Beach Bum…..

Today D’Niyah embarked on a beach adventure.  Living in these parts of the world it is a BIG deal as it isn’t a luxury we are afforded all year round. So unlike folks living in the envied tropics, who more than likely may not place as much emphasis on putting together an outfit for beach days…we do!

To be honest I love going all out for any occasion for that matter, she was born for this so why not capitalize?!

D’Niyah is rocking the heck out of her beachwear. We went for a navy blue tankini with white polka dots, and red trimmings. A pair of glass looking jelly sandals, cream and red tote and over sized hair bow accessorized the look, and as per usual she topped it off with that cute little smile and her signature poses.

    

Spring into Easter…

For those who know D’Niyah, you know she was born to chill in front of the camera.

We have a habit of putting her confidence, cute little smiles and organic poses to good use, while making memories in the process.

Hence it has been a habit since her birth, to herald every season or occasion with a photo shoot. Her daily shots are merely impromptu practice sessions.

To mark the beginning of spring and Easter this year she has done a total of two shoots, with one of our highly recommended photographers, Nikki Cee of NCee|Photography and Picture People respectively.

Her outfits consist of a mixture of pastels, Summer brights and bold floral prints, to reflect the Spring and Easter themes. To be economical I’ve also made sure they can be worn throughout Spring and Summer.

In her Spring shoot she is wearing a soft pink dress with pleats and ruffle details from Target, a pale yellow cardigan from Old navy. Themed with a floral print purse also from Target, shocking yellow ballet flats, Old navy  and an owl pendant necklace.

a soft pink dress with pleats and ruffle details from Target $16.99
pale yellow cardigan from Old navy
floral print purse from Target $9.99
shocking yellow ballet flats from Old navy $24.99

a soft pink dress with pleats and ruffle details from Target $16.99
pale yellow cardigan from Old navy
floral print purse from Target $9.99
shocking yellow ballet flats from Old navy $24.99

a soft pink dress with pleats and ruffle details from Target $16.99
pale yellow cardigan from Old navy
floral print purse from Target $9.99
shocking yellow ballet flats from Old navy $24.99

a soft pink dress with pleats and ruffle details from Target $16.99
floral print purse from Target $9.99
shocking yellow ballet flats from Old navy $24.99

 

Her Easter themed shoot consisted of 2 outfits.
The first, a very colorful dress with a floral and neon blend, 60% off at Macy’s, accessorized with a cute pair of hot pink ballet flats with white polka dots from Children’s place, and a hot pink over-sized hair bow from Target.

a very colorful dress with a floral and neon blend, 60% off from Macy’s $29
hot pink ballet flats with white polka dots Children’s place $14.95
white thighs from Target $5
hot pink over-sized hair bow Target $5

a very colorful dress with a floral and neon blend, 60% off from Macy’s $29
hot pink ballet flats with white polka dots Children’s place $14.95

hot pink over-sized hair bow Target $5

Her second look, another dress white bodice and floral skirt combo, accessorized with purple gladiator sandals, both from Children’s Place.

white bodice and floral skirt combo from Children’s Place $14.95
purple gladiator sandals Children’s Place $14.95

white bodice and floral skirt combo from Children’s Place $14.95
purple gladiator sandals Children’s Place $14.95

We hope you can draw inspiration for your little fashionistas outfits over the lengthy weekend ahead. We will be sharing our Easter weekend picks in the next couple posts.

Have a blessed and safe Easter weekend. Xo

Denim and furs…

Happy Saturday!!! 

Quick look today compliments
Miss D’Niyah.  This lovely fashionista is sporting a Gap denim shirt ($12) paired with black tights  from Target ($5), the cutest leopard print flats from Crazy 8 ($9), and a fur lined vest from Marshall’s ($17). Hope you’re having a fabulously styish day!

Butterfly Spring…

I’m not sure if I ever mentioned how much Summer and I LOVE pink and butterflies…

But we do… And, as my pride won’t allow me to strut around in pink outfits daily, I submit Summer to it all… Of course she isn’t even slightly bothered by it! After all, Pink was made specifically for her, right!?!

Second weekend in a row and first weekend of her school’s Easter break, and yet another birthday party to attend. Talk about Ms. Popular.

With the awareness of what kiddy parties give, I wanted her to go for a very casual look. No fuss, just something thrown together, very simple but super cute.

I gave Summer the chance to dictate her preference, she picked a denim look cotton dress, one of her fave dresses from our most recent spring haul.

As it was a bit chilly out, I chose a very girly pair of pastel pink leggings with butterfly appliqués to keep the chill off her legs.

A pair of matching glittery, pastel pink, t-bar ballerina flats, pink butterfly patterned tote and a pastel pink n gold butterfly beaded necklace pulled the look together.

Voila! We had put together a cute Easter themed outfit, without even setting out to. Then the cherry on the cake/ egg in the nest… a little gold butterfly clip on her bun.

 

Leggings – Next £10 Dress – La Redoute £19 Tote – Accessorize £15 Necklace – Accessorize £6 Ballet flats -Primark £6 Pair of hair bows – Accessorize £5.50

             

Pastel charm…

Every little ‘stylish’ girl ought to have at least a tiny splish splash of pastel shades dripping from their closets this Spring/Summer.

As island girls, we normally attach playful neon brights and jewel tones to sunshine. To us it screams, happy and carefree.

