Equestrian Chic, with Head Over Heels with Melanie!

I'm so excited for this post! I collaborated with my friend (and in this case, stylist and photographer!) Melanie, of Head Over Heels with Melanie, to create wearable, modern equestrian chic looks. The inspiration came from an amazing Kate Spade purse (no longer available in this color), and when I got it, I immediately texted Melanie to say "we have to do an equestrian photo shoot!" 

She excitedly agreed, we set a date, and started planning! 

We scoured my closet, and with the help of some of Melanie's amazing scarves (and style sense of course) and my variety of Stella and Dot Jewelry we styled a few looks we both loved! 

(and would wear any day!)

Of course, the boots are a must, and skinny jeans are the best for them. I die for my leather gloves, blazers and button downs. I think I lived the equestrian lifestyle in a previous life!

For another, more classic style, we added Melanie's vintage scarf that she has had and loves dearly. It was perfect for the look and the scenery! It couldn't have been better!

For the 3rd look, we changed it up with my statement blazer, beautiful hunter green scarf and a classic white button up. The hair came down for a casual feel.

And finally, to go full equestrian... we added Melanie's favorite "New York, I wore it all the time and loved it dearly" hat. Perfect!

All images courtesy of Melanie 

Shopping:

(Jeans: JBrand similar; Blue Button up: Gap; Blue Blazer, H&M old similar; Orange Blazer: Gap; Boots: Franco Sarto old similar; Bag: Kate Spade no longer available similar; Scarves, vintage; Gloves: Banana Republic similar; All Jewelry: My Stella and Dot Site)

Engagement Photos

I'm thrilled to be able to post pictures that my husband-to-be and I took with our Wedding Photographer, Melinda Bunker Photography, for our "e-session" or engagement session a few weeks ago! I'm so incredibly happy with the pictures and these are just a few of our favorites. (There were a lot of favorites, out of 175 pictures that she gave us, uhm... amazing much!?) We are so lucky to have Melinda as our photographer!- she is so talented and we love these pictures so much. (did I say that already?) Aside from the gorgeous pictures, Melinda is so fun and we had such a great time with her! She made us so comfortable and we are really looking forward to the wedding pictures with her! Visit her site and blog to see how amazing she is! 

www.melindabunker.com

Here is a link to more pictures from our session with Melinda on her blog! 

Kara and Matt are Tying the Knot!

Bridal Stylist Photo Shoot

Happy Memorial Day to all! First I want to say a great big "Thank You!" to everyone who put their lives on the line for our country. You're appreciated more than you know!

I wanted to share a sneak peak into a photo shoot I was a part of yesterday. It was for my friend Melanie's (Lola's mama, for those of you familiar with my favorite dog) new Bridal Styling business that she is starting. It was a whirl-wind day for all, but mostly for Mel and her super helpful husband Andrew. It was an all day shoot, that was really 4 shoots in 1 day. I was in the last shoot of the day, the "Clambake Coral" or nautical bride/bridesmaid shoot. It was very a very fun, very long day... but I'm so happy for Melanie and everyone involved. I'm only sharing a few pics, so that the big reveal can happen on her website!... It's her business after all! I'll let everyone know more details later. :) Not only was I a part of the shoot, but so was some feature pieces of my Stella & Dot Jewelry! So perfect and such a wonderful fit with the summer line.

Here you go...

This is a quick shot that Mel took of me at the site, to give you an idea of how we were all styled. Stripes and Coral and Braids, oh my! :) (thanks for the pic Mel) How cute is that La Coco Coral necklace from S&D! Worked out perfectly!

I did a quick up-do on the "bride" before our shoot. Like I said, ours was the last of the day, so we had some time to get ready and do our hair and makeup. It was fun to play, and it turned out super cute! I was texting "approval" photos to Melanie throughout the process so that she could "yes or no" them while she was out on the other shoots. She "yes'd" this one.

Another approval shot... this time, of the style I did on my own hair, with a smidge of humor added in for Mel. ;) aka, me being a goof-ball. 

Once we were all dressed and styled by the talented Melanie, we were off to our nautical location, which due to holiday events in San Francisco, ended up being the Embarcadero...it was perfect to say the least. What a gorgeous day in the city! AND we found parking, which was amazing. (If you've ever been there on a sunny weekend you understand.)

Here's a quick shot of the bride after getting out of the car. So cute! Love that Stella&Dot necklace! 

There were so many people out and about... and we grabbed this "groom" as soon as we spotted him! How lucky for us and how sweet of him (and his understanding wife) to suddenly become part of the shoot! Perfect!

Stella&Dot was on the ready, along with my "walking" shoes. I wore patent nude heels in the shoot that, well, were not "made for walkin'."

After everything was done, we (the "bride" and me) headed home for a much needed meal. (we hadn't eaten since breakfast!) We went for the healthiest option obviously. It was the most delicious meal ever at 4:45pm. 

Then, finally, I went to Melanie and Andrew's house to take Lola for a walk since they had some other things to do in San Francisco that evening. She was very excited to see me! (or anyone probably, but I'm going to say it was totally because it was me!)

Such a fun day, and I can't wait to share more details with the you once they are all available!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

For info on the Stella & Dot jewelry you see here, contact me through my Independent Stylist site at 

www.stelladot.com/site/karachase