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London

The big city with kids

As this is our kid’s edition, I have been looking into a few places that aren’t as well known as some kids destinations in London but definitely offer lots of fun and interest.

One of these is the V&A’s Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green (pictured above) which houses an impressive collection of children’s toys, games, clothing, furniture and other exciting artefacts relating to little ones through history. I went to the museum with my four year old to while a way a Sunday morning. First we came across “Doll Face”, an eye-catching exhibition of photographs by portrait and still-life photographer Craig Deane depicting dolls from the extensive collection owned by the museum. (The exhibition ended 27th March but you can see the whole series of images at www.craigdeane.co.uk, they are really incredible images and slightly creepy but my boy was fascinated by them). (more…)

Children’s stores, London

Shopping recommendations

London has some great shops for kids, here are my favourite boutiques and shops for clothes, toys and furniture. (Pictured above: Their Nibs).

Caramel Baby & Child This exquisite shop is growing, there are branches in Brompton Road, Pavilion Road (Sloane Square) and Ledbury Road (Notting Hill). The store prides itself on very individual items, and paired down everyday clothing with a touch of luxury. www.caramel-shop.co.uk

Green Baby, Notting Hill My babies may have grown up a bit but they spent their early years in cotton baby grows and pyjamas from this cute environmentally sound store. www.grenbaby.com

Igloo, King’s Road The ‘it’ boutique for kids in the King’s Road. A branch can also be found in Islington. Expect to find brands such as Ikks, Petit Bateau, Mookie, even Hunter Wellies.  www.iglookids.co.uk

Jigsaw Junior, 190 Westbourne Grove I have a very fond memory of this store in Notting Hill as this is where I took my bridesmaid Lucia to choose her outfit for my wedding….back in 2002. The shop is as wonderful today, with particular emphasis on fashions for girls, and the all important party dress or frock as my grandmother would have called them. www.jigsawonline.com/collections/1001284/junior

Habitat Home ideas and accessories for kids such as baskets for practical, fun storage to encourage tidying up. Also love the kid’s bedding and wooden toys here. www.habitat.co.uk

Marie Chantal Beautiful upmarket classics for children. Luxurious therefore pricey, but there are lots of lovely accessories and it’s a great place to look for outfits for special occasions. www.mariechantal.com

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Remy Charlip and l.a. eyeworks

A dance for the eyes

6th April 2011 During a meeting in Milan, l.a. eyeworks (www.laeyeworks.com) introduced me to the books of the American author and illustrator Remy Charlip, of which Arm in Arm is a true classic for children, and most often cited. Remy is now in his eighties, and rather wonderfully he has collaborated with the Los Angeles eyewear designers to produce a design for their lens cloths this year (image above). The commission brief was for a design that would be a “dance for the eyes”.  This is one of the first drawings that Remy has created since he suffered a stroke some years ago, making it all the more incredible; it is likely to become a highly sought after accessory.

For anyone who is lucky enough to be close to Parma in Italy in the next weeks, there is an exhibition about Remy’s amazing designs and illustrations entitled “Remy Charlip, danzare il mio libro” which is on until 25th April (Galleria San Ludovico). Some of Remy’s original editions are on display, as well as drawings and the many books that he has written and illustrated. The exhibition is part of the Festival Minimondi. For more information visit www.minimondi.com CN

 

Boudoir, Venice

Launch on the web

4th April, 2011 One of our favourite stores in Venice, which sells frames by brands like Reiz, TD Tom Davies, l.a. eyeworks and Lindberg but also jewellery and other interesting accessories and furnishings, has launched a new website at www.boudoir.venice.it

One of the reasons we have been following this store is that the owner, Alessandro De Lorenzo has launched a project to find a young eyewear designer called the DES-EYE-N Award, organised by LAB30100. Collaborating with prestigious stores around the world (see list below) the competition, which is designed for MA students studying fashion, product or industrial design, is open until end of April (30th) this year and entry is free of charge. For more information visit www.lab30100.com.

The ten optical stores collaborating in the project LAB30100 are:

Boudoir Venice; Optic Extrascharf, Berlin; Nathalie Bladt, Leuven; Oliver Goldsmith store, London; Optika Eclectic Eyewear, Saskatoon, Canada; Gogosha Optique, LA; Bruce Eyewear, Vancouver; Visual Culture Optical, Hong Kong; Loonen Brillenmakers, Oosterhout, the Netherlands; and Optica Toscana, Madrid.

 

 

Colour blocking for children

With so much on colour blocking in grown-up fashion, I’ve been looking around for how this trend is coming into its own in childrenswear. It has filtered in to some of the coolest kid’s clothing and sunglass collections. Go totally mono colour if you dare! We think it’s a great choice for Spring/Summer. CN

YUMMY YELLOW 1. Leather Ballet Flats (buttercup) from Boden, from £26, www.boden.co.uk 2. Stella McCartney Henry T-shirt, in sunshine from £21.00  www.stellamccartneykids.com 3. Ruffle Jersey Dress (sulphur flower) by Boden, from £24.00 www.boden.co.uk 4. Daisy 3 by Zoobug with CR39 UV 400 cat 3 lens, from £25, www.zoobug.com

 

BOLD BLUE 1.Oscar coat (sharp blue), 100 euros, from Finger in the Nose www.finegerinthenose.com 2. Sunglass model VL1071 by Vuarnet, www.vuarnet.com 3. Dalton Sharp Blue Shark Short Sleeve Tee from Finger in the Nose www.fingerinthenose.com 4. Canvas shoes from Bensimon, www.bensimon.com

 

HOT RED 1. Icon slim fit jeans, Finger in the Nose, from 75 euros, www.fingerinthenose.com 2. ZB4 by Zoobug, from £29, www.zoobug.com 3. Trainers by Veja, www.veja.fr 4. FC72 T-Shirt £12 to £14, French Connection, www.frenchconnection.com