Written by Miki

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It’s sale time at Design Child – www.designchild.com.au – and smart buyers will be flocking over to load up their shopping carts with all sorts of delightful and discounted goodies, ready to tuck them away for next summer or restock their kids’ wardrobes for the remainder of this one.  The sale racks are overflowing, so follow me and I’ll guide you through some of the very best bargains to be bagged!

First of all, have a look at how much Oobi can be found in the Sale Section. The Oobi Ava Hat in Apple print is utterly adorable, and can be worn for all-important sun protection year-round, and have you seen the incredible Rusulka Tulle Dresses, such as this one in scarlet? For boys I love the classic Bert tees, especially this one in black & green.  It will look just as cute layered over a long-sleeve tee in winter as it would worn with shorts in summer.

There’s plenty more in the Sale Section besides Oobi, such as a great selection of Purebaby and Purebaby KIDS. The Fabrik Island Dress is hard to go past, as are the Walnut Ballet Flats in Bright Stripes. With winter approaching I love the Purebaby Navy Stripe Jumper for its classic simplicity – plus Purebaby clothes are always so snuggly.

You can take an *extra 15% off sale items* until midnight 7 February 2012, just enter the code TAKE15KSF in the coupon field at checkout!  Plus there’s a bonus offer: For every $50 spent on Oobi products, you’ll receive a $5 Oobi Dollar voucher to redeem between 1 March – 30 April 2012.  In other words, spend $50 on Oobi and receive a $5 Oobi Dollar Voucher, spend $100 on Oobi products and receive a $10 Oobi Dollar voucher and so on.  You’ll need to enter the code OOBI$ in the comments field at checkout by midnight 7 February 2012 to redeem this offer.

Special note – please note orders won’t be shipped until Monday 4 February 2012.

Discounted prices listed below are available with code TAKE15KSF until midnight AEST 7 February 2012.

one. Oobi Bert Tee – Red & Blue, Was $29.95 Reduced to $20.97 Take another 15% = $17.80; Oobi Ben Hat – Red & Navy, Was $24.95 Reduced to $17.47 Take another 15% = $14.87; Oobi Teddy Short – Red & Navy, Was $34.95 Reduced to $24.47 Take another 15% = $20.80; Walnut Cruise Shoe – Red & Navy, Was $29.95 Reduced to $23.95 Take another 15% = $20.35
two. Oobi Shrug – Pink, Was $19.95 Reduced to $15.95 Take another 15% = $13.56; Oobi Amelia Dress – Apple, Was $39.95 Reduced to $27.97 Take another 15% = $23.78; Walnut Mary Janes – Red, Was $29.95 Reduced to $23.95 Take another 15% = $20.36
three. Trunki – Freddie The Fire Engine, Was $89.00 Reduced to $71.20 Take another 15% = $60.52
four. Oobi Amelia Pop Dot Dress, Was $39.95 Reduced to $27.97 Take another 15% = $23.78
five.  Uber French Houses Purse, Was $10.95 Reduced to $9.95 Take another 15% = $8.46
six. Cocoon Couture Cheeky Squirrel Wall Hook, $89.95 Take 15% = $76.45
seven. Urban Nest Canvas Print – Babushkas, Was $37.95 Reduced to $25.81 Take another 15% = $21.94
eight. DwellStudio Toucan Wooden Puzzle, Was $20.95 Reduced to $18.95 Take another 15% = $16.15
nine. Sparkle T Cupcake Patisserie Stand, Was $58.95 Reduced to $51.95 Take 15% = $44.25

