Seattle is full of people wearing TOMS classic canvas slip-on shoes. Men and women of all ages, teens and kids wear this ped with pride in all sorts of casual settings. So I started to wonder why.

First, I needed to fit them on my feet. I find them quite comfortable, although they run half a size small and are very flat. They offer zero foot support, but you could definitely insert an orthotic to solve that problem. They look a lot like an espadrille and are as light as a feather. To me, they are the Summer version of Converse sneakers, which makes them a very easy and relaxed footwear option.

The classic slip-on seems quite pricey for $44 to $54. But I read about their “One for One Movement”, which has made a lasting impression. TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need with every pair that you purchase. So think of your money going to a very worthwhile cause.

I’m not particularly enamored by TOMS styles, but I am taken with their commitment to put shoes on the feet of needy kids. I’d purchase a pair of classic slip-ons for a beach holiday just so that I could support their movement.

Over to you. Do you see people wearing TOMS in your neck of the woods? How does their classic slip-on grab you? Would you wear any of their other styles?

After walking through the Karen Kane design room, sample room, production line and dispatch department, it’s very clear that the company is a large, complex and impressive operation. And it all began with Karen and husband Lonnie sewing together garments in their garage more than 30 years ago. In fact, the two pictures on the right below show young Karen and Lonnie doing their own production in the late 70’s. They worked extremely hard and didn’t take a vacation until their company was six years old. THAT is perseverance and dedication. How proud they must be of what they have accomplished.

Along with being an American-made clothing brand, Karen Kane is a strong family run business. You already know about eldest son Michael the Marketing Director, but there’s more. Karen’s Dad helped to design and build the cutting tables in the factory. And Lonnie’s 83 year old Mama still comes in four days a week to do the the accounts! Unfortunately we visited on her day off, but we saw Granny Kane’s office. Totally brilliant.

In the early 90’s Karen did a personal family photo shoot on the beach. The killer photos of Karen with young Michael ended up being so, so inspirational that Karen Kane used them in one of their seasonal campaigns. Just look at these absolutely beautiful shots of Karen and her son. WOW.

I mentioned to Karen that she should once more model for the Karen Kane brand. Wouldn’t that be brilliant? If I had a modeling agency, she should consider herself booked. Karen laughed her shy and endearing laugh and politely said that she would think about it. I am holding out hope!

Above is a photo of the other side of the the Karen Kane powerhouse. This is delightful  husband Lonnie in his office getting on with his usual Tuesday and Friday afternoon tasks of signing piles and piles of cheques. Lonnie runs part of the finances in-between running production, selling collections at market, and sorting out all sorts of other problems that come up in a day. Just look at him get on with it with a huge big grin on his face. Love that.

I adore this photo of Karen, Lonnie and Michael. Two generations of an all American fashion brand and growing from strength to strength. That’s as powerful as the merchandise itself.

Last, but certainly not least, the adorable canine members of the Kane family come to work several days a week. Lucy and Jack have their own office complete with libations and snacks. They go for walks and rest in peaceful air-conditioning, doing their bit by being awfully cute and loyal company.

As I write this wearing one of my Karen Kane dresses, I see the passion, thought, hard work and family affection that went into each stitch. Family businesses are close to our hearts, so Greg and I are very inspired by Karen Kane.  I am also excited about the newer and more contemporary labels Fifteen-Twenty and Red 23. I can’t wait to add these labels to my wardrobe.

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes peek at garment manufacture as much as we enjoyed experiencing and documenting it. I had great things to say about Karen Kane clothing before knowing anything about the company and it’s philosophy. After spending the day with incomparable Karen, knowledgeable Lonnie, talented Michael, and their awfully nice staff, I’m even more enamoured. If I had to sum up the brand in two words they would be Class Act.

Remember that Karen Kane is launching their online store on Friday, July 1. Stay tuned, because we’ll have a little surprise for you on the day of the launch.

This is the fifth in a series of posts sponsored by Karen Kane:

1. Design at Karen Kane
2. Karen Kane’s Sample Room
3. Clothing Production at Karen Kane
4. Karen Kane’s Trim and Dispatch Departments
5. Karen Kane the Family Business (this post)

For more information you can follow @Karen_Kane on Twitter or like their page on Facebook.

For years I wore either blue or green toenail polish. Very occasionally, I’d sport a pearly white. I have only ever painted my toes bright red once, which is surprising because bright tomato red is one of my favourite colours. I have never painted my toes any shade of orange, coral, pink, purple or brown.

This year I’ve ditched the blue and green and switched to pearly white because of my new peep toe booties. It’s not at all a must, but I like the effect of low contrast toenail polish with these shoes. And because I do not enjoy pedicures, I must make my toe nail polish a versatile colour that lasts a little longer. Pearly white nail polish is very “chip-friendly”.

Over to you. Do you paint your toenails? If so, what colour toenail polish do you use? Do you like to match your toe nail polish to a particular shoe or clothing item?

When I work with clients, both current and new, we spend a little time coming up with the right adjectives to describe both their current and future style. Sometimes the two sets of adjectives are very much the same, and sometimes they are quite different.

Of course, no one is holding you to these adjectives for life. Style is a journey, and not one to a permanent destination. Here I want to explore the appropriate adjectives of the current leg of our style journey. Perhaps in a year or so, we’ll reexamine the question. It will be interesting to compare answers.

After a fairly recent style epiphany, I feel that the following five adjectives best describe my current style:

1. Clean: I like garments, footwear, accessories and hairdos with very clean lines. I adore pristine clothing.
2. Simple: I want my outfits to consist of fewer items. I no longer sport interesting layered looks or wear lots of accessories. I am 100% an advocate of less is more.
3. Bold: I like to wear vibrant colours and outfits with high colour contrasts.
4. Modern: I enjoy sporting current fashion trends. I am still absolutely besotted with retro pearl necklaces and my late Mum’s vintage gold jewelry, but they MUST be worn in a modern way. My fashion forward haircut and specs help to modernize the retro aspects of my style.
5. Dressy: I adore luxurious fabrications and chunky pearl necklaces, and wear them daily. I am uncomfortable wearing t-shirts, casual jewelry and overly slouchy handbags. I am often the dressiest person in the room and that is fine by me.

There are words that I left off the list, like Modest, Polished, Chanel-esque, Urban and Practical, because I had to draw the line somewhere.

As for my future style, I am not inspired to change the adjectives at this point. But as I said, we’ll talk again in a year!

I’ve found that it’s easier to define someone else’s style with five words than your own. But give it a bash right here in the comments section. It’s a worthwhile exercise because it keeps the current leg of your style journey and the shopping process more focused. And the more focused you are about your style, the easier it is to put outfits together that feel completely right.

Which five adjectives best describe your current style? Do the adjectives change when you describe your future or aspirational style?