Introducing Baby Couture Baby Footwear from Australia

Introducing Baby Couture, an Australian owned business specialising in pre-walker footwear for babies aged 0 - 18 months.

Baby Couture's range consists of 100% genuine soft leather for the modern, super stylish baby! They have designed a range of chic pre-walker footwear with guaranteed softness to allow your baby's feet to grow comfortably and flex naturally.

Baby Couture's designs are finished with padded black soles for added comfort and to help prevent slipping in early stage walking.

Now Baby Couture is offering international shipping for babies worldwide!

Celebrate a New Sibling with BBs Tees!

BB’s Tees can help you celebrate your newest little miracle while keeping your big sibling involved. Announce the news of your growing family with a fun and sassy big brother or big sister t-shirt.


Check out the collection of sibling gift plates and serve up each meal with lots of love for the older child who may need to feel extra special during this time of transition.

Or how about celebrating your child becoming a big sister or big brother by throwing a party? Invite guests to a sibling celebration with the printable customized party kit including invitations and matching party supplies, perfect for sleep deprived parents!

Spooktacular 5 for 25% Off Savings Event & Halloween Costume Contest

No tricks just treats! Everything But The Princess is offering a sweet deal - treat yourself to 25% off 5 brands: Cakewalk, Room Seven, One Kid, Jean Bourget, Jottum Fall (holiday not included).

Plus, be sure to enter or vote in the Halloween costume contest on facebook.

7 ideas for 7 days

It's Sunday night and another week of nights drawing in and waking before the sky is light lies ahead. If choosing what to wear when it feels like the rest of the world is still asleep fills you with a sense of dread, here are 7 ideas for the next 7 days taken from the streets.

images: 1. streetfsn. 2. the sartorialist. 3. moderniteter. 4&5. style sightings. 6. the sartorialist. 7. hanneli.

Umi Shoes on Hollywood Celebrities!

Jennifer Garner and her daughter Violet were seen in Brentwood shopping in the rain. Violet was seen wearing Umi's Autumn/Winter 2010 style "Orchid" in black. Violet has been wearing Umi since she was a baby.

Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) and her daughter Eden were spotted in Hollywood visiting a Pumpkin Patch for Halloween. Eden is seen wearing vintage Umi. (Photos courtesy of Celebrity Baby Scoop)






Get 10% off on Umi Shoes with code: umi10.

Founded by the management of Elefanten USA in 2004, Umi Shoes is exclusively a children's footwear company. All Umi products are developed according to the unique needs of the growing child's foot and are manufactured of the finest materials and highest of quality and environmental standards, gaining the approval of parents and Mother Nature alike.

Shabby Apple Girls Collection 10% off + Free Shipping

Shabby Apple by Addi and Kinsi is a unique line of baby, girls and women's dresses that are cleverly made for everyday wear.

Just in time for the holidays, Shabby Apple is offering 10% off site wide plus free shipping with code: fall10off until November 20th.

You'll find an adorable selection of girls dresses including this Cranberry Red Party Dress.

Made by a special, textured fabric, polyester sateen, that looks and feels like raw silk and continues to hold up its appearance and feel wash after wash!

Whether it’s a formal or casual party, this dress will rock it with its three fashionable bubble tiers and a thick black sash around the waist.

So easy to dress up, and always makes for a comfortable wear without having to worry about the fabric.

kirsten

images: kirstenimages.com

Kirsten Dunst doing a spot of shopping and looking a thousand shades of cool. Fancy living in LA and still being able to bare your legs at this time of year? Brrrrrr. Really love her strappy wedges though and her new blunt platinum do looks rather brilliant too.

boy

Iconic 1970s brand Boy London has collaborated with Urban Outfitters to re-release the deliciously logo heavy designs loved by early London punks and later on Boy George and The Pet Shop Boys. I, along with a friend did an awful lot of searching for Boy London pieces on eBay over the summer so although I feel inclined to have mixed feelings about a cult brand so typical of it's time relaunching now, the hypocrisy (or arseholeness) of this very thought and the excitement at wearing my new top trumps anything else.

Boy London

Alex and Alexa at Vogue Fashion Night In on November 1st

Celebrate Vogue's first online shopping event with AlexandAlexa.com tomorrow, Monday November 1st from 5pm-Midnight.

Shop online and be entered to win a £200 shopping spree for your little one at AlexandAlexa PLUS your dream coctail dress by Marchesa worth £1,000 just in time for the festive season.

Plus every house they will be announcing exclusive giveaway prizes via facebook and twitter.

10% of all sales will be donated to Kids Company charity.