Design Child stocks a huge range of products from the following brands: aden + anais • Alannah Rose • Alfie & Nina• Alimrose Designs • And Me Too • Automoblox • b.box • Baby Bloch • Baby Bonkie • Baby Couture • Baby Legs • Banter & Frolic • Belle & Boo • Bluebelle• Bluebird and Honey • Boon • Caden Lane • Cocoon Couture • Cupcake Wrapper Co. • Design Child • Dushi • DwellStudio • Ebulobo • eeBoo • Fabrik • Felt Creations • Flipsy Flopsy Doll Company • Giddy Giddy • Hape • Huckleberry Lane• Il Tutto • Inner-B • Kids Konserve • Lark & Friends • Little Chipipi • Little Choopie • Love Henry • Love Me Baby • Lunch Punch • Made By Angie •Mamas & Papas • mOmma • Monster Couture • More 4 Boys • Mudpuppy • Neige • Nurtured By Nature • Olive’s Friend Pop • OTi • Pediped • Peggy • Princess Ratbag• Printspace • Purebaby • Red Plum Linen• Robbie Adrian • Sambellina • Seagull• Seed Organic • Seedling • Sooki Baby • Soopsori • Stella Cove • Three Little Trees • Ubabub • Urban Nest Designs • Vulli • Walnut.

Design Child charge a flat rate of $7.50 postage for regular post, $9.50 for express post. International shipping is very welcome. See the Ordering & Delivery page for full information.

Written by Angela

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On the occasion of iconic Australian baby to teens kids fashion label eenimeenimiinimoh – www.eenimeeni.com – celebrating their 10th anniversary I was privileged to spend some time with founder and designer Elizabeth O’Connor-Cowley. It was a thrill to meet Elizabeth and to hear the story behind the eeni brand; to meet the very ‘real’ person – her partner is Philip Cowley and together they have two beautiful boys, Anselm and Emrys (who love cricket); her favourite dish is Ilcentro Sandcrab Lasagne and she paints for leisure – and discover where she draws her inspiration from (nature and Paris).

On behalf of eeni lovers everywhere we wish eeni meeni miini moh a very Happy 10th Birthday.

eeni meeni miini moh  and e3-M Autumn/Winter 2012 collections for boys and girls ages 0 to 14 years will be released on 1 February 2012. Check back then for KidStyleFile’s full coverage of the new ranges.

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Tell us a little about your background

I spent my childhood growing up in country QLD.  My father was a banker and my mother dedicated her life to staying at home to ensure the family’s needs were all satisfied.  Each day my brothers and I arrived home from school to home-cooked cakes and biscuits – something I always ensure my own children are treated to in the afternoon. I bake on the weekends and freeze so I feel like our boys can enjoy one small part of the same ‘stay at home Mummy’ attention I did.  Secretly I think it helps me get through the ‘working mother guilt’ thingy!

As a child I was always in the water.  I loved swimming in particular, as well as tennis and riding my bicycle around the streets.  Those days were so fantastic.  Small country towns and growing up in the 70’s/80’s allowed you a tremendous amount of freedom.  Throughout my childhood I moved schools quite a bit due to my father’s work – although I didn’t like it at the time, it did contribute to making me a more adaptable person.  I attended boarding school in Brisbane, which I absolutely loved and have made life-long friends from. After school I completed a BA Visual Arts at QUT majoring in painting.  I love, love, love being creative.  As not many emerging artists actually succeed in working primarily in their discipline, reality hit and I was forced to find a job.

I worked for German firm ‘Wilkhahn’ for 10 years starting in sales before becoming their Asia Pacific Marketing Manager.  The Germans taught me a lot which I’ve applied to eeni meeni miini moh, including the importance of instilling corporate culture and consistency into the workplace along with branding.  Whilst working in the commercial furniture industry my passion for contemporary furniture was born and in particular, my chair fetish.  I love collecting 20^th Classic pieces  from Eames, Gehry, Arne Jacobsen, etc

Creating constitutes my existence. From day dot I have always enjoyed working in a multiple of creative disciplines including drawing, painting, graphics and textiles.  I come from a family of sewers. My Mother and Grandmother both sewed and my dearest Great Aunty Nora made a living out of being a seamstress. Together these inspiring women in my life have all contributed to my existence and I thank them for not only the skills I possess, but for the person I am today.

