Childrensalon

We've Moved!

2009-09-09T02:01:00.000-07:00

The Childrensalon Blog has moved!

We spent some time re-designing our blog so that it was easier and more pleasant to use for our readers. You can now find it here... we would love to hear what you think.

Burberry Inteviews Emma Watson & Christopher Bailey

2009-07-21T02:09:00.000-07:00

You have probably seen Burberry's stunning new ads in the fashion magazines, and if not, we recommend you have a look! Emma Watson, known best for starring as Hermione in Harry Potter, was chosen to be the face of Burberry to give "true British attitude", said Christopher Bailey, Burberry's creative director. "I wanted the images to represent both the rich history and the modernity of the Burberry brand whilst at the same time reflecting a quiet beauty, timelessness and strength that is particularly significant today".

She was photographed in Westminster, London, wearing iconic Burberry pieces, such as the check scarf and perfect trench coats.

We say, good choice Mr. Bailey! She looks classic, beautiful, and portrays the brand perfectly! Let us know your thoughts...

Burberry To End Luxury Pushchairs

2009-07-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Burberry, our favourite British luxury brand, has notified us with some very sad news. The limited edition Burberry puschairs, made in collaboration with the award winning Maclaren brand, is going to be coming to an end.

The good news is that we will be stocking the last of these wonderful pushchairs! Pre-orders are now available on our website, and we're expecting the last ever deliveries to start around January 2010.

A lovely picture from one of our special customers in a Burberry pushchair:

Pitti Bimbo Children's Fashion Trade Show

2009-06-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Childrensalon's fashion buyers recently returned from a four day trip to Florence, Italy, to attend the children's fashion trade show, Pitti Bimbo.

It turns out we were the only independent children's retailer from the U.K!

During the trip, our talented buyers spent time hand-picking the best of the new collections, researching new trends, hanging out with the brands, and checking out some of catwalks.

The trade show is a full three days long, and there is a lot to do! Some highlights were attending the worldwide exclusive champagne preview of the new Hugo Boss children's collection, where they hung out with the buyers from Harrods and Selfridges. They also enjoyed some inspiring catwalks; a highlight being Diesel's, which was a celebration for their 25th anniversary.

There was live coverage of the whole trip from the buyers through our Twitter.

You can see more photos on our Facebook, by clicking here.

And the winner is.... Julie Cannon!

2009-06-22T02:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Julie Cannon who has won a fabulous Monnalisa bag from our recent competition held through our newsletter.

"Childrensalon offer 1st class customer service & they have a fantastic range of beautiful products, the best online childrens website i have ever used!"

Julie's comment about Childrensalon was picked at random from a wonderful selection of entries. We thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them and would like to thank everyone who entered! Watch out for more prize giving competitions that will be coming shortly to our newsletter readers.

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Here's a selection of various other entries we received:

"What i love about Childrensalon is the amazing selection of clothing from a variety of designers, i love looking through the wonderful website that is fantastically set out, its fabulous, a real treat."
- Jennifer Wall

"Hi
One of the best things about your site is, that it is so easy to use.
All the good brands that you have, a speciale Roberto Cavalli. ( i just love it )
I am also very happy for the currency exchange, it make it so much easier to shop on the site.
When ever i had a problem or question your employee has been very helpfull and polite on the phone.
That was some of the god things about your site.
Thanks"
- Sandra Blokgaard, Denmark

"I like best the unbelievable range of labels that turn children into princes and princesses at prices that are affordable in todays economy"
- Jane Brook

"Good Morning,
I like almost everything ….
Starting from the way you display the item in your site, the easy way of checking out, the fast shipping, unique style and items …. ect
Where ever I shop in my city I always go back and pick the things I saw in your site for my kids"
- Elaf AL - Tattan

"Children's salon is the best place to shop for kids clothes as the choice of clothes and the service is unbeatable."
- Maria Hicks

