With the Eid celebration coming up in a couple of weeks, it’s time to start thinking about outfits for everyone. My husband works long hours and might not get a lot of time to go to the shops, so I have been having a browse online through the menswear departments on John Lewis to get some ideas for him as I know this is a shop he does like.
He normally likes to strike a balance between looking smart and feeling comfortable, so I thought about something like this smart Fred Perry jumper:
Or a nice casual shirt like this one from Timberland
These Timberland Earthkeepers Ellsworth Straight Fit Jeans will go with the shirt or jumper. Although it is jeans, he would still look well presented as they are a darker colour and not cheap jeans
I think he would look great in these clothes, and I know he will like this type of outfit that I have picked out, so I will definitely show him these ideas, and then the next thing is for me to turn my attention to myself and the kids to get all of our outfits sorted too!
I will probably go for a new dress myself and for the kids, I alternate between some years putting them in smart casual clothes like the kind of things which I have chosen above to suggest to their Dad, or sometimes dressing them up for Eid in Asian style with kurta pyjama suits or even a sherwani.
We might go outdoors this Eid and celebrate with a big family picnic somewhere beautiful and with space for all the kids to play, so in that case smart casual may work better! The outfit I’m thinking of for my husband is quite a versatile one which can work indoors, outdoors or wherever we decide!
To celebrate the birth of the royal Prince, imps&elfs are offering one winner the chance to win this t-shirt suitable for any VIP Baby!
imps&elfs is a Dutch designer childrenswear brand founded in Amsterdam in 1997. The brand ethos is to be a modest children’s label without frills and fancies, which concentrates on the shape of the child. imps&elfs views a child as a child should be. Children’s characteristics, their build, their personality and their imagination are all complemented in the clothes they wear. Since 2012 imps&elfs launched ‘HELLO WORLD’ a lifestyle collection made of 100% organic cotton. You can find out more about them and see some of the collection on their website or Facebook page.
The tee is available in sizes 62-92 in both white and grey so the winner will be able to choose what style they would like. (Equivalent of 3-6 months to 2-3 years)
Recently I went to the Mothercare UK Christmas in July event to get a preview of some of the new ranges that will be coming out for Autumn Winter in Mothercare UK. I am quite fond of Mothercare, its one of the shops I really relied on when expecting my first baby and he has even modelled for them as he got a bit older so they do have a special place in my heart for that reason 😀
Mr Z on the front page of the Baby K website a couple of years ago (He is the boy one, obviously 😀 )
The Christmas in July event was over two days and I was only available to go on the first day so unfortunately I missed Myleene Klass and Jools Oliver coming in person to show off their new ranges (Baby K and Little Bird) which is a shame but I did still get to see loads of the new clothes and toys, which I will share with you now!
Baby K displayJools Oliver Little Bird DisplayJools Oliver Little Bird
Both the collections are quite different and I really like both in their own ways. As you would expect from these ranges, the new Baby K collection is very funky and modern and fashionable with animal prints and bold statements and whereas the Little Bird collection is very timeless with the cute simplicity of rainbows, toadstools and little ducks. I love Little Bird for a young baby or every day play and Baby K for those days when you want to dress your little one to impress! And I must say I do love the knitted toadstool in the Little Bird display above – so cute for a baby’s nursery!
Here’s a hint of some of the other new ranges coming out for Autumn/Winter at Mothercare:
Bright wellies!
Lovely Autumn colours
Black and red, rock style!
The Early Learning Centre were also at the event, showing off the next seasons toys which will be out in time for Christmas. I really like kids toys – for some reason I have just never grown out of this so I still get excited over them almost as much as the children. I love having an excuse to buy toys for my kids or friends and relatives cos it is always so fun to browse and choose, so seeing the new ranges from ELC was great.
Like Mothercare, ELC is a brand I really trust and rely on.(See here to see what I recently got from them for the Portage charity in my #RetailRoyaltyChallenge) I have memories of enjoying trips to the Early Learning Centre as a child as they used to keep toys out for the children to play on. I am still meaning to go and have a look at the new and improved Mothercare and ELC store they have in Edmonton as that sounds lovely (I wish they would make one a little more over my way in West London.. hint hint Mothercare – Build us one in Hillingdon 😉 )
Anyway, over to the toys!
The first thing I spotted when I came in was a big display of toys which I didn’t recognise at all. They are the new ToyBox range which is suitable for 12 months+ so for slightly younger than the familiar HappyLand range. They are slightly chunkier and have pose-able moveable limbs, and are very cute! Here you can see some of the soldiers, which are lovely – Very British, they remind me of the Buckingham palace guards. My littlest one would love these. He has been very into small world and little figure since he was about 12 months (now 23 months – can’t believe the time is flying so quick he is almost 2!!) so its nice to see these aimed at the slightly younger age range as that is not something I have seen so much, with most of these type of toys being for 18 months+
Here’s the full stand with all sorts of different characters available from animals to people. My favourites are the soldiers shown above.