Your label, eeni meeni miini moh, is celebrating its 10^th birthday this year. How did it all start?

The start of a new millennium was fast approaching and so was the big three zero. From an early age I had entrepreneurial characteristics and dreamt of designing a product of my own and marketing it to the world.  The most frustrating aspect initially was that I had no idea what the “product” would be.  Obviously my art would form an integral part of the process, however in what capacity was anyone’s guess.

It came to that stage in life where many of our friends began families and we were searching for special newborn baby gifts.  We honestly couldn’t find much around that we would consider buying and were heading overseas at the time, so decided that we’d pick something up over there. Subsequently we found ourselves in many baby/children’s boutiques and it was whilst travelling throughout Europe in 1999, I became inspired by the range and quality of children’s clothing.

It all started with our PURE newborn collection – a unisex product for babies aged 0-3 months.  Many of our PURE newborn signature pieces, including our knotted eared Jumpsuit, Hoodie and Beanie along with our iconic Signature Bib, all in our first-ever collection and are still as popular now.  Our initial plan was to design a seasonal collection for children up to 5 years but as the children we have dressed have grown, so has our size offering.  We now cater for children from 0-14 years across our brands.

What, or who, inspires you?

Everything and anything!  I draw inspiration from my surrounding environment.  Everything I am in contact with, whether it be an everyday object around the house such as a container, one of my son’s artworks, an article of clothing or the cover of a book, I like to assess it for its design and functionality.  Painting is my ultimate release of expression. I can spend hours in my studio at home producing works on canvas and paper, which in turn lead to inspiration and the evolution of additional ideas for my designs.  I love the naivety of children’s art.

As a mother my children constantly inspire me.  I am in love with my family and our gorgeous and very energetic boys Emrys (10) and Anselm (7) are a source of inspiration and our chief road testers!

Paris always inspires me! Pastries in patisserie windows – particularly macarons, children’s voices in the school yard, carousels, gardens, Centre Georges Pompidou, La Tour Eiffel, random people in the street, the fashion!

Which other designers do you admire, and why?

Coco Chanel – a determined woman so ahead of her time who changed the face of fashion in the early 20^th century.  I admire her for her passion, focus and independence and of course her simplistic, unique design genre.

Karl Lagerfeld – for his hands-on, multi-tasking, perfectionist, non-compromising approach to design.  You are a legend!

Giorgio Armani – for his reinterpretation each season of timeless classics, his manipulation of fabric and use of soft, sensual hues.

Charles and Ray Eames – for their contribution to fine art, modern architecture and iconic furniture design of the 20^th century.

What is your favourite way to spend time with your children?

Time at the beach at our holiday home on the Sunshine Coast…ideally with no phones or laptops but the later part is rather unrealistic. Laughing around the dinner table together – usually after cracking a joke about one of us…the boys (Anselm and Emrys) are approaching the age where they are really developing a sense of humour which Philip (Cowley, Elizabeth’s husband) and I just love! Visiting GoMA – in fact that is what we did today!  The artist Matisse is another great source of inspiration!

What are you passionate about?

Art and all things creative. Children and their instinctive naivety. Perfectionism – I’m obsessed! Superior quality and design.

What are you listening to/reading right now?

I don’t enjoy reading – I never have.  I much prefer to look at the pictures. Art and design books in general are my addiction.

If you could see eeni meeni miini moh on any child in the world, who would it be, and why?

Oscar and Ava Jackman.  Fortunately, they have been photographed wearing our clothing on numerous occasions.  Deborra-lee is such an inspirational woman, especially through her work with children and of course Hugh Jackman is one of the most gorgeous men alive!

What’s next for eeni meeni miini moh?

Well, my dream of having own own concept store (in Brisbane, Australia) was realised last year, so now I would love to see eeni meeni miini moh + e3-M boutiques all over the world. Well, you never know!

