Fashion Momma: The Seaside-Inspired Accessories of Kendall Conrad

The Spring 2013 collection of Santa Barbara resident Kendall Conrad clearly draws inspiration from seaside living and as she puts it, her collection is "the beach is a part of my DNA." The inspiration comes across quite strongly in her collection of handbags, small leather goods, brass jewelry, and flat sandals. The color palettes she chose for her collection included sea grass, sand, mussel shell, driftwood, bone, cypress bark, and aloe, all colors that evoke images of sea and sand and the spirit of the beach. She chose style names such as Narcisa, Azucena, and Cincha for the lines in her collection.

The simplicity of her collection is its own appeal. There is no indication of the wildness that can sometimes be attributable to seaside living. She offers a refined sort of elegance which obviously took a lot of painstaking work on the part of the designer. Conrad explains that she would never make anything that she would not wear herself and designs pieces that she would want to wear in her own life. She also states that the accessories that she finds most appealing are those that have clean lines and come in the most natural color palettes. Her bags are without any fuss and have to be functional because while she loves beautiful things, she is also pragmatic. Here are some of her pieces for your viewing pleasure.