Carrie Motamedi is a guest blogger. Carrie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two active boys. She’s passionate about cooking, baseball and inspiring people to make things.
This year at SXSW Interactive Week in Austin, TX, I put a panel together on “Frugal Innovation” which is a concept gaining popularity in the tech and design world, centered around the notion of doing more with less but gaining better, high- quality results.
My first priority for the conference was to get as many women on my panel as possible (#WhoRunsTheWorld?) and next was to get my speaking/event wardrobe together. I like to travel very light so my approach to packing was also about Frugal Innovation; What few great quality pieces could I bring to put the widest range of outfits together that go from warm to cold weather and casual to formal. Of course, I went to Stella Carakasi to get some of the latest styles that would also match my existing pieces and could address Austin’s fickle weather in March.
I came away with one small suitcase full of lightweight jackets and leggings which were a perfect compliment to my existing tunic tops and would address hot, cold and rainy as needed. Throw in a scarf or two, and I was ready.
And while I brought the least amount of luggage, when compared to my two roommates at the conference, I was able to lend them some pieces when the weather turned, despite the three of us being 3 different sizes!
The day of my panel ended up being so hot that I opted for a white, short-sleeve tunic. I had worn it for a previous speaking engagement and lent it to my friend and Director/Producer of the just released “A Revolution in Four Seasons” documentary film (more about that in my next blog!). She loved Stella Carakasi’s look and feel so much that she went shopping as soon as she was back in the East Bay to get some of her own pieces at the Stella Studio.
I mentioned in my previous blog that owning a few Stella pieces as staples really makes me feel as though I am achieving that sophisticated French Woman trend of cutting-edge fashion and stylish comfort without needing a closet full of clothes.
Everything I had for my trip to SXSW was unpacked and repacked for my vacation to Maui the following week and then Toronto 2 weeks after. Since I always like to wear a scarf that can be a wrap for the airplane ride, I wore my new convertible shawl scarf for all flights.
I can’t say enough good things about Stella Carakasi’s ability to create a line that is affordable, sustainable and allows me to be comfortable as I evolve my look for each setting whether travel, party, speaking or leisure. It doesn’t get more innovative than that!
Stella Carakasi 