"My name is Rosana Mor, I'm from Spain and I live in a small town.
I must to tell that Childrensalon is not only the best shop online , is the best boutique for childrens in all categories, is better than any store in my city, and you can shop all the days if you want."
- Rosana Mor

"I love Childrensalin because you always satisfy my children elegant fashion style."
- Kher-Sing ONG

"i love everyting you have,,,yes all"
- Maria Welsh

"My Favourite web site for children clothes. :) "
- Hanan Nasralla, Qatar

"What I like best about Childrensalon is your website and how easy it is to navigate. Of course I also like the sales and the options in regards to the available designers. The service is good. Shipping is prompt."
- Glenda Morales, Canada

"Classical simplicity with sophistication, never get out of style"
- Kamini

"I like to shop at Childrensalon because it provides varieties of brands and reasonable price, including international shipping service."
- Donna Lee

Preview the Autumn/Winter 2009 Collections

2009-06-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Ready to start planning your wardrobe for the new season? Or just fancy a taster of what's to come, and what's new?? We thought you might!

You can preview the new collections for Autumn/Winter 2009 here.

They will be online and available for purchase soon, so keep an eye out!

Pick of the day

2009-06-12T03:24:00.001-07:00

John Galliano is one of the most influential designers of our time. And he's very popular with us too! On top of designing his fantastic own-name collections, he is also the man behind the legendary fashion house Christian Dior.

He always has a fun, flamboyant and wild flair when he designs, and this certainly shows through to his children's collection - where his playful imagination is translated into stunning clothing for young girls and guys who aren't afraid to make a fashion statement. But we almost don't need to tell you that with this dress, it speaks for itself! Click here to see it...

Click here to shop the John Galliano collection

Here's some more pictures from his ladies collection that inspired this mini-me version:

Interview with Burberry designer, Christopher Bailey

2009-06-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

Christopher Bailey is the talented man behind Britain biggest luxury brand, Burberry. He is known and celebrated for being the down to earth character that manages to keep a perfect balance of Burberry's heritage and tradition with fresh and contemporary design to create clothes that are completely of the moment.

Because we know the brand is so popular with our customers, we thought we would share this interesting interview done recently with the man himself...

The Burberry tartan is one of the most famous trademarks in the world. What are your own trademarks, passions and fetishes?
Christopher Bailey: One of my biggest things is that I love the countryside. People don't usually associate that with a fashion designer, but it's something that's really important or me. I was brought up in the countryside. I love gardening and spending time in agricultural surroundings.

How very British of you. You're almost as British as Madonna. Do you have horses, too?
I do have horses in my field. That probably makes me a big fat cliché.

More like a thin cliché. You're quite thin.
Well, I'd like to be, but I'm drinking too much.

Welcome to the club! Burberry is such a quintessentially British brand. Are you an Anglophile?
I've never considered myself an Anglophile. I've lived all over the world. I've lived in New York, Munich, Paris, Milan for a long time. Now I'm back in the UK, which is kind of weird. I do love my roots. I do love England and its diversity, but I also love being in other cities. I'd get claustrophobic in one place. Today we're in Manhattan, tomorrow I'm in London, Saturday in Yorkshire...

What's in Yorkshire?
That's where I live. I have a home there, a little cottage.

It must be a very sweet cottage.
It is a very sweet cottage. It's also very old, from 1633. It's an old farmhouse, surrounded by fields and cows and horses.

I bet you've done it up very nicely.
Actually I just finished a huge renovation. I hope it's nice. It's very simple. I love it.

What's your taste when it comes to interiors?
I don't like things when they feel too prissy or untouchable. If you're going to have a sofa then it should be a big sloppy sofa. I like a bit of grime and dirt as well. I don't like things too spotless and perfect. The same with clothes. I want clothes to feel like you own them, not like they own you. They should be a little disheveled and broken down.

Like they have stories to tell.
Yes, exactly. I love stories and poetry.