Introducing Snug Attack Typographic Kids Apparel

Snug Attack is an exciting new brand out of Los Angeles, California created by Jane and Dale, a husband and wife design team who recently launched their typographic apparel line for kids.

Inspired by Their twins, Jane and Dale design baby apparel that combines playful art and typography based on milestones and everyday experiences.

Jane and Dale design and silkscreen all shirts by hand from their studio in Los Angeles. All items are hand printed on American Apparel t-shirts.

Inside Style – Halloween Costumes

Inside Style by Annmarie O'Connor - as featured in The Dubliner magazine - October 28th      

My mother emailed me a photo the other day. The attachment included a Polaroid taken at my kindergarten Halloween play. I was a cat – but no ordinary moggy I can assure you. The performance may have been called ‘The Little Red Hen’ but ‘Annmarie the Fashionable Feline’ should have lit those bright lights in my estimation.  After all, I was the real star. Let me explain.

As life decisions go my juvenile refusal to play the lead role on account of the naff chicken costume was a defining one.  Even at five years old, I could sense the looming sartorial smear that would beset me. These were no Margiela feathers but rather those of the Foghorn Leghorn variety.  I valued my playground status too much to be coerced into holding such a poisoned chalice.

Instead I chose style over fame and joined the kitty litter. It was my pal Patricia who gave me the inside scoop. Her mother was the wardrobe mistress and by all accounts the cat costumes were fierce. Not only did we get to wear toffee-coloured hot pants and knee socks but we had cute velvet ears and long tails to swing in our duet. 

It wasn’t all glamour however. Our parts involved a refusal to assist the plumed protagonist in planting the infamous grain of wheat. I personally think we were scapegoats. Those bitter pigs and cows didn’t even get a look in; never mind that shady duck. Then again, had they networked with the production crew, they too may have found themselves sporting a more flattering costume. But I digress.

Despite being singled out for a refusal to engage in manual labour, our characters held the fashionable upper hand. All eyes were on us; which may have accounted for our unfazed reaction at being refused the hen’s reward of bread.  Puh-leez. As if carbs would have cut it in those outfits! Some things don’t change.

As for the girl who usurped me as Little Red, her star may have shone brightly on stage but that papier-mâché headgear dims my estimation of her still. It’s bad enough, having to play a moralistic matriarch but making fashion out of poultry is a crime most fowl. And that pun my friends is the reason why I haven’t tread the boards since.

Image: Goodhousekeeping.com

current wears

A couple of things that I've been wearing recently:

Old replica England top passed down from my Stepdad who is no longer a football shirt wearing kind of a guy. It was the uniform for players between 1980-83 and is a welcome addition to my wardrobe just in time for my vague current flirtation with sporty items of clothing.

Also a personalised 'Stevie' name alice band which I bought last winter after writing this post and being inspired by the girls behind Pas Comme Les Moutons. When I wear it I usually get a gooey 'aw, I used to have one of those!' reaction from other girls and I don't have the heart to admit that my name was always too unusual to find one when I was younger which clearly was the reason that years later I actually had one made. Yessir..

kate's last hurrah

top: kate moss shaggy hood cardigan, £100. midnight velvet and lace shorts, £60.

bottom: panther mesh dress, £100. pansy print dress £60.

I'll be honest, I never went a bundle on the Kate Moss for Topshop collections. Bar a few pieces I always found them too heavy on embellishment and too poorly made to justify the prices. I however have to give some credit for the standout pieces (the little poppy and pansy print tea dresses which now have cult status in their own right) and though I'm wary to admit it, I'm secretly pleased that those of us that missed out the first time round will have a chance to get our hands on them before she bows out with her final collection. 

I've been having a bit of an anti-dress period over the past few months, never feeling quite right in the ones I own so it's refreshing that quite a few of Kate's are tickling my fancy. "She" has also designed some pretty underwear and a snug looking shaggy cardigan which in my mind is the perfect attire for lounging on the sofa with a lap full of Turkey Sandwiches on Christmas evening-I mean the cardigan, not the underwear, unless you have particularly liberal Grandparents..

top: red poppy dress £60. embroidered panel tea dress, £80.

bottom: blue lace and mesh triangle bra, £18. leopard knitted cardigan, £50.