For those who want to stick with their tried and tested HappyLand there are also some great HappyLand sets out, like this medieval style castle which looks a lot of fun! HappyLand is suitable from about 18 months to 5 years, so a little older than the new ToyBox
Another really visually appealing range are these bright colourful wooden instruments. These are beautifully made and very reasonably priced too as they will be starting at £5 for the shakers and bells. These would make a lovely gift as they are so well made and would be nice to have out on display in a playroom too. They have quite a different look from other toy instruments I have seen around, with the distinctive stripe designs.
Another toy I liked the look of is this wheely wooden kitchen which is really compact. I love some of the really large kitchens you see around but for many people space is an issue. Although I might struggle to get space for some of the bigger kitchens in the house, this one would definitely be no problem. It looks really handy and is in lovely bright gender neutral colours. This is always a plus, as I have boys who do enjoy playing kitchens. Again, very reasonably priced at £45
And finally some ideas for the littlest ones:
Such cute bright building blocks, very chunky and a great traditional toy for baby and toddlers development
Cute soft activity toy – Awww! I Can’t dwell on this younger baby stuff too much or I will end up making myself broody! But this would be lovely for a little one with lots of textures and different bits and pieces to explore.
Let me know which ones have caught your eye in the Mothercare Autumn Winter range! These will all be out in shops very soon.
Pyjama Pajama is an exciting new brand being developed by Caroline Kendal, the founder of the childrenswear e-tailer MiniWardrobe.com. After a number of years in childrenswear retail, working with established brands and new designers across all product categories, Caroline noticed that sleepwear is an area that is simply not exciting enough in the childrenswear market, although it is the product item that children spend the longest time wearing each day. Therefore, she has decided to work towards launching a range that is unlike anything currently available. She’s decided to approach the design, manufacture and launch differently and so has put together a project, which she’s launched on the crowd funding site, Kickstarter.
As well as giving their customers and fans the final say as to which designs they manufacture, Pyjama Pajama are also inviting designers to share in the success of their designs as they want to encourage the best designers to come and work with them and to inspire them to put together the best artwork for their ranges.
Mood Boards have been created to inspire the designs
As we all know, our kids wear pyjamas for a longer time each day than any other clothing in their wardrobes, so Pyjama Pajama’s intention is to make this clothing item more exciting for kids than anything else they have as well as extremely comfortable. In fact, the style and cut of the ranges will be good enough for the tops to be worn as t-shirts during the day too.
However, although they’ve already had some great feedback, we need to help them generate some more interest in their Kickstarter project as their target market of mothers and grandparents are not natural followers of Kickstarter nor are they generally aware of crowd funding as a concept. Therefore, generating interest for the project via crowd funding is generally more challenging for them than for many of the other sectors represented at Kickstarter.
In sharing this post about Pyjama Pajama, I hope that I can persuade as many of you as possible to view their Kickstarter project and become a backer. I’ve done it myself and backed the project, not only because I love the idea of well-made, comfortable inspirational pyjamas for my children but also because Pyjama Pajama are offering brilliant discounts to their Kickstarter backers. For an “Early Bird Investment” of just £10, you’ll get a pair of pyjamas at a massive discount of more than 50% off! What’s more, if you’re not happy for any reason with the final designs, Pyjama Pajama have promised to refund you in full without any exception. So, they’re offering a brilliant deal that’s not to be missed.
And for those of you who want to keep up with the development of the brand, they’ve also just set up a Facebook page for Pyjama Pajama, where they’l be posting lots of regular updates as to the progress of the project, so please do visit and like it
Once the Pyjama Pajama project is up and running, I will be bringing you some reviews of the Pyjamas
Cashmirino is a company specialising in pure cashmere children’s clothes. They cater for babies (upto 18months), children (upto 8 years), juniors (upto 14 years) and now also Dads.
They have some really lovely things! I know my boys would like to wear the hooded cardigans; they look so soft and comfy as well as smart. I couldn’t resist having a look through the baby range too, especially as one of my best friends is expecting at the moment.
It would probably be at the top end of most people’s budget but for special occasions or special gifts where you feel like splashing out a little bit, it could be ideal.
Cashmirino have asked me to share their new SS13 Look book with you! So have a look below 🙂
Or a nice casual shirt like this one from Timberland
These Timberland Earthkeepers Ellsworth Straight Fit Jeans will go with the shirt or jumper. Although it is jeans, he would still look well presented as they are a darker colour and not cheap jeans