Do you really like poetry?
I don't love poetry. [Laughs.] We have something on English TV at the moment. They're trying to promote poetry in the UK, so I'm going to start reading poetry. I think I haven't been patient enough in the past.

I know music, too, is one of your interests. And I hear you discovered One Night Only, the band that's playing at tonight's launch...
I wouldn't say I discovered them. I would love to say that. I guess I found them before they hit.

What does music mean to you and how does it play into your work?
Music is so important. I love so many different types of music, from classical to one of my favorite artists, Bob Dylan. I love Joni Mitchell, the Stones, punk, the Pistols.

I'd love to see a punk-inspired Burberry collection. What would that look like?
I'm always a little influenced by punk anyway. But I like it when you discover that it's influenced by punk rather than wearing safety pins all over.

Not that you've never done that.
Not that I've never done that.

What's the most outrageous thing you've ever worn?
I was never crazy, but I did dye my hair blue. That's not so wild.

A lot of designers pretend like they lead normal lives, but it's rarely true. What's a typical weekend like for you?
I spend a lot of time in my studio working on a gazillion things, from fragrances to new buildings to designing furniture, and of course all the collections. But I also have my life outside the office, though I'm not a party person. I like to celebrate but I prefer intimacy to big parties, so I will usually go out for dinner or cook for friends and family. I spent last weekend with my family. We just cooked, read the newspapers, drank too much.

Let's talk about the new New York headquarters. It's a huge undertaking.
Yes, a labor of love. It's slightly smaller than our new London global headquarters. We designed it with the same plans, same layout, same furniture. But we do not have the big Burberry sign in London.

Neon just feels so New York.
Exactly. It's one of only six grandfathered buildings in New York where you can do that, so it's a big deal for us to be able to affect the iconic Manhattan skyline, which I love. And everyone here has a great can-do attitude. You guys are always glass half-full, whereas maybe in the UK we're a bit glass half-empty. There's always such camaraderie in New York. It's a pleasure being here.

Source: Hint Mag

See the Burberry childrenswear online

Jean Paul Gaultier does kids

2009-06-01T06:28:00.001-07:00

The enfant terrible of Paris fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, entered a new fashion realm - and a favourite one of ours - childrenswear. Not one for sticking to conventions, he introduced his new kids collection by parading some very dapper-looking children down his catwalk show in Paris. The collection was made up of traditional tailoring with a twist, topped of with afro wigs!

As big fans of his eponymous adult collection, and equally huge admirers of his work for Hermès, we are excited to announce we have bought his new collection for Autumn/Winter 2009. The collection goes up to 14 year and should arrive in June. Ohh, the excitement! Who will be next, we wonder??!

"Cute, but also kind of joyous." - Style.com

"It was a parade of trendy young things off to church in their Sunday best" - Vogue

Burberry Styling Day

2009-05-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, some of our fashion advisors and staff members (nine, in total!) spent the day at Burberry’s headquarters in London to learn all about the collection for the coming season, Autumn/Winter 2009.

Burberry is a luxurious brand with a British sensibility and a truly great heritage, so we always thoroughly enjoy working with the brand and learning as much from their knowledge as possible.

The day helped all our customer advisers perfect their styling skills in time for the coming season. And just to give our lovely readers an advanced tip on the collection to come, expect lots of checks, soft cashmere, catwalk inspirations and a very special bag!

If you would like to see preview pictures of the collection, please contact us.

Champney's Mother & Baby Event

2009-05-25T06:55:00.001-07:00

Childrensalon are delighted to be working in association with Champneys spa and supporting their Mother and Baby Event, which is being held on Wednesday 27th May, from 6.30 to 8.30pm.

Located next door to our store in Tunbridge Wells, Champneys are offering the chance for new mums in the area to meet and socialise, whilst enjoying an evening sampling some of their luxurious pampering products and treatments. As part of this, Childrensalon will also be offering some special discounts for those who attend - so if you’re local to Tunbridge Wells, why not come along for what sounds like a lovely evening!

