KGrace Blog

Last month's Press and Sales

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:03:00 GMT

Last month I held a private online sale on Pure Citizen. While there, EcoLux|Life featured K.Grace on their site.

See here: http://ecoluxlife.com/?s=grace

I love being associated with like-minded companies who are also trying their best to make the world a better place with sustainable ideas, good design, and an eco-friendly attitude.

It was such a pleasure working with Pure Citizen! Sign up for their email list, you'll be pleased with what pops up in your inbox.

In the meantime, there are still a few sizes left on the K.Grace sale. Get them while they last!

Styling Tip: Belts

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:03:00 GMT

One thing I love about wearing (and designing) dresses is their versatility. I also love being able to transform a look I have just by adding a new accessory.

Let's take a look at the Beach Dress, shall we?

First of all, this dress looks great on many different body types. The asymmetrical neckline and the flattering waistline really is designed to cover any imperfections you may feel in your stomach area.

Plus there are pockets! I mean, who doesn't love a good pocket? If you can get away without wearing a purse for the evening, it's the perfect size for your iphone and some lipstick.

I love seeing my customers in clothing I designed. But, I especially love to see the combinations they come up with to make it their own look. I appreciate that two people can be wearing the same dress and it can be styled to look differently on each person.

I've seen some great belts with this dress. Here are some examples of how you can change out this dress to keep it current and fresh.

Bright Skinny Belt

Photo via J.Crew

A pop of color can make even the dreariest days seem delightful. And remember your shoes don't need to match your belt or purse.

Vintage Belt

Photo via Ebay. Ebay has some awesome vintage belts (plus it's a more eco-friendly option.)

How have you (or would you) take this dress to make it your own?

This Week's Green Topic: Milk

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:14:00 GMT

In my personal life, I am dedicated to eco-friendly practices. Let the record reflect, that I do not claim to be an all-knowing, green expert. Nor are all of my practices 100% eco-friendly.

But, I TRY.

So it is what it is. And I'm learning as I go. I'd like to share what I learn so that we can all try together. Because that is what this life is all about - learning as we go to make the world a better place. Didn't you learn anything from Michael Jackson?

Michael Jackson - Heal the World video

One of my favorite green websites to go to is Care2. I find that the information they post is interesting and relevant and I find that I can learn enough to form my own opinions on what living green means for me and my family.

A lot of my research deals with the farming industry since that is where the fashion industry has it's roots. So while this doesn't directly deal with fashion, it is important to me since it has a lot to do with the wonderful farmers who grow our food and our clothes. So onto the topic of the day...

MILK. My husband and I have a one and half year old who drinks a lot of it. I was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed her for 14 months. When I was weaning her, we got to decide if we were going to switch her to regular cow's milk, organic cow's milk, goat milk, almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc. Really the possibilities were endless. In the end we decided to go with organic cow's milk. If you want start learning a bit I think a good place to start is here and here. I must admit, if our circumstances were different, I'd kinda want to live on a farm and drink raw milk from my very own cow. Just sayin'.

(photo courtesy)

I'd love to know: What (if any) types of milk do you drink in your home?

There's a sale going on right here...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:48:00 GMT

I'm making room for new collections. And as the saying goes, out with old...in with the new.

Sizes are limited, so order now.

Free shipping for the entire month of February because I want to share the LOVE. Enter: FREESHIP at checkout.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:27:00 GMT

Hooray for 2012! I am excited for the chance we have to declare the start of a new year as a fresh start. Granted, we could (and should!) start fresh each day because each day is a gift to be celebrated. But, for K.Grace, I'm hoping this is a year filled with plenty of new beginnings.

Don't get me wrong, I loved 2011. Both personally and business-wise, 2011 was a year of much growth. Some of the growth was painful. Some of the growth was magical. I'll take it though. The good, the bad, the ugly. I'm grateful to be living this life and I'm grateful to be following my passion. One thing that I will say about 2011, was that I may not have fully appreciated what I have to share. This year I really want to acknowledge my blessings, as small as they may be.

When I first started this blog (and website and fashion line) I wanted to keep it simple and centered around a few topics. Such as my inspiration, news of any sales and/or press, green topics that tickle my fancy, behind the scenes info on creating your own line, and/or styling tips. I may have some posts that are off-topic, but I think it's important to have a goal. So, here's to a great 2012 full of sharing and learning and growing.

Here are a few things that are inspiring me as of late. I am dying to do a dreamy knit made of organic wool for K.Grace.

I'm noticing a trend of chunky knits for home...

photo courtesy

This yarn is speaking to me. I need to re-learn how to knit, I think.

photo courtesy

The Eco-Fashion Choice

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:34:00 GMT

I had an awesome opportunity to be interviewed by Burrell Communications about K.Grace. They are working with Toyota to launch a green initiative and asked me to share my perspective. I HAD to say yes! It was a great experience.

You can check out the article here: http://toyotagreen.com/connected/articles/the-eco-fashion-choice/

Keep checking back to the Toyota Green website. They'll be hosting events and posting additional eco-conscious articles. I'm glad I was able to be a part of it and look forward to a continued relationship with them!

First EVER trunk show

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:09:00 GMT

So, it's happening.
We're having a trunk show! After you've had your fill of turkey and stuffing and pie. After you've visited all the Black Friday sales at 4am. After you've eaten all the leftovers you can handle. Come do something nice for yourself. Bring yourself and a friend, try on some dresses and spread some holiday cheer.
It'll be nice to meet you.

RSVP to: kgrace@kgracedesigns.com so we know who's coming!