However over the past year, whilst we still embrace the bold colors, we have developed an appreciation for the total opposite as well. Apart from the fact that it is bang on trend this season, infusing pastel shades into an outfit, almost always guarantees that a lasting impression is left.

Regardless of the styling, these shades whisper, ‘fresh’, ‘modern’, ‘soft’ and ‘girly’ and will give any outfit an effortless feminine feel. What is even more interesting is the fact that no matter your skin tone/color there is a pastel to suit.

One shade which compliments D’Niyah is pastel pink. This is evident in her candy shop inspired outfit she donned for her Saturday play day.

Her pink skinny fit trousers were paired with a simple pastel pink, polka dotted blouse, gold ballet flats and a nicely fitted parka.

  

Summer Jhoy…

So this year Summer kicked off her 6th birthday celebrations with a mini photo-shoot, compliments her Uncle, Kirth from KN-Fotograffi.

Styled by yours truly, the inspiration for her outfits came from my latest obsession with layering and leopard prints and Summer’s love for bright colors, sunshine, the great outdoors and anything that sparkles.

For the first leg of her shoot she wore a very simple flirty dress from Next, accessorized with a tan skinny belt that cinched the waist. A pair of glittered loafers from Monsoon which I am totally obsessed with. Bracelet and hair bows from Next.

glittered loafers from Monsoon £20

simple flirty dress from Next £17
tan skinny belt borrowed from another outfit from Next

bracelet from Next £5
hair bow from Next £4.50

This was followed by Khaki shorts by La Redoute. White basic H&M shirt layered with a leopard cardigan from Zara. I accessorized with a brown woven belt, a pair of woven tights from next, fur lined ankle boots from La Redoute and a red Zara scarf.

The last set of images were taken at Parndon Mill an awesome location sitting on the banks of the River Stort in Harlow.

fur lined ankle boots from La Redoute £49

shorts by La Redoute £24.99 light brown woven tights from Next £10 (pack of 3)

leopard cardigan from Zara
white basic shirt from H&M
red scarf from Zara

            

Styling with Layers….

We love Layering kids clothing,  it’s an awesome way to transition from one season into another.

There aren’t any set rules for layering. It’s just one of those things, that allows you to be creative and just be…You!

Summer loves playing dress up, it is the ONLY time she can get away with wearing make-up… and the ONLY time I can convince her to make multiple outfit changes. During that process we get some quality mommy/daughter time, I learn a bit more about her style and we work out combinations for outfits.

I love combining new season bits, but most of my faves comes from a mix of pieces from Summer’s previous season’s wardrobe, (because of her skinny frame, and tiny feet, she takes forever to grow out of her clothes and shoes) with new season buys which keeps the looks current.

That way she stays on trend, I stretch my pounds and… Well I do get a bit attached to the really cute pieces she owns so… I lol… Sorry I meant…WE get to enjoy them a bit longer.

Here are a couple of our layered looks for this season.  I hope it inspires you to come up with a few of your own.

Trending on a budget…

Hello Guys! We are extremely excited about winter drifting off into the soon to be distant past. So excited we have already begun updating the girls’ wardrobes with a few pieces of our fave trends, which will assist with the transition into Spring/Summer fashion.

Most families would have already booked their holidays for summer 2014.  They too will be looking to add a few pieces to their little one’s wardrobe. For some parents, ‘stylish’ and ‘trendy’ are a part of the prerequisites for grabbing those perfect pieces.

Whilst children’s clothing can be very expensive, it is possible to put together an affordable, fashion forward wardrobe for your mini fashionistas. We have a few tips we use, which ensures that we can afford to shop the latest trends for our girls while saving a few pennies away.

The key is to splurge ONLY on a few, AGE APPROPRIATE statement pieces whilst saving on the basics, I.e. T-shirts, vests, sweats, socks and more.

Browsing on the internet as well as shopping around locally and at nearby shopping malls are ideal ways to get to compare prices on kids clothing and keep up with the latest fashion trends. Try not to make purchases unless you are satisfied that you have shopped around enough in order to ensure you are bagging a bargain.

Although you may have your favorite spots to shop, try not to limit yourself to set stores. You will be surprised what bargains you can find when you shop with an open mind. Some of the best deals on kids clothes are found in stores termed as ‘expensive’, and it is beyond gratifying to be the lucky one to find them.

Quality ALWAYS matters over quantity. You can save yourself having to buy the same items over and over again, as quality clothing can endure a lot of wear and tear.

We maintain that having stylish kids does not mean he/she has to be dressed as a teen or an adult. Some designers and retailers are often carried away; designing and selling kids clothing which may be inappropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. Sadly a lot of parents allow themselves to get caught up in these trends.

Children grow up so fast these days, and as parents we are obligated to allow them to take time and grow. Therefore the focus should be on finding MODEST clothing for your mini fashionista which is on trend but age appropriate.

Find out what your child likes within your parameters. Encouraging your little girl to find her own style helps with bringing a bit more of her personality to the fore front. When you dress her, the idea should always be to encourage her to be confident and teach her the importance of carrying herself well. Ensure that she understands the difference between that and being able to act her age at ALL times.

As the months go by we will be sharing some of our favorite kids fashion trends for Spring/Summer so feel free to visit us for some inspiration. In the meantime say hi to one of our little fashionistas, Miss D’Niyah.

“While clothes …

“While clothes may not make the [girl], they certainly have a strong effect on her self-confidence — which, I believe, does make the [girl].”
— Mary Kay Ashe