Coco before Chanel

2009-05-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

Legendary couturier and creator of the little black dress, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, is the subject of an exciting new movie called 'Coco avant Chanel', or 'Coco before Chanel'. The part will be played by actress Audrey Tautou. The film focuses on the early life of the designer - starting with her arrival at the orphanage that she grew up in, which is also where she learnt to sew. Tatou has portrayed Chanel so well that the design house has chosen her to succeed Nicole Kidman in the new campaign for the No. 5 perfume, which launched on the fifth of this month.

There are so many reasons why we are thrilled about a biopic movie based on the life of Chanel! Not only did she create a fashion revolution, the story of the mysterious designers life is riveting. The flapper image of the 1920s was popularised by Chanel, who pioneered a new breed of women. She gave women freedom. Women who could ditch the corset and instead wear comfortable or revealing clothes, smoke cigarettes, listen to jazz music, drink, drive cars. A bit of a rebel to conventions, she didn't believe in being kept down by 'the man'. She also charmed the rich and powerful and reaped the benefits (she spent most of the second world war tucked up in The Ritz hotel.)

It was really Chanel who was the first designer to be a celebrity and icon in her own right.

We had better start brushing up on our French skills, pronto!

still images from the film:

Portrait of Coco Chanel in 1935:

Chanel in 1938

Chanel in the 1960s adding some finishing touches:

The film premiered in Paris on April 22nd.

Pick of the day

2009-05-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

The idea of walking a mile in someones shoes suddenly felt more appealing when we received the new delivery of Roberto Cavalli footwear. Sticking with his signature flamboyant style, these shoes are funky, fun and bound to put some Spring in any young hipsters step!

See the footwear collection here.

Bahrain Princess loves Ralph Lauren Childrenswear

2009-05-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

London based stylist's blog, run by Rebekah Roy, recently interviewed Bahrain Princess and "International style icon" Raya Al Khalifa. Whilst reading the interesting article - which reveals her style inspiration and how being a mum has influenced the way she dresses - we were delighted to discover that she not only loves the Ralph Lauren childrenswear range that we so adore, she also dresses her son in their stylish attire!

Here's a peek at some of the interview:

How would you describe your style?
RA: Being Middle Eastern and having a good dose of Floridian glamour injected to my aesthetic tastes means I really love opulence and shiny bright pretty things. The Londoner in me, however, pulls some of it back, creating the perfect blend so as not to make me look too tropical or typical or even tragic… I hope!

What inspires your style?
RA - Location! I can get away with different things in Europe than America and the same for the Middle East. So my location inspires me. Art, sub-culture, and fashion shows inspire me as well! I’m always ready and willing to try something that seems a bit avant-garde before it does become very commercial.

Do you prefer Middle Eastern fashion or Western Style?
RA: I genuinely love and am inspired by both.

What fashion magazine/websites/etc. do you like?
RA: Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, both US and UK editions and I dutifully report to style.com to check out the shows and trends!

As a new mother are you finding that you’re shopping habits or passion for fashion has been affected?
RA: Having a son I have discovered my inner tomboy. I’m more ready to get dirty in the park while in London or run in the desert back home. Because of this I have expanded on my daily casual uniform. What was once heels and pristine outfits are now over the knee flat boots with leggings and a black mini Lady Dior bag with gold hardware worn with the shoulder strap. I’m also lusting after the hunter and Jimmy Choo collaboration, which yielded what is the most stylish Wellington boot I’ve ever seen! Croc embossed rubber boots!

Do you think your son will inherit your great style?
RA: I’m already dressing him like his father, which means English gentleman with a touch of polo player chic. Ralph Lauren children’s line is a dream, and has mini me versions of the men’s clothing line for little boys. There I just got him a lovely linen summer beige suit; complete with a green and yellow tie, and a colorful handkerchief for the jacket pocket!

Do you enjoy doing your own shopping?
RA: I love shopping I consider it to be my therapy!

