Our second installment of Show and Tell had to be someone very special – a renaissance women, the full package, the whole shebang. Luckily the perfect women is right in our midst – Kate Parfet is a creative consultant, writer, model, and the sole occupant of Kindred Black west coast. Just in time for the holiday travel season, we asked Kate what special pieces she brought on her recent trip through Spain and Portugal. (Kate pictured above – El Retiro Park, Madrid, Fall 2019)

 

 

 

BOUGH DOWN BY KAREN GREEN

I prefer the weight of a hardcover even when traveling. Many people know Karen Green as David Foster Wallace’s widow, but she's a powerful writer in her own right. Her poetry reads like small essays. I like to read two or three at a time and then savor.

 

 

 

 

BLUE EARTH EXFOLIATING SCRUB

For when I need to scrub the thirteen hour flight off of me! It boosts circulation and leaves my skin silky smooth. Also makes for a gentle face exfoliant when mixed with a couple drops of prickly pear.

 

 

 

 

PRADA SHOE BAG

I’ve been packing intimates in my mom’s old Prada shoe bags for as long as I can remember.

 

 

 

 

VINTAGE CAMISOLE

I bought this at a Dallas Goodwill fifteen years ago. It’s more of a security blanket at this point. It works under everything, can be washed in the sink and air dries in minutes.

 

 

 

 

BASS LOAFER

I love a smart travel shoe. These slip off easily at security and look surprisingly cute with a heavy compression sock on the plane. The old lady soles make them comfortable to walk around in. They're just dressy enough to keep on for dinner.

 

 

 

 

PRICKLY PEAR SEED OIL

I’ve been deathly afraid of oils ever since I slathered some drugstore concoction on my face as a teen and ended up with a rash. I bit the bullet and tried KB’s prickly pear after researching its medical uses as 'the miracle plant'. It’s now my go to after a long flight to reduce redness and brighten under my eyes. It packs and reseals easily in a carry-on when taped with craft paper, no spillage.

 

 

 

 

FOUND ART

I found this fairly easily without too much digging at an outdoor market in Porto. Getting it home is going to be another story.

 

 

We grapple with consumerism everyday – we are a store that sells stuff that hates waste and too much stuff. So you can imagine the collective cognitive dissonance brewing around the KB office. Our mission, for ourselves and for our store, is to dial back the urge to consume mindlessly and voraciously for no other purpose than to own lots of stuff. The opposite of a throw-away culture – a society that feels connected enough to what they own to keep it, keep it nice, and pass it on. More simply put, people save things when they feel connected to them. For our new series, Show and Tell, we’re taking a different approach to the classic Q&A and asking friends, family and followers to introduce us to some of their things, and through those things learning a lot about the person behind the piece.