pretty fifi

Fifi is doing a little modelling for Small magazine.
Another inspiring example of fashion illustration.

c'est chic

I was biking when I saw this little girl strolling the Nine Streets with her 70s style coat and her Prada hat. A good match and a chic attitude.

The Nine Streets

raspberry flavour

Playground in Vondelpark

How could I not notice this monochrome raspberry look?
Juicy and fresh, it perfectly suited this red-hair little girl.

zebra dress code

I like these stripe patterns looks.

I found it quite daring here to layer two different types and colours of stripes. Plus the bright orange colour of the cape revamps the whole outfit.

Farmers market on the Noordermarkt

Below, I like the fact that the stripe pattern adds a touch of sophistication to the sportswear jackets.

from left to right: Amsterdamse Montessori school; Iceskating ring on Museumplein

the L.A. inspiration -kleine fabriek continued

I would like to end this trade fair section with 3 Dutch denim brands which all left me with a L.A. kind of feel.
-see the big Vingino logo stamped on almost everywhere, the "revelation of the year" sign linked to the Truth or Dare brand name or the removable "Che" or "$" knee patches on No Tomatoes jeans.

Anyhow, Vingino is doing great here in Holland -does the "Italian spirit" (to quote the sales manager when talking about the essence of the brand) have anything to do with the brand popularity?
Truth or Dare seems to be quite popular too, from what I read on their website.
And we wish good luck to No Tomatoes -their name comes from the fact that the founder designer didn't like tomatoes, which also explains the choice of a lemon for their logo - still with me?

Vingino, created in 2001

Truth or Dare, created in 2005

No Tomatoes, launch in 2008

Kremlin chic -kleine fabriek continued

Swart is a new innovative brand on the kids' market: their collection consists of one colour theme, namely black.

I didn't get a chance to question Swart about it but it looks like this collection is very much inspired by Russian influences - see the details of buttons and zippers, the (faux?) fur collars, the leather belts and the vintage Russian military insignia.

Has anyone from the design department recently watched Dr Zhivago?

For more information, visit Swart website.

like a snap

Finger in the nose print ad -Milk, Dec07

I like this ad very much.
It's about friendship. But in a fresh, simple and authentic way.
Feels like a snap.
Click here for more information on the brand.

go jump, fly, run

Great photographs by Jan von Holleben.
So real you can see yourself doing it when you were a kid.

farm boy meets city girl -kleine fabriek continued

Imps&Elfs stand

"Farm boy meets city girl. And vice versa": it's what the new Imps&Elfs fall/winter collection is about.
Their stand is a celebration of the country, with caravans displaying clothes and free apples, applesauce & apple-pies to bring back home with you.

So be ready next year to chase after the perfect country boy and city girl outfits.

dolls showcasing the new collection on the stand
(I'm surprised not to see any obvious signs of country or city inspiration, do you ?)

While waiting for the collection, here is what you should expect:
- under the country theme: a cow on a tee-shirt with "milk" underneath it or shirts with Elstar or Golden Delicious on them ;
- under the city life theme: prints such as a city sky-line on the horizon and also sweatshirts adorned with letters and numbers ;
- and new models of jeans, such as "the employee", gentlemen's-style trousers for girls or "the boyfriend fit" for boys.

find your own style

Same blouse ; totally different look&feel.
I have a preference myself for the second outfit combining two different styles and therefore better underlining the nice details of the blouse, such as the collar and the wristbands of the sleeves.
What Ralph Lauren style are you?

Ralph Lauren ad (Milk -Dec07)

Ralph Lauren shirt (Extra Small -Autumn 07)

once upon a time

I just discovered the fashion pages of Bubblemag dated Feb/March 08: "the enchanted forest".
What I really like about it is that it shows that you don't need the full outfit to make a stylish costume for your kids : just pick-up the right clothes, add a few accessories and use your imagination.
Whooof!

Zorro
(jacquet and short pants by Agnès b., turtleneck sweater by Quincy, leather shooes by Dr Martens)

Little Red Riding Hood
(woollen cape and leggings by Wowo, leather boots by Camper, bag by Muchacha)

Fantômette
('Jacquard' turtleneck sweater by American Retro for kids, corduroy pants by Corleaone, leather boots by Pom d'Api)

The last photograph was meant to embody Zorro in fact but it personnaly reminded me more of the Fantômette character, a black-browed heroine from the 60s. I'll tell you more about her in a later post.

everyone goes arrrrrrrrr!