By the sound of it, the lovely Raya has managed to transfer her eye for style from her own to dressing her son very successfully. We would have loved to seen the outfit on!

To view the Ralph Lauren's childrenswear range, click here.

Childrensalon supply clothes for Tatler

2009-04-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Childrensalon was recently contacted by renowned British fashion magazine, Tatler, to supply some of our beautiful traditional coats for a 14 page couture fashion feature in the magazines May issue that paid homage to the film, Funny Face, a Hollywood classic from the 1950s starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.

Below is the image used in the feature entitled 'Vive Le Couture'. We happen to love the movie and the stunning image they recreated!

To read more about our involvement and the shoot, click here..

Click here to see the traditional coats on our website.

Pick of the day

2009-04-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

With summer now well on its way, little girls will love the thought of a fabulous new accessory; which is why our favourite product this week is this gorgeous bag by Roberto Cavalli.

It is the perfect mix of summery fun and edgy glamour, covered in dainty pink and turquoise fabric flowers, yet also embellished with a bold leopard print frill trim and trendy designer tag.

Team it with a classic white dress for a formal event, or give jeans and sandals a stylish edge for a day in the park.

Pick of the day

2009-04-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

We don't know about you, but here in the shop the spring sunshine has given us all a new lease of life and got us in the mood for all things summery.

Big sunglasses are the first item on every celebrity's must-have list, keeping out the sun's rays and the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs. That's why this week we are adoring Chloe's fabulously fashionista sunglasses - ticking off every trend they have pale, pearly frames, thick rims, a wide-eyed shape and best of all give your little girl complete UV protection and come with a hard case to keep them safe in.

The perfect showcase of the Chloe girl's fresh and pretty style, these glamorous glasses are sure to stir up some serious fashion envy!

We wish they fitted us adults!

The Chloé Sunglasses are available in our shop with an exclusive 10% off for a limited time only! Alternatively, email us for more details.

Our Special Occasion Room

2009-04-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

In our store in Tunbridge Wells, we don't only have two floors full of treasures, we have a room dedicated to special Occasions and a room for designer brands. Here's some images of our Special Occasion room...

Click here to learn more, and how you can book an appointment with us.

Window to Easter

2009-04-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

Jemma - one of our talented staff members - beautifully decorated our shop window for the Easter holidays. She wrote some words describing her process and inspiration...

Visions of Easter are a mood-enhancing tribute to the awakening of spring, blossoms, buds and the return of colour after the sombre monotones of winter.

Children Salon is a fantasy atelier of the finest brands brought to life, this is an inspiring basis that lends itself perfectly to creating your own mini world in a window. My starting point was our fabulous Children Salon tissue paper, which somehow blossomed all by itself into a little dream land of Children Salon flowers and bold, bright clothing set against whites, creams and overcast greys.

In many ways I’ve found that window dressing is about illustrating one side of Children Salon’s personality as a story, it’s a little landscape that doesn’t exist in reality, but captures a mood or theme that does.

Using my forgotten craft skills, I turned my living room into a flower factory – I had pipe-cleaner and tissue paper coming out of my ears – to create a flower carpet and decorated ivy climbers as little May poles or Easter trees. In love with the illustrations of Jeffrey Fulvimari I brought some of his kitsch style into creating little bunny masks for a surreal, candy-land background.
Choosing outfits and accessories was easy with so much dramatic colour and joviality within the collections – all shades of elfish green prevailed as did vibrant, daffodil yellow, dressed up with dapper tailoring and all manner of shape and form that has made the collections so exciting.

Perhaps the most satisfying motivation is the amazing encouragement and support of my ideas from the whole team – Thanks guys!

Creative Inspiration

2009-03-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

We recently had a young man come to Childrensalon for his work experience from West Heath school - made famous by Princess Diana, who says she spent the "happiest days" of her life there. Thanks to Mohamed Al Fayed’s generosity, The New School opened as a living memorial to both Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in September 1998.

