KidStyleFile

One of my favourite clothing labels for kids is Australia’s Paper Wings - www.paperwings.com.au

Paper Wings is undeniably one of the most inspired and sophisticatedly whimsical labels on the market, equitably distributing it’s brilliance between girls and boys. It pulls this feat off with aplomb, and without cringe or non-ironic kitsch.

The pedigree of seasoned designers, couple Jason Gibaud and Michelle Fallon — they design together, and he does the sewing — who have worked on films including Moulin Rouge, Star Wars and Peter Pan, Paper Wings exudes quiet calm and unrestrained exuberance.

There is a lot of work, and a lot of love in these garments. Paper Wings has a price tag equal to these facts. Undoubtedly they are worth every penny you might spend. But can you afford to spend that many pennies? On an ordinary day, there’s no way I can. But on sale, well, watch me go.

These clothes look incredible and wear brilliantly and, on sale, well, that makes them just about perfect.

There’s only a small selection on sale at the moment, but what there is is still well worth the pickup. I am always on the lookout, and will let you know as soon as I pick up the scent. In the meantime, do your research, pick out what you like, and wait for it to get cheaper

Tiny People - www.tinypeople.com.au - have a small amount of these precious wearable artifacts on sale.

I highly recommend the Denim Pinafore $92.60 (down from $154.00) and the Red Stripe Dress for $107.70 (down from $154).

While you’re there, check out their sale page for Edenstar, Little Red and Trelise Cooper Kids heavily reduced.

Postage is $12.00, or free if you spend $150 or more.

Going further afield, US-based e-tailers are offering a lovely little price-reduced Paper Wings booty. Note that I have only included stores that offer reasonable shipping options to Australia.

Bella and Max - www.bellaandmax.com - have a number of girls Paper Wings items on sale, including the Striped dress for USD$63.8o.

Bella and Max also stock a lovely range of brands including Tea Collection, Harajuku Lovers and Petit Bateau .

They have a couple of Tea Collection items on sale for boys, and a wider range of brands on sale for girls. I highly recommend the Tea Collection Yuki Dot dress on sale for USD$31.50, and the boys Yuki Dot shirt on sale for USD$23.80. (We have the dress, and the styling and quality is A1. I’m impressed by Tea Collection overall; buy with confidence.)

Also, check out Bella and Max’s range of ‘Neige’ (French for ’snow’). Feast your eyes! These pieces are stunning! The Josephine Dress is on sale for USD$76.80, down from $128.

The Toby Coat is USD$84.00, down from $140. (To browse the full Neige range visit the Neige website - http://www.neigeclothing.com/home.html)

You will need to contact Bella and Max, for a shipping quote to Australia, but you shouldn’t be put off: Juliet is lovely, and a fast and friendly communicator, and charges are kept to a minimum.

Olliebollen - www.olliebollen.com have the Paper Wings Striped Leggings in black and white on sale for USD$34.50 a true bargain (1 size 2 and 1 size 6 only), and the long sleeved all over Shoe Print tee (1 size 2 and 1 size 4 only) for USD$36.90; another steal.

Olliebollen carry an extensive range of upscale brands including Camper, Tea Collection, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Absorba, Baby Lulu, Small Paul et al. Check out their clothing sale page; a huge range of quality offerings are within. They also have a good range of Haba, Melissa and Doug, and some Marimekko on sale in their toys and accessories section.

Postage is charged based on weight of the goods, and is calculated at checkout.

And last, but definitely not least, the wonderful Skimbaco - www.skimbaco.com.

Skimbaco is (pronounced ’skimba-co’) is the family business of Katja Presnal and her husband Matt — a former runway model from Finland, and a emergency services rescue helkicopter pilot respectively — and their three stunning offspring. They operate Skimbaco from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Katja has the most exquisite taste and style, and every product Skimbaco carries is selected with great care to ’spread sunshine’ (as is their motto) to their customers.

Receiving a parcel from Skimbaco is a great delight as they send in a box, not a post satchel, which somehow confers a greater delight to the opener. The website is also very helpful in that it has a currency selector, so you can do all your shopping in your home currency - AUD$.

During December I took advantage of one of the most delight-filled sales I have ever witnessed (crazy crazy prices and free international shipping, for example — don’t worry, I will let you know as soon as that’s happening again!), remnants, which include Edenstar, Tea Collection and Lola et Moi, of which are now still available.

Thanks to the great prices I took the opportunity to purchase a number of brands I hadn’t heard of before, Riiminka Designs, Twinkle Kids and Wati, for example, and dig in on some Tea Collection - ‘Journey Dress’ still available for AUD$33.14 : grab it, it’s beautiful!! -, Lola et Moi (incredible Owl Brooches; thank-you-very-much) and Droopy Knickers(!) - Blue Silhouette tee still available for AUD$18.78 (a tip on this piece: it runs large, size 2T more like an Australian standard size 3-4). The quality and detail of the items is superlative. I couldn’t be happier!

Katja also has a taste for Aussie design and stocks Edenstar, and Paper Wings…which is the purpose of this post, after all!

Skimbaco are currently low on Paper Wings thanks to their recent super sale, but they do have the Boys Skull tee on sale for AUD$44.19. (The skull print is worn at the back).

Skimbaco’s shipping costs are very reasonable; and shipping is free for orders over USD$200.