There is of course the fact that Kate Moss's pieces are so instantly recognisable (especially the case for the pansy dress). This is usually an issue for me but strangely I can't be bothered being hung up over it, perhaps it's the fact that it's her last collection, perhaps I've been subdued by the lullaby voice of Zooey Deschanel in the collection's preview video, either way I'll be ready and waiting with my finger on the mouse when the pieces go online on November 2nd..

nicoll and cerutti

 

image: vogue.co.uk

Really love these shoes designed by Richard Nicoll at Cerruti. This evening I found myself watching this rather hilarious interview with Richard Nicoll, though funny for all the wrong reasons. Namely because the presenter is bizarrely like Bruno's female alter-ego. Richard Nicoll's patience is very sweet but also very giggle inducing as the awkwardness of her non-questions gets a little too embarrassing to watch. So go ahead and watch if it The Office style humour is your bag. Still, Richard was an absolute gentleman showing off the pieces from the Cerutti SS11 collection and explaining the ideas behind them- it's quite apparent that he is an absolute babe and hell, he knows how to design a good shoe..

To remedy the above you should watch the forever mesmerising Magosia Bela in the SS11 Cerutti video.

inspiration on a wednesday

Jane Birkin and half of The Beatles, Marc Jacobs FW10 campaign, incredible shoes at Meadham Kirchoff SS11, squash grown by my Best Friend's Mum, Eileen Grey interior, Amanda from Moderniteter.

in austin

Gorgeous shoot of model Ashley Smith back in her hometown of Austin, TX in Russh Magazine. Seeing a fashion story like this makes me want to get back to America as soon as possible, I had so much fun in Austin back in April. Burritos the size of small pigs, Barton Springs, driving around in Riley's old Volkswagen car, drinking cold colas at Capitol. Things always feel more romantic when you're away from home.

photographs from fashion gone rogue

life lessons from nina simone

"Take French lessons, go swimming a lot, buy Langston Hughes books, get high, hire a girl once a week to take care of your clothes (sew, clean, organize closets), find a psychiatrist, a Spanish babysitter, take dancing, find shoemaker, write Hazel Scott, find yellow pills, buy books a friend told me about, stop abusing Andrew." -Nina Simone

On the subject of Nina Simone, I always loved this little scene (it starts at 1:10) from Before Sunset in Julie Delpy's pokey Parisian flat. That look on Ethan Hawke's face as he is checking for approval after putting on a Nina Simone CD is such a classic situation! And Julie Delpy's impressions of Nina's audience participation always make me smile.

big chilling

I can't wait to go back home to Bristol for reading week for some rejuvenation and enjoying the novelty of a double bed and a bath clean enough to bathe in. I also can't wait to re-watch The Big Chill with a large cat sprawled out across my lap. There are of course a couple of essays that will need to be written in the middle of all of this, but that's nothing that the encouragement of Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum and William Hurt as a bunch of smart old University friends can't help me with.

give me the chills

top image: sheepskin mittens, asos. boots, robert clergerie. pullover, a.p.c

Brrrr! The chill is well and truly here. I know this because last night I realised that one of my knuckles had started to bleed. Ah, the onslaught on wintery chapped skin. Still, all the more reason to buy myself some snuggly sheepskin mittens, wrap myself up against draughts and grin from under my swaddled layers ala Chloe Sevigny back in ELLE magazine five years ago.

cord and confessions

For some time now I've been ignoring an irksome niggle at the back of my head but it's become too loud and I'm having to come out of the closet and confront who I really am. I don't like shopping. I don't know how this happened to me but I really truly don't. Maybe this should be confined to 'high street shopping' where I feel overwhelmed and self conscious and overheated. Meandering though the rails in a second hand shop to a soundtrack most likely to consist of Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks (over time I've noticed it seems to be a Generic Vintage Shop Favourite) really isn't so bad and if you throw into the equation an undercrowded shopfloor and maybe a couple of fellow customers in inspiring get-ups and strategically placed coffee/cake breaks it can be a very joyful experience but otherwise I'd sooner stay at home and do it online with a plate of cheese on toast at my elbow.

I would wonder what was going through my mind when I thought a visit to the Arndale centre on a Saturday for a spot of lunchtime shopping a good idea but clearly my 'hate shopping' policy wasn't cemented when I woke up today. Although I was unsuccessful in finding the Navy 420 New Balance trainers I'd been after, I must award recognition to Topshop as I came across this gem of a button down cord skirt in a rusty colour which acted as the silver lining to the whole experience. 

Note the slightly eery low-light pictures of said skirt which I took while babysitting earlier. Yes, I am 19 and I still babysit. I have run this by friends to check that it's still legit. The conversation usually follows this template: 'Guys, is there an age in which it will be unacceptable for me to babysit? Or did it pass when I turned 15 and no one was polite enough to say?' The general consensus is usually 'dude, hold onto that biscuit tin and tv remote rourine for as long as possible, I'm jealous.' and I must admit that I love babysitting and in a Peter Pan way hope I never grow up just so I may continue. Luckily some friends of my Dad live in Manchester so I may watch Robin Hood (the Disney version with it's soundtrack to end all Disney soundtracks) with their 4 year old and leaf through the books in their cosy house. And escape grubby student kitchens for a few precious hours. Bliss.