Written by Miki

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It’s well and truly back to school time now, and if you’re still looking to grab some last minute bits and pieces, you’ll want to check out the range at Little Styles – www.littlestyles.com.au. Terri has been stocking the shelves with all sorts of delightful goodies bound to get the kids enthused about the first day back, and for me the real standout brand is British design brand Rex. Vintage-inspired and incredibly sweet, the Rex range features woodland creatures and delicate colours, and it’s all remarkably affordable too.

Also of note at Little Styles is the arrival of brand new Winter 2012 Bebe by Minihaha! Always hotly anticipated, this beautiful brand for babies and toddlers has surpassed itself this time with two new lines for winter; Amber for girls and Leo for boys.  Amber features a delicate floral print in pinks and blues with pintucking and shirring on several items.  Leo’s dusty blue birdie print is complemented by stripes and soft knitted accessories. The Bebe ranges are always so perfect for gifting, and these new releases are no exception – I’m racking my brains to think of babies being born this winter for whom I might be able to buy some of these pieces; any excuse to buy them and cluck over them for a while!

But here’s the biggest news: Little Style’s sale section is currently packed (and I do mean packed, I got to well over 400 pieces before I lost count) with absolutely amazing bargains on some of summer’s hottest items!  I’m talking up to 60% off brands like Oobi, Bebe, Munster, Sooki, Purebaby and many, many more.  But just to make it even more exciting, KidStyleFile readers can take an *extra* 20% off sale items for one week only!  You’ll need to enter the code further20 at checkout to get your extra discount, and do it before Sunday 5th February as that’s when the deal closes. 

Little Style’s virtual shelves will be filling with 2012 autumn/winter stock in the coming weeks, so check back regularly. In the meantime, get ready to enjoy some peace and quiet as the kids head back to school!

Back To School:
Clockwise from top left: Rex Woodland Backpack, $34.95;  Rex Woodland Snack Boxes, $15.95; Rex Lunch Boxes, $11.95ea; Bobble Art Barrel Pencil Case – Traffic, $14.95

New Bebe by Minihaha:
Bebe Amber Blue Knit Beanie, $25.95; Bebe Amber Print Peasant Dress, $38.95; Bebe Amber Button Legging – Rose Marle, $21.95
Bebe Leo Dusk Blue Knit Beanie, $25.95;  Bebe Leo Knit Novelty Jumper, $54.95; Bebe Leo Grey Woven Pant, $37.95

Fashion, toy and accessory brands stocked include Aden & Anais, Adiri, Albetta, Alex, alex & charli, Alimrose Designs, Annabel Trends, Baby Gund, Baby Bloch, Babykids, Babylegs, Babylicious, Baobab, Bbox, Bebe, Bebe Au Lait, Belly Art, Big by Fiona Scanlan, Blabla, BLINK Designs, Bluebird & Honey, Bobbleart, Bonds, Busybee Friends, Cheeky Little Soles, Cheeky Monkey, Cloud B, Cocoon Couture, Dashbaby, Deglingos, Elodie Details, Fish Lilly, Flipsy Flopsy Doll Co., Flirty Bird, Flo, ForWalls, French Bull, Fresh Bakes, Gala Organic Cotton, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Gimmo, Global Style custom, Haba, Hess-Spielzebug, Indy & the Ninja, Infancy, Infantino, Isoki, Itch Design, Jack & Lily, Jasnor, Kathe Kruse, Lakeland Design, Lark and Friends, L’il Fraser Collection, Little Chippi, Little Styles, Love Police, Mamas and Papas, Marquis, Melissa & Doug toys, Miatom, Milk Baby, Minimonkey, Minti, Moppit, Muddy Cloud, Noo Design, Oobi, Paper Eskimo, Pinkberry Kisses, Pink Thodore, Plum, Precious L’il Things, Purebaby, Rockabye baby!, Rush, Russ, Sevi, Sigikid, Skeanie, Skip Hop, Sooki Baby, Super Zeros, SwaddleDesigns, Three Little Trees, Tiny Mammoth, Tiny Revolutionary, Tiny Tribe, Vintage Kid, Walnut, Well Spotted, Woof!, and WOW toys.

