broom shake

trident sceptre

Looks like the doors to hell are now open.

off on a trip

Tights+poncho+bike=a matching color set.
And her pink cheeks make her shine brighter.

vibrancy

The electric blue is a perfect combination with her lovely red hair. I wish we could see the freckles on her face.

coincidence of colors

empty parks

Raindrops and shorter days... it's hard to take a photo these days. Stay tuned, Ill be back soon!

boys band

shining

Her light airy skirt brightens up her outfit and makes her really shine on this sunny autumn day.

stripes and boots

Two friends, same look and feel.

cool vibe

The subtle fare create a stylish silhouette and the light wash of these jeans look great with the matching top.

tree climbing and falling

The boy on the tree has to balance and not fall off while his friend is shaking the branch. That's the fun of the game!

in the wood

Her purple tulle dress (and matching boots) adds to the romantic feel of the scene.

green citrus

This smooth grey mud contrasts great to her shining green citrus boots.

autumn wrapped up

I like her long red scarf loosely wrapped around her neck.
(she stopped when she saw me with my camera).

milkmagazine.net

I'm honoured to have my streetstyle looks from Amsterdam published by Milk Magazine online.
Here, my first look (boy in yellow) - there'll be more to come in following days.
Here, my short bio.

(the photo is me as a child wearing an Oasis tee-shirt which I won at the "Club des Crabes").

same shade of brown

on the grass

The first thing she did was to spread her coat on the grass to mark "her spot". It revealed a brilliant blue lining.
And she waited for her mum & sister to get there.

clogs

Great cow clogs.
- I'm surprised that I've hardly met anyone in Amsterdam wearing clogs, in a country where they're largely produced.

10 years old

It's her birthday today and she's dressed up for that occasion.

I like her fitted vest with fine tennis stripes that gives her outfit some structure and shape. And the purple ribbons hanging in the air match her airy dress perfectly.

tree leaves

Autumn leaves now are falling and children collect them to press.

That's what Maisy is busy doing here, in her bright red turtleneck worn beneath a beautiful black velvet jacket.

Puss in Boots

Vichy shirts are a nice alternative to tee-shirts for boys. Particularly those with large checks.

Don't you think he's running away like Puss in Boots (without the boots)?

the big apple

She was walking at a detemined pace, leaving her friends far behind. With her bowler hat and her Big Apple tee-shirt, she could as well be from Brooklyn Heights.

jumps

dots

Her dot scarf adds a nice touch to her plain red coat.

online coffee

Behind the curtains #6 : conversation with 4 hip mums living in 4 European cities. Some like it black, others iced, then there are the ones who like it with "just the frothed milk, a sprinkle of chocolate on top and the accompanying cookie".
The last-named people are the little ones of Courtney, Esther, Emilie and Michela -4 girlfriends who introduced, in London, the concept of a babyccino to keep their toddlers quiet while they met in cafés discussing topics like style, kids and life.
Babyccino soon turned into a blog when they eventually moved back to Milan for Michela, Paris for Emilie and Amsterdam for Esther while Courtney stayed in London.

I had an online conversation with these 4 urban mums about kids, style and fashion and wanted to share with you the best moments of it.


You met in London -what's great about London for a family with kids?

Everyone agrees that London is great with kids for “its many lovely parks and museums" and also because it’s "an enormous and hugely diverse city and a cultural environment”. Emilie likes the idea of raising kids “in a tolerant environment" and Esther loves the "immense amount of classes for kids (arts, music, dance, sports), and the many, SO MANY super-cute shops for kids!"
The worst thing is the sheer size of the city, “so homes are small and backyards are limited”, says Courtney who is constantly telling her kids "to stop running & yelling so as not to disturb the neighbors!". “And it’s so hard to find a place in the right school”, says Emilie.

You now live in four different cities/countries. What's best about this city for a family with kids? And the worst thing?

Michela likes to live in Milan as "it’s so near to nice mountains, lakes and the Itlian Riviera for seaside", but regrets that there's "no place really thought to be child friendly".
Esther loves Amsterdam as “you can cycle everywhere very safely and even get a ‘bakfiets’ if you have more than two kids". But she doesn’t like when it rains and deplores the lack of service.
Emilie enjoys living in Paris as it has "great state-run schools and lots of activities for kids, like workshops in museums on the weekends", but she finds the parks a bit small and thinks it’s a pity that “you’re not allowed to walk on the grass".

How would you define the style of kids living in London/Milan/Amsterdam/Paris?

Courtney finds the kids’ style “more interesting in Europe than in America” and is particularly attracted to either the French or the Belgian kids’ clothes. Michela finds the kids’ style in Milan “very smart and traditional”, while Esther describes kids in Amsterdam "with long hair (also boys), trendy and mischievous". And in Paris, Emilie often sees “kids dressed in a similar style to their parents, like little grown-ups -chic with an edge”.

What's your favourite outfit for your daughter/son? What's her/his favourite?

When mothers like “ a pair of Bonpoint dungarees” for Courtney, “a hip dress with leggings” for Michela, “a cute little dress (plain no frills) with mary jane shoes” for Esther or “a pair of skinny H&M jeans with a pair of Vans and a Guns & Roses T-shirt”...
Kids prefer their pyjamas or bathrobe or jean+trainers or a bright pink princess dress. Funny thing is : “when her daughter mixes up her style, she manages to pull it off”, must admit Emilie.

What was the last thing that your kid did/said that left you speechless?

They all had either very sweet or embarrassing stories to share, so I had to pick up one. Here's Michela's :

In the car after a 2 hour drive from Padova to the seaside town I’m folding all the cables from the DVD player and Tommaso insists I immediately take his dummies and put them away.
Tommaso : mum, mum, get them.
Mummy : Tommaso, wait a minute please. It may come as a surprise to you but the world does not always revolve around you.
Tommaso : When you say things like this, you break my heart.


Thank you very much ladies for this and please, keep up the good work!
(illustration by Rita Lee)

flying bike

The most unpredictable thing happened this afternoon: a bike was flying.
An innovative kind of swings, don't you think?

about knee high boots

I like her way to wear her boots, with a little bit of knee socks showing out of the top.

giant blowpipe

Do you remember the kids on the roof?
I eventually found out what they were doing, as I met them again in the street.

like a fashion model

The contrasting leggings brighten up the outfit and the classic sweater dress becomes playful. She also poses like a fashion model, which adds to the playfulness I guess.

cheerleader

She had butterfly wings on her back and was supporting her brother playing football.

like a flash

They disappeared just as fast as they appeared - runners first, and then scooters (shouldn't it be the other way round?)
I just had time to take my camera and shoot.

on a tree, shade of blue

high impact accessories*

Her hat pulled down low, ipod and gold bag are a nice contrast to her classic dark blue outfit.

* as the Sartorialist would say.