in Gray Pebble.

3. Red dresses paired with nude heels. Nude heels are a must have for fall, and they look great when paired with a red cocktail dress, like Diane Kruger, Denise Richards, Kerry Washington and many other gorgeous celebs show us in the pictures below. Valentino paired some of his beautiful red mini dresses with nude heels on his fall 2010 runway too. A statement gold cuff, like my Ainsley Cuff in Gold, would be the perfect way to accessorize the red dress-nude heel duo without looking too gaudy. I love this BCBG one-shoulder dress seen here to the right. Just add some nude pumps and you've got this look down!

4. Khaki trench coats and jackets. Everyone (even Texans like myself), needs to have a few jackets and trenches that you can throw on with anything and everything. For Fall 2010, khaki jackets are the go-to jacket when your on the run and need something to keep you warm. Dries Van Noten had plethora of khaki jackets on his fall runway, and celebrities have been looking so sophisticated and put together in khaki jackets, like Alexa Chung does below in her trench. Gold hoops always look great with a casual outfit and my Elicia Beaded Hoop Earrings in Rose would go great with a khaki jacket or trench, like this Aquascutum Full-length jacket to the left.

5. Glamorous nude gowns. One prevailing trend at the awards shows and special evenings on the red carpet has been nude colored gowns. Whether you have deep bronzed skin like model Natalia Vodianova (below left), or porcelain fair skin like Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss, this color looks amazing on any skin tone. Gorgeous, elaborate nude gowns were seen on Christian Dior’s fall 2010 runway, like this one to the left. My new Sona Chandelier Earrings in Rose would be a gorgeous addition to one of these breathtaking gowns, like the Terani nude beaded evening dress to the left.