Little Styles deliver Australia-wide for the flat fee of $7.50 with orders over $150 are delivered FREE of charge. See ordering and delivery for more information, including international shipping rates.

Written by Angela

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Continuing with our tradition each season, I sat down with the irrepressible, and always inspirational, Alex Riggs, designer of  Oobi Baby & Kids – www.oobi.com.au -  to get the back story on the Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. I am honoured to be able to share this with you today, together with the news that Oobi will be launching their very own online store at the end of February 2012. The Oobi store will carry the full AW12 range, pieces from past seasons as well as ephemera that Oobi loves. Can’t wait!

Winter 2012 is for boys and girls ages 0 to 8 years (selected pieces). Oobi is sold in boutiques and online. Please visit oobi.com.au for stockists information or email Oobi at info@oobi.com.au to find your nearest supplier.

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Introduction & Inspiration ~ Little Red Riding Hood

Hi everyone, and thanks Ange for our Winter 2012 Sneak Peek. I’m always so excited to share the new season with you and give you a bit of  “behind the scenes” on the range.

This season the collection is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. The beautiful mossy greens and chocolate colours of a dark forest, bunnies, wolves and woodland creatures, and the bright blush of winter fruit, their bold colours and, finally, the bright blue of a crisp winter sky.

The range this season began with the deep desire that I’ve had to do a beautiful hooded cape. And of course it must be a Red Riding Hood! Ours is really beautiful, I couldn’t have imagined that it would turn out any better ­ I’m so happy with the outcome. The bright, vibrant red wool of the cloak, warm and cosy and fun. The added feature of a silk-satin tie and the sweet vintage lining makes this piece a classic. The Red Riding Hood would be beautiful dressed down over jeans or leggings or dressed up over a skirt or dress. It could be styled in a multitude of ways. We’ve styled the coat over our beautiful Claudia dress which is a jersey stripe bodiced dress with a pretty tulle and cotton Broderie Anglaise skirt. The dress comes with a fun velvet sash (not shown).

Oobi Little Red Riding Hood Cape worn over Oobi Claudia Dress

Minnie Pinnie

I adore a little girl in a pinnie and Minnie is a sweet little version of the classic pinnie. I love the criss-cross back and the oversized pocket on the front. Of course I should have just done two colours but I couldn’t so I’ve done Minnie in pink, red and navy. Too hard to choose! Minnie is designed to be a play dress so it’s got some stretch in the fabric and it’s not too long. It’ll look so cute over tights or leggings too. It’s very robust and durable cotton/spandex like a mid-weight denim but with the comfort of cotton and the stretch added. Fab!

Oobi Minnie Pinafore shown in red and navy; also available in pink

Mouse Aviator Jacket & Whoosh! Tee

For boys I’ve done a sweet jersey Aviator style jacket with a furry collar. To me it has that real “Biggles” look, the 1930s adventurer-aviator from the old fashioned books. I loved Biggles as a kid, he was like Indiana Jones mixed with George Clooney… Suave AND flies a plane! Along with the aviator jersey jacket (Mouse) I’ve done “Whoosh!” a little plane-print tee shirt. The long-sleeved tee is cool and fun and, best of all, comes with an aeroplane badge!

Oobi Mouse Avaiator Jacket & Oobi Whoosh! Tee

Emma Duffel Coat

Ohhhhh Emma! I’m so in love with this pink duffel coat with bunny print lining in the body, sleeves and hood. Roll up the sleeves to show the print off. The pink is so, so, so delicious. Like musk sticks mixed with chocolate mixed with hundreds and thousands (the biscuit) pink and sweet and delicious! The dress underneath is Rebecca in chocolate Bunny print. Yummy!