Giving Thanks

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:12:00 GMT

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, what better time to show my appreciation? We have a tradition in our home to go around the table once the bounty has been set out and have each person tell at least one thing they are thankful for. Depending on the year and who's gathered the mood ranges from very emotional to hysterical laughter. Sometimes people say one thing, sometimes the lists seem never-ending as our mouths water from the platters full of food. No matter how it ends up, it's a wonderful tradition and I intend to carry that thankful spirit with me throughout the year.

Here is a tiny list of things I'm thankful for:

Our generous earth
The opportunity to follow my dreams
My beautiful family
The earth-loving customers who continue to support K.Grace

What are a few of the things you are thankful for?

Celebration Discount

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:57:00 GMT

Don't forget! This is the last week for the 25% off discount (Ends November 25th). You can thank my daughter for this.
CODE: SANTANA25

Why you should buy organic/sustainable cotton

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:52:00 GMT

I know, I know I'm preaching to the choir, right? In case you need some cold, hard facts to impress your friends, check out this video from the Environmental Justice Foundation. It's only 1 minute and 49 seconds and gives a great overview on why organic cotton is best.

While organic cotton production has increased in the past few years, it's still less than 1 percent of the global cotton production. The Organic Consumers Association has said, "Cotton uses more than twenty-five percent of all the insecticides in the world and 12% of all the pesticides. Cotton growers use 25% of all the pesticides used in the US. ” They also say, “75% of the cotton and cottonseed in the US is genetically modified.”
(Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/organic-cotton-why-it-helps-to-buy-it.html#ixzz13Rd6hrTs)

K.Grace is dedicated to only using organic cotton. Thanks for doing your part by spreading the word and supporting our company. Could today be the day that you share K.Grace with one friend? You could invite them to sign up to receive our updates or join the discussions on our blog, twitter, and facebook.

Green and Gorgeous

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:09:00 GMT

Green and Gorgeous did a beautiful write-up on K.Grace last month. If you haven't seen it.
Click here.
Jennae is a cool, down-to-earth blogger who has a passion for all things green, but admits she isn't perfect (who is?!?). If you aren't a regular subscriber to her blog yet, I'd recommend adding it to your RSS feed. She always has great green tips!

Back from hiatus

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:57:00 GMT

Hello!
I'm back.
I've missed blogging and I've missed my K.Grace customers! In case you've been wondering what I've been up to - my husband and I welcomed our first daughter, Laila Santana Cole, into our family on August 14th. It has been amazing to break from anything that wasn't a necessity and bond with my daughter, however, I'm looking forward to creating again.

However, I wasn't entirely idle, I did do some thinking while I was on break.

I decided not to produce a Fall Collection this year. When I started this company I vowed to always give all that I had to each collection. And to create clothing that I would be proud and excited to wear. And with this new addition I knew that wouldn't be possible.

Instead, I went right into creating the Spring 2011 Collection. I will be getting the final samples back any day now. I hope you love the clean lines and classic silhouettes as much as I do.

And finally, because I'm so in love with my daughter and I want to share the love, I'm offering all my customers 25% off on their next purchase.

Offer ends November 25th. Code: SANTANA25

Fashion's Night Out

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:36:00 GMT

Tonight is Fashion's Night Out! Woot, woot.
It's a super fun global shopping event with stuff happening all around the city. However, if you're like me and aren't planning to make it out this year, but hate missing a great party. I'm planning to share the love. You can take 25% off any shopping you do on kgracedesigns.com this whole weekend. You're welcome.

Code: FNO2010

8 Things I Bet You Didn't Know You Could Recycle

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:51:00 GMT

I read this article at Care2.com and wanted to pass along the information to you. It covers everything from packing peanuts to carpet to bras! Who knew? It should make you think twice before tossing those old Christmas lights, that's for sure!

Do you read Seed and Sew?

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:32:00 GMT

No? Well you should!

Here's an excerpt from their website: "Sustainable, organic clothing doesn’t have to have hemp leaf allover print, or look like burlap. There are good-looking clothing options for the fashion-conscious conscientious consumer, even though we acknowledge that we are far behind the curve. The more we know, the more we see, the more we share, the bigger this eco fashion industry can grow – the better we can feel about the clothes on our backs."

I totally agree! You can check out the write-up on K.Grace and then sign up to recieve their RSS feed to discover even more eco-friendly clothing brands.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm giving all Seed and Sew customers a special 20% off coupon code?

Thanks Kate!

Sometimes dreams do come true....

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:44:00 GMT

...especially when you work really, really hard. I'm so excited to welcome you to the world of K.Grace! Having my own collection has been a dream of mine for over 10 years and I'm so happy to be able to report that it's finally happening. Mine is not a fairy tale story, but the blood, sweat, and tears have been worth it because now whatever happens, I can say I did it!

Now on to the purpose of the blog. I'm using this blog to connect with my customers. I don't want to overwhelm you with posts, but I do want you to know what I'm up to. So, I'll be posting approximately once a week and the posts will cover the following topics:

"green" tips - these are going to be simple things that we can do to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle without feeling like we're sacrificing too much
news about the upcoming collections - I'll share with you behind-the-scene photos and experiences during the roll-out process
inspiration - places in New York or things that I encounter that inspire me as a designer
styling tips - how to make the most of your wardrobe
and of course, I'll alert you of trunk shows in your area and any upcoming sales happening online

I'll try to keep it exciting with giveaways and other incentives for you to keep checking back. So, add the K.Grace blog to your RSS feed. I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

Cheers!
Kamilah