I've looked for breezy summer kaftans every year since my eldest son was born. Being people of the extremely fair-skinned
variety, it becomes a challenge to cover up yet stay cool during Sydney's sweltering summers.
Obviously I wasn't looking in the right place!
Smirk
have just taken delivery of these beautiful
kaftans in fabrics to die for. Cherry blossoms in red and pink and the
green geometric floral are my favourites - I have a friend
who loves anything cherry-themed and I'll be sure to pass this one on
to her for her daughter.
I'm wondering which fabric design I could get away with for my
boys. I think the apple green would be delightful on a little boy and
I'd love this one for my sons to wear on Christmas day. What a sight
they would make in matching apple green kaftans! Light
and comfy, with plenty of room for play, these are ideal for those long
hot days enjoying the weather, while protecting sensitive skin.
They are 100% cotton and above knee length, making them great for the
beach, or for dressing up with leggings or pants.
The kaftans are available in sizes 0 to 8, except the blue which
goes up to a size 4. The detailed prints are $59.95 and the plainer
prints are $39.95 plus post, from
Smirk.
Experts say you need to offer new foods to kids up to ten times before they will eat it. Well, the experts are wrong. Or perhaps they just never met a child as stubborn as my Jack. He doesn’t eat broccoli. Or peas. Or pumpkin. And carrots? Not likely. So I’m hoping this tee from US eco-label When I Grow Up will do what two years of cajoling, begging, threats and bribery have failed to do and encourage him to down his vegies. If not, at least he’ll look good while driving us crazy at the dinner table.
Lucky enough to actually have a vegie eater in your house? All is not lost – these super-soft organic cotton Value Statement Tees come in three other designs to help positively shape your child’s psyche. There’s one for budding environmentalists, one for mini philanthropists, and one for helping kick-start a pint-sized sense of empathy. Totally gorgeous. So mums like me who tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves can now have kids who wear their life values on their chests.
Each unisex tee – made from 100 per cent organic cotton and printed in environmentally friendly water-based inks - costs US$22 plus shipping from When I Grow Up, who will kindly ship your tee all the way to Australia (which perhaps is not all that ecologically sound) for an additional US$15. You can grab them in sizes 2 through to 8.
Italian label
Album Di Famiglia
makes clothes for babies that are so muted, so soft, and
so sweet, you'll never want to put baby down. Never brash or loud, the
apparel must be as soothing to a newborn's skin as they are to
the eye. Each time I have brought a new baby home, my first instinct is
for their clothing and footwear to be as unobstrusive as
possible as they adjust to the strange new world they have just come
into. I refrain from wearing perfumes and keep the environment as
pure to the ears, nose and eyes as possible. Things get a bit more rock
n roll after the 6 week mark, but there's nothing quite like a
new baby in soft hues and fabrics.
For Autumn, Winter and Springtime babies, cotton socks may not be enough to keep tiny toes and feet warm. These gorgeous
Pepe Booties will
envelope their vulnerable extremities in second-to-none softness with
lush tones of blackcurrant, strawberry and brown. Made from a
cotton, flannel and acrylic blend, they also have a small button loop so
that they stay put on your baby's feet.
No more retracing your steps to find that precious lost bootie!
Pepe Booties are available from
Little Fashion Gallery, who also stock
a wide range of Album Di Famiglia
apparel.
You can dress your baby
in head to toe co-ordinating pieces, or mix it up a bit with
contrasting colour choices. Booties are €45, with clothing starting
at
€45, plus shipping. I just love the chic packaging!
I can’t get by without my daily tea and neither can my kids. But while I take mine in a cup with just a splash of milk, theirs comes in the form of this adorably hip range of clothes from US designer label Tea Collection.
Daily Tea is a designer mix-and-match baby and toddler clothing range favoured by the celebrity set that’s made for play. That means comfortable clothes in gorgeous prints that let your kids run amok with no bumpy buttons or annoying zippers to get in the way. And – my favourite bit - no ironing for mums.
In another stroke of genius, each piece in the collection is designed to go with everything else, so you can safely let your toddler or preschooler pick out their own clothes each morning without fearing the end result.
My husband doesn’t know it yet but I’ve ordered almost every piece in the latest summer Daily Tea range of Asian-inspired prints in cool blues, fiery reds and perfect pinks for our daughter. But it’s okay – I got them from Childhood Bliss in the US, where all summer stock is on sale! So it didn’t really matter that I couldn’t choose between Ocean or Dry Rose in the Mai Shirred Top. At only $US12 each, I got both. And so will you. You’ll also go gaga over adorable dresses from only $US14 and the sweetest tank tops you’ll ever see for $US10. Need more? Try the bootcut pants, shorts, skirts ... the list goes on.
Boys aren’t forgotten with fabulous tees, comfy rompers and too-cool-for-preschool cargoes from $US10. If those prices aren’t cheap enough, Childhood Bliss only charge an extra $29.95 per order to ship to Australia. Go crazy. I did!
It’s no wonder little babies spend hours playing with their own toes – they’re just so damn cute. But there is something cuter than even the chubbiest little baby feet and that’s those same feet encased in a pair of these bunny booties from Brisbane-based Etsy designer pedrosprout.
The booties don’t just look good. They have serious eco-cred because they are made – believe it or not – from recycled plastic drink bottles. Officially, the material is Kunin Ecospun felt, which is a high quality polyester fibre made from 100 per cent certified recycled bottles. Impressive? Yes. But just as important is the fact that the fabric still feels as soft as the fluffiest bunny tail on your little one’s tootsies, despite its drink-bottle origins. They come in sizes to fit from newborns to 12 months.
I adore the walnut bunny booties with a soft khaki lining but they also come in cranberry with a red lining, olive with the palest pink lining or khaki with the walnut reversed to the inside. Pedrosprout can also custom-design in other colour combinations. Makes me wish my own baby girl didn’t have such a pathological aversion to shoes.
You can grab these environmentally-responsible booties for your own pint-sized shoe-wearer for $US25 plus an extra $US3.50 to post. Ah, bunny slippers. Saving the world one baby step at a time.