Saskia Skirt

It’s hard to go past the Saskia skirts for a perfectly sweet version of the famous tu-tu. I love our Saskia because of the lovely satin bow and the rosettes (an Oobi signature). What I also love is the way we’ve styled the skirt for our shoot. It shows that you can really make it fun and playful with the addition of a sweet appliqué tee shirt or you can really go all-out into fairy land and style it with pearls and diamantes (as we have with the blackberry version).

Oobi Saskia Tutu Skirt in Blackberry and Raspberry; also available in Lime

Rebecca

I love the retro styling of the Rebecca Dress, with it’s sweet little Peter Pan collar and delicious smocking and waist ties at the back. I’ve already done a sneak peek of the Chocolate Bunnies dress so here is the Navy Bunnies. Bunnies are a big feature for Oobi’s winter and in preparation for Easter of course. Rebecca also comes in vintage Blue Strawberry print which is super-sweet and retro.

Oobi Rebecca Bunnies Dress in Red & Navy; also available in Chocolate & Pink

Oobi Rebecca Dress in Blue Strawberries print

Christopher Pea Coat in Olive

Our little Woodsman is wearing my pea-coat (Christopher) in olive but I’ve also done it in a warm French Navy. I love a toggle coat with a hood and the wool-blend will keep your little (woods)man warm this winter. The lining is a reprint of a classic British check from the 1950s which has been modernised with some fresh new colours. I’ve made the sleeves a little too long so that you can roll them up and see the funky lining.

Christopher Pea Coat in Olive; also available in French Navy

 Laura

Laura is a beautiful brushed cotton check skirt so it’s warm and cosy. It’s also a very full skirt so the layers and volume of fabric will be lovely for winter. Laura is gorgeous over tights and would look really sweet with the Emma coat. I’ve styled it with Maxine which is a chocolate jersey cardigan with a sweet ruffly pink collar.

Pip

I love Pip! Pip is our sweet little button scarf in our fabrics this season. On the other side is yummy warm fleece, soft as a lamb! There’s a Pip scarf to go back with every outfit this season. The photo I’ve included shows our sweet little Misha vest and also our Tweed George hat. Warm and fuzzy!

Written by Angela

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A quick, but important, shout-out today. Snugglebum – www.snugglebum.com.au – purveyors of quality pyjamas, sleepsuits, longjohns, shortjohns, dressing gowns, onesies, rompers, hats and wraps for babies, tots, kids and teens from birth to 14 years have a fabulous sale going on right now with an irresistible bonus offer.

Take up to 66% off RRPs on sale stock, while stocks last, plus receive a FREE quilt cover set worth up to $59.95 with all orders $150+ (before postage charges added).  To redeem this offer fill your cart with goodies exceeding $150.00 and select the size and print of your chosen bonus quilt cover in the Special Comments section at checkout until 31 January 2012 only. View quilt sets for boys here and girls here. Happy shopping!!

Snugglebum charge from $8.00 for Express Post delivery Australia-wide. International orders are welcome. Click here for full postage and delivery information.

Post written by Leah

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I bet a few of you are quite tired after a flurry of a week busily preparing for the first day of school, preschool or day-care. I’m sure a few of the KidStyleFile deals have helped out with sourcing the perfect lunchbox, water bottle or bag, yes? (Still looking? Check out KidStyleFile’s current deals here.)

The KidStyleFile Facebook page continues to be a wonderful social spot with this week’s finds including a cool new app (say hello to Temple Run which I know a few of you have become slightly addicted to since we revealed it), to StickyGram, Boon’s latest range, and of course Australia’s Best & Brightest: An A-Z of Australian Baby & Kids Designers.

On the hunt for something special, looking for inspiration or perhaps trying to track down an item at the best price? Don’t be shy, post your query to the KidStyleFile Facebook page and we’re sure to go to length to find it for you.