One of the best parts of the changing of the seasons has got to be the new fashions that arrive. While the weather may not always do what it’s supposed to, at least we know that we will get new fashion to covet, each season. One of my favourite things to buy Anya each Spring/Summer season is a jumpsuit. They are so practical and easy to wear, allowing kids to move freely and do what they do. And with so many great jumpsuits for kids out there, it’s hard to resist. And not just for girls. There are some seriously cool jumpsuits for boys too – I’ve picked out some of the best below.
Do you know Kids on the Moon? It has to be one of the coolest kids brands ever! The clothes all tell a story, it’s about art meeting fashion but beyond that the clothes are always so practical and comfy for kids to wear. Anya has clothes by Kids on the Moon so I know how easy they are for a kid to wear and still do what kids do. The fabrics too are always practical and designed for repeated wash and wear. I have featured their collections here in the past and now they’ve launched a brand new line of clothing for modern mums called By the Moon. Instead of just sharing both the collections with you I thought it would be fun to chat with Magda, the amazingly talented designer behind both the kids and mums range.
Tell us about Kids on the Moon? Kids on the Moon is a brand that uses dreams and magic to make children’s clothes. Natural materials and colours are mixed with a lot of imagination, storytelling and fantasy. The brand is created by three women who also happen to be mothers and who spend their days traveling between the moon, the earth and planet Venus. Kids on the moon was created three years ago by Magda Rams, the brand’s designer who designs every collection and whose sense of style defines Kids on the Moon.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? That’s easy – I always wanted to make clothes. Also as a kid I used to dream a lot and still do. I find children very inspiring and designing clothes for them is a true pleasure. On one hand there are no limits to the imagination and fantasies come to life, on the other you have to be sincere and true to yourself as kids naturally shun fads and fake hypes. That’s why at Kids on the Moon we use natural colours and comfortable but original styles. The brand is about lightness manifested in a beautiful, well designed manner. Our motto is no gravity – there are no limits to our creativity. Kids on the Moon is where fantasy meets good design and quality. Our collections tell stories from dreams. The brand’s name and concept give us unlimited possibilities – just like space or a kid’s imagination.
What led you to start Kids on the Moon? Kids on the Moon is a natural almost organic outcome of an art education, a career in the fashion industry and being inspired by my own kids. I’ve always looked for professional independence and wanted to enjoy what I do. One of the objects that has always been with me is my great-grandmother’s sewing machine. Ever since I remember I was always trying to sew something on it. Kids on the Moon must have been written in the stars for me.
You create incredible collection after collection. How do you do it? At the very beginning, there is a world in which our collection will be set. This world is a mixture of children’s fantasy and the world of nature with a dose of a grown-up imagination and of course the world of fashion, literature, film and art. A careful eye will notice quotes from Kubrick’s films, from Mad Max, David Bowie and more. As a brand inspired by the moonlight and space in general there is a lot of cosmic themes but we are not limiting ourselves to it. Our current summer collection OCEANIA puts together oceans, lunar seas and …grunge. In autumn we will get inspired by the TOTAL ECLIPSE and see what happens when the moon takes over making the sun vanish for a while. So the upcoming collection will be, as always full of mystery, magic and of course – moonlight.
Do you experience creative block? How do you deal with it? Creative blocks happen to everyone. They are a sign that you need to rest and relax, do things you enjoy, run bare feet with your children, read a book and listen to music. So creative blocks are like little vacations – they pass as soon as you start enjoy them 🙂 (I love this quote – it’s something I’m going to remember and use!)
Aside from your own, which kids clothing line really inspires you? Featherdrum – for that holiday feeling all year round.
And lastly, if you weren’t a kids clothing designer, what would you be? I have always been attracted to fashion – so I am sure if it hadn’t been for Kids on the Moon I would design adult clothes. In fact this is happening already as we have just launched Kids on the Moon’s older sister – a brand called BY THE MOON. It has been created for all mums and grown up women who live by the sun and dream by the moon, who value comfort, lightness and a little bit of magic every day.
Thank you Magda for your inspiring words. I am loving the new modern mum collection just as much as the kids collection. And remember the next time you experience creative block, treat it as a vacation and it’ll fly by!
A little while I ago I shared this amazing coat from Pepito by Chus which so many of you told me you loved as much as I did. Today I wanted to share their new Spring Summer collection which is fresh and beautiful. I love how all the pieces are simple and mostly in solid colours but then embellished with a bow, a ruffle or an unusual collar. The cuts are classic and so, so chic. The whole collection is feminine without being fussy. These are the kind of girly clothes that every little girl needs – the kind that look so comfy yet so chic and pretty.
I’m always drawn to the girls stuff because I have a girl but the boys range is no less beautiful. Crisp white collarless shirts and cute shorts again with unexpected details like those pink elbow patches on the white shirt – I love that! There’s actually a range of elbow patches you can choose from but the pink are my favourite.
Pepito by Chus is a fairly new Spanish label started by a mama of three. I am a huge fan already and can’t wait to see what she creates for her next collection.