And now to Edwyn Collins who has filled my brain with this tune all day:

that's what she said

picture scanned by gossiping on TFS.

I don't know why it came as a surprise to hear these words come from Alexa Chung's mouth, as if she is some sub-human species whose life is void of wardrobe crises, but well, it did. 

On how she gets dressed: Sometimes I've seen someone rad in the street or I try to assemble my version of their outfit. Or I'll have watched a movie that inspired me, usually from the 1960s. Sometimes it's just what's clean and available.

Oh jeez Louise, she's just like us. She comes across very well (again, hardly a surprise is it?) interviewed by the brilliant Avril Mair in the November issue of UK ELLE, more grown up and content, less of the self deprecation but still plenty of enthusiasm for pony skin floppy hats and Barbour jackets.

Stitches | Fabric | and Soul

Dame Street isn't my favourite place to catch a bus. Frequently when waiting for the 19a, I get hit on, yelled at or crushed by a bottleneck of people trying to squeeze through the small thoroughfare. When a boy called Stephen Moloney stopped me yesterday to take my likeness for his street style blog, I was pleased, flattered and dare I say....relieved. I'd like to say a big thanks for his flattering words and encourage you to visit his blog Stitches | Fabric | and Soul.

Photo by Stephen Moloney

Photo by Stephen Moloney

Inside Style - Making a Statement

Inside Style by Annmarie O'Connor - as featured in The Dubliner magazine - October 21st

I was walking up Drury Street the other day when I heard my name being shouted. Approaching me on a push bike was an unidentifiable man clad in a reflective gilet. “Hello!” cried the stranger, waving furiously. Could it be? Oh, please God no.  The luminous yellow figure grinned from ear to ear clearly happy to see me; if only we shared the same sentiment.

“How are you?” he enquired earnestly while removing his helmet. I would have answered had I not been blinded by the Day-Glo trauma of it all. It was Mr. Blind Date: a 45-minute lunch in Cafe Bar Deli that resulted in two-months of stalking. I thought I had seen the back of him. How wrong I was. “Love the neon!” I blurted clumsily. “Wait ‘til you see the other side,” he enthused.  Facing me in hand-written marker were the words ‘STOP THE BANKS!’

And therein began the flashback.  ‘You know I’ve been saying this for years Annmarie...” After hearing about LETS, corporate theft and the minutiae of his divorce over a feta salad last year, I was now forced to endure another political soapbox marked ‘What’s Wrong with this Country: Part 2’.  Between talk of sustainability, aquaponics and refusal to pay his credit card, I regained consciousness long enough to recall him referring to his ‘statement’ jacket as ‘fashionable’.

Could it be? Was the vegetable growing political activist rocking an early adapter trend? Well, stranger things have happened (see: Jedwardian hair). I had to admit, as he waxed lyrical about fish poo, I realised he wasn’t quite as excremental as my original estimation. After all, where would fashion be without its rebel yell? Katharine Hamnett was the first to spearhead the slogan trend with her WHAM!-friendly ‘Choose Life’ tees. Let’s not forget Vivienne Westwood’s ‘I AM NOT A TERRORIST’ epithet or Henry Holland’s Cockney-rhyming couplets. Fair enough. ‘Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey’ won’t encite social activism; but it will most certainly get people excited.

Despite the eye-opener, I was keen to keep our sophomore encounter brief. This was the same guy; I had to remind myself, who took ‘thanks for lunch; goodbye,’ to mean ’she’s into me’. As he cycled off to Blazing Salads, I watched ‘Down with Banks!’ fade into the distance and thought ‘Danger: Approach with Caution!’ might be the stronger statement.