I've seen quite a number of 'skull and crossbones' signs lately, stamped on kids' clothes and accessories and thought I should talk about it.

If not the case already, your kids will soon make it their own and drag you into the pirate world. Be ready to fight!

Small Paul boxer briefs pack, backpack and stool by Paul Frank, all seen on the brand stand at 08/09 Kleine Fabriek trade fair
The pirate is a recurrent theme of the brand

H&M tee-shirt ; Extra Small -Autumn 07

Ralph Lauren Polo, limited edition ; Extra Small -Autumn 07

Pirate badge ; Extra Small -Autumn 07

Bags by Birdy Nam Nam, seen on the brand stand at 08/09 Kleine Fabriek fair

Pepe Jeans uses the pirate sign for its adult's line:

And if you want everyone of the family to have its own pirate tee-shirt, you can make your own and use the image below:

the sprit of "the party" -kleine fabriek continued

"Birdy Nam Nam" reminds me the scene when Peter Sellers feeds the pet bird in the party.
The designer told me indeed that she named her brand after this particular scene that she likes very much.

The brand has been on the market for a year and seems to do pretty well.

For more information on Birdy Nam Nam, visit the website.

who's who -kleine fabriek continued

The Belgium brands were there : Zorra, Quincy, Simple Kids, Maan.
No doubt they have a style of their own made of a combination of prints and fabrics, which gives the silhouette a "retro style with a serious edge" (to quote the sales manager of Quincy).

I was however a bit puzzled to see that the 4 stands all displayed dolls and racks in a similar way to present their collection, which makes it difficult to differentiate the brands.
Here's a quick blind test, so that you get the picture :

(from top to bottom : Maan, Quincy, Simple Kids, Zorra.)

Having said that, if you look more carefully at the collection of each brand, you can notice some nice pieces and looks that I guess will make the difference.
I particularly liked :
Maan's fake-fur coloured collars that will brighten up any darker coat, while keeping you warm:

Zorra's fresh prints stamped on the tee-shirts:

Simple Kids' camel coat, electric blue colour theme as well as the silhouette combining the flare pants and the Pow tee-shirt:
I was a bit disappointed by Quincy stand which displayed its clothes by gender only (vs theme for the others), which left me with a confusing feel of the collection. Plus, it seemed top-secret as I was not allowed to take any pictures. Here's one however:

everywhere from here to there ; whatever

I've been thinking for a few days about what I would tell you about my visit to Kleine Fabriek last sunday. Thinking about one idea to describe the 08-09 fall-winter collection.

Nothing came to my mind until I heard last night Kneebody, a fusion jazz band, playing "everywhere from here to there", at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
And this is what I'm going to do here: telling you about the bits and pieces that stood out from the crowd. Whatever.

twinkling light

Nice illustrations by Hiromi Kanno, from Milk Japan #4 (dated 8.12.07)
I really like fashion illustration: it's a mean to show the clothes but it also serves a form of art. Plus it leaves more freedom to imagine how you would wear the outfit yourself (as opposed to photography with models) - to get the idea, check this.

buckle up with Julius

I don't usually like when names or logos of brands are stamped on the front of the products, esp. when made for kids, but I must say that, with the Julius belt, Small Paul did it just the right way.
For more information on Paul Frank, visit the website.

I'm lucky

I would like to thank Second Chance , as they enabled me to get into kf yesterday.

Second Chance is an association based in Romania, originally created by an American expatriate and a Romanian.
It all started in the winter of 2002 in the village of Berceni when the two women lanched a Christmas party providing meals and gifts to the families in the need.

Five years later, a lot of projects have been achieved thanks to fund raising and with the help of volunteers : elementary schools were rebuilt and computers labs installed, playgrounds were built, winter clothes and food were distributed, a senior center for retired citizens has been opened you name it.
And also, unemployed women have been taught different skills such as mosaic making and sewing -you'll shortly be able to buy some of their costumes for children at Imagine and Kinderfeestwinkel in Amsterdam.

If you want to support Second Chance, you can make a donation or volonteer. For more information or to share idea, please visit secondchanceromania.org

let's rock

The 08-09 Fall/Winter Kid's Trade tour starts this week-end at Kleine Fabriek, Amsterdam Rai- Netherlands.
Over 95 new labels will be present.

If I manage to sneak in (a tricky challenge as I don't have any professional status proving I'm in the business), I'll keep you updated on the latest news and trends.

Kleine Fabriek, Amsterm Rai - 13&14 January 08