Instead of my regular mama & baby post, this week I wanted to focus purely on mama’s. And in the coming weeks and months, occasionally I plan to bring you more stuff for just mama’s because I don’t do enough of that and fashion is fun. Besides, stylish babies and stylish mama’s go hand in hand! I’ve had one of my closest friends from Mumbai in town for the last week. While she claimed that she only came to spend time with me I think she had a secret mission too. That mission was to shop till she dropped. Returning from one of her mammoth shopping days out she told me about a new store she had spotted on Regents St. She said it looked amazing but didn’t go in because her credit card was already screaming from severe over-use (and possibly her husband too)! She said it was called ‘& other stories’ so of course I promptly looked it up and I was stunned. I want everything! & other stories is a new high-end venture by H&M that screams style. Their clothes and accessories wouldn’t look out of place in Vogue, yet the prices are still affordable. I’ve seen about 10 things I already want and I haven’t even visited the shop yet but I plan to go tomorrow simply because I can’t wait! The collection is big and includes clothes, bags, shoes (to die for), lingerie, beauty products and more. Apart from the London store, they have a few stores in some Western European cities but they also deliver worldwide so it doesn’t really matter where you are. I’m already a huge fan of H&M especially for my daughter but now I can see & other stories becoming a go to store each time I need (or want) a fashion fix! The only problem is finding a way to exercise some amount of control…
On Sunday we were out having lunch when I heard a man say ‘wow, look at those purple shoes… what a cool baby!”. It took me a moment to realise he was talking about my baby wearing her deep pinky-purple Ben Simons. It was such a delightful moment as out of the blue, a fully grown man was so visibly excited about a little pair of purple shoes. My daughter was wearing the bright shoes with muted fall coloured clothes so the shoes really stood out.
I love the effect of combining lots of soft neutral tones with unexpected pops of bright colour. And that’s why I love the wonderfully French and super chic boutique that is Bonton. They have a real knack of putting together fabulous looks for both boys and girls; looks where they use lots of sandy beiges, soft greys and chocolate browns and then they throw in that solid block of colour which takes an outfit from nice to super stand-out nice.
Most of their kids clothes come in a huge range of colours so you can mix and match and choose which part of the outfit you want make bold. It could be as simple as a bright yellow scarf thrown over a pale brown dress or you could go for bright red trousers with a soft grey shirt. The choice is yours. I’m currently lusting over those hot pink shoes… how great are they? I’ve also spotted the perfect little skirt to go with. Visit Bonton to see their entire collection and don’t miss their lovely decor stuff much of which has a delightful little vintage twist.
Since I started writing this blog, one of the questions I get asked most often is what is my favourite store for kids clothes. The honest answer – I don’t have a favourite. With so many wonderful kids clothes out there, it’s impossible to choose just one store or brand. And besides mixing and matching is what fashion is all about. Also, to me it doesn’t matter where I find the clothes, be it in a bargain store or a high end one; the most important thing is to like it. So in answer to the question I thought I would show a few of my daughters outfits from the past few months and share where they came from. I hope you like them.
1. Ballerina dress by H&M… 2. Orange cardigan coat by Anthropologie… 3. Pink tutu by Katz dancewear… 4. Soft blue/green dress by Norlie… 5. Red jeans and leather jacket by Zara and shoes by Ben Simon… 6. Dusty pink dress by Pale Cloud and leggings by Zara. All bangles necklaces and other accessories from India.
P.S. Last Friday I was honoured to be interviewed on a fab US blog. You can see the interview here.
In recent years baby and children’s clothing has evolved a lot and it’s so refreshing to see. Gone are the days where everything had to be pink, blue and fussy… thankfully! There are new stylish shops popping up everywhere especially Europe and it’s these little independents that I love discovering. My latest find is mie (ito)… a French store that makes beautifully simple clothes for 0-6 year olds in small quantities.
Often times the simpler the clothes, the better they look. I guess I am a minimalist at heart so this collection really appeals to me and I love the hint of embellishment that some of the pieces have. Also on offer are some accessories like the black and white striped garland and some lovely bibs. From reading their blog I gathered that mie (ito) may start a bedding line soon and I can’t wait to see it.
If you’re anything like me, dressing your kids in (mini) high style is important but so is comfort. However beautiful a piece of clothing may be, if it’s impractical it just won’t cut it. Clothes that deliver big on both comfort and style always get my vote and Mabo Kids do just that. Designed and made in USA, Mabo is a small clothier whose collections are made in small quantities. Each and every piece is not only gorgeous but infinitely wearable and that’s not something that can be said about too many collections out there.
There’s so much I love about these clothes. All made of cotton or linen, the colours are so elegant and stylish. The linen pieces come in the most gorgeous dusty rose and a slightly faded indigo blue. The petal linen skirt is one of my favourite pieces… it’s so cute and girly with the gentle scalloped edge and subtle tie detail. The simple linen boat neck dress is another winner and can easily be dressed up or down. And then there are the ever so sweet gingham pieces to drool over too. Mabo Kids don’t have a big collection but what they do have is pure class, style and comfort.
A few weeks ago I mentioned a shop called Flora & Henri. It’s a little gem of a store in Seattle. When I came across them I wrote about some amazing wooden toy boats that they were selling. But their goodies don’t end there. They have their own collection of kids clothes that are so, so beautiful. Elegant, simple creations with bags of style is what you can expect. I’m loving the mint coloured sweater with the pleated skirt, the faux fur jacket is another winner and then there are the shoes that come in the most delectable colours. It’s all pretty fabulous stuff! You can check out their entire collection at Flora and Henri and the good news is that they’re currently having a big sale at the moment.
About
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