fruit loops

While it is said that 'all good things must come to an end', I would like to argue that a year off simply does the trick for the better things in life. Michael Eavis gives the Glastonbury fields a year off out of every five to allow them some R&R and February 29th parties so hard each leap year that it takes 3 years of chilltime just to get back on track. But before I get carried away with statistics and tenuous links it gives me much pleasure to predict that 2011 will be the year in which florals can finally enjoy some downtime, packed away on a high shelf somewhere for a summer sabatical. And filling the pattern void will instead be fruits. Stella McCartney's Spring 2011 citrus prints provided some relief resembling no-nonsense Fruitella sweet wrappers which in my mind signify long car journeys and are quite the opposite of the fizzy florals we've seen in every high street shop for at least 4 years straight. Compared to these bold and leafy watermelon prints the itsy-bitsy florals feel a little silly and simply won't cut it for another summer. I'm looking forward to scouting some big banana prints ala that old See by Chloe top donned by Moss in the picture or attaching a couple of pineapple fridge magnets to a turban headband for some Carmen Miranda style beach headwear. But to be worn in an incredibly austere way, you must understand. Black capri pants and hardy leather sandals and maybe even a slightly inappropriate-for-summer mohair jumper. Think Wednesday Adams, Carmen Miranda and Betty Draper and you're someway there..

olympia and camille

A little snap of supercool!superfrench! stylist Camille Bidault-Waddington mid lookbook shoot for Olympia Le-Tan, the Queen of handbags dressed as hearty books. You should most certainly check out Olympia's blog for a look at bookshelves scattered with Moomin memorabilia and general bespectabled Gallic coquettish fun.

open your heart, open your purse

'flowers in the attic' tee by Sophomore and an oh-so-pretty pink nail varnish in 'kiss and tell' by Topshop.

d-r-e-a-m-y.

Joanne Hynes Winter 2010 Fashion Soiree

I love it when a plan comes together and as plans go the Joanne Hynes Winter 2010 preview was master-worthy. The looks were sharp, colourful and directional - perfect for the upcoming party season; or just about anything! A special thanks to everyone who came along on the night including our champagne friends Moet who supplied the bubbly. Have a goo at the social pics after the jump courtesy of Entertainment.ie and Wenn.com.

Model Yomiko

Actress and Author Amy Huberman

Model Aoife

Big Brother's Caoimhe Guilfoyle

Model Aoife

Xpose's Aisling O'Loughlin

Inside Style - Capes

Inside Style by Annmarie O'Connor - as featured in The Dubliner magazine - October 14th

Image courtesy of Starstore.com

Capes. Apparently, they’re the latest trend.  Formerly the provenance of Robin and Red Riding Hood, the pseudo-sleeved cloak has now claimed a fresh legion of fashion victims. I however remain (capeless) on the fence. In my humble opinion, any garment that requires a ‘how to’ guide is best left alone. We all know how harem pants worked out (see: Did we ever need another ‘Hammer Time’?).  Thus, I feel it incumbent to me to parlay some pearls of wisdom, lest Grafton Street fast resembles a convention of Cistercian monks. Allow me to proceed...

Let’s start with the sleeves or lack thereof. Admittedly, Sherlock Holmes cut quite the dash with a pipe-clad hand extending from a mantle of intrigue on Baker Street. Try hailing a cab on a windy day, opening an umbrella or simply greeting a friend without receiving a face full of tweed and I’ll buy you a pint. Rest assured it could double as a handy bib should there be any spillage.

Don’t think you’ll be luckier opting for those slashes that double as armholes. These are merely spite devices designed to shame said victim into looking like Bosco. Don’t believe me? Try paying for that newspaper in the corner shop without espousing a queue of giggles...or a ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ refrain. 
As for bags, prepare to downsize. A nice lunch box will do.  Anything proportionally larger will make you look like Quasimodo. Remember – items bearing straps only work under a cape. (See: why functioning coats need sleeves).  Besides, Bosco arms can’t carry much more than that.

Still want one? Groan. Arguably, the tippet does have its strengths.  Smuggling drinks into the pub comes to mind. The hood also doubles as a clever disguise should you receive the CCTV treatment.  Or perhaps put the garb to good use and storm on Leinster House in an act of superhero-like defiance. What you decide to do when interrupting Brian Cowan at Leader’s Questions is your gig but I’m sure he’d welcome a caped crusader rather than a JCB. Perhaps make a grand political gesture with your sartorial prop; or simply dispense some well-needed style tips to the backbenchers. In fact, histrionic and fictional affectations seem to be all this season’s ‘must-have’ is any good for. After all, who’s going to take fashion advice from someone in a cape?

Mon Petit Friends & Family Sale

Mon Petit is offering 20% off through October 20th with code: FALLFRIEND.


Mon Petit carries a full line of Layette, Infants, Children's and accessories Imported from Italy, France and England, for boys and girls. Some of the brands Mon Petit carries include: Monnalisa, Baby Graziella, Val & Max, Tartine et Chocolat, Jean Bourget, Catimini, Floriane, IKKS, Loredana, Verde Mela, Marie Chantal, Miss Grant, Pampolina, Aletta, GF Ferre, Junior Gaultier, Jottum and many more.