Charlie - who came to us for work experience - helped out with our studio team for a fun and inspiring week. So much creativity is involved in the work we do that we always hope to pass some of it on to keen young students! It's truly rewarding to see how much someone can evolve in a week.

Charlie now has his own style blog! It was inspired by one of Childrensalon's personal favourite fashion blogs, The Sartorialist. He called it Charlie's Style Spotting, and has done a tremendous job so far.

Click on the link to read it, and we hope you will send him some comments if you like it as much as we do! http://www.charlesgeddie.blogspot.com

If anyone is interested in doing some work experience with us, please e-mail us at studio@childrensalon.com

Congratulations to the Irish Rugby team

2009-03-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

All over Ireland, and the UK alike, fans and supporters broke into overjoyed celebration on Saturday night when the Irish rugby team won the Six Nations Grand Slam for the first time in a whopping 60 years - a victory that will go down in history for the proud Irish players and fans. Childrensalon's founder, Sybil Harriman, was an avid supporter of the Irish rugby team and would have been most proud of their success.

Here's the team celebrating with Prince William there on the right:

Here is a video of the team being welcomed home as they arrive off the plane by an estimated 2,000 fans. Click here to watch it.

If you're inspired to dress for the celebration, many of our brand's heritage and design is influenced by the rugby rugger look. We would recommend: Gant, Hackett London and Ralph Lauren.

Childrensalon clothes in Hello! Magazine

2009-03-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

We recently had ex-Casualty (BBC TV) actress, Rebekah Gibbs, come and hang out at our Childrensalon store with her daughter, Gigi, and a film crew to pick out an outfit from our Special Occasion room. As most seem to, she fell in love with a lot that we had to offer, and of course, our Designer Brand room!

Here's some pictures of them having fun in with Affie in our Designer Brand room. You can read the full story on our news page, here.

Fashion and Fun in our Studio

2009-03-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Heres a peek at some more of our new Spring/Summer 2009 stock on this fun video...

Twitter Your Mind

2009-03-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

So, the latest buzzword in the fashion industry is Twitter. Everyone seems to be twittering away about their latest musings.

Not only is it the place to have a flowing update of what your friends are doing and thinking, you can also get live catwalk reviews before the show has even finished, be in-the-know with gossip you would never normally hear.. AND you can even find out what's on Karl Lagerfeld's or Marc Jacobs mind. (For anyone who has read our blog previously, you will know how much we love Karl Lagerfeld, the genius Chanel and Fendi designer). Or perhaps you could follow what your favourite musician is doing today?

And now you can get daily twitters from Childrensalon too! We will be announcing when new stock arrives on Twitter and other useful details, so that is the place to really be first-to-know. The only warning is that it can become a tad addictive!

Childrensalons Arabic Blog

2009-03-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

We have grown in the big blogoshphere world. We wanted to share our blog with more customers around the world, so we've now got our very own Arabic blog! And the Japanese blog is already in progress..

You can see our new blog here: http://childrensalonuae.blogspot.com/

Our Morning Journey

2009-03-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

Working in the countryside has its benefits. Our morning journey to the warehouse is a very scenic one. It's certainly a pleasant and fresh way to start the day. Gracie stopped to take a picture of the misty morning scenes to share with you....

Enjoy Fashion

2009-03-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

Hello! We hope you had a good weekend... :o)
To start the new week on a positive note, we thought we'd share this quote from Vogue Bambini's editors letter for the new Spring/Summer 2009 issue:

"I realized that fashion has become a way for the family to spend time together, discuss things, and learn about style. Fashion is a moment that can be shared and enjoyed, and it is a topic of conversation. This is the importance and significance of fashion, and children know that. Good for them, and good for their parents who explained it to them."

So on that note, we wish you a good week - and here's to enjoying fashion!

London Fashion Week

2009-02-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

London Fashion Week is well underway! Which means exciting catwalks and more trade shows for us to see. This season actually marks London Fashion Week's 25th anniversary, and the vibrant city that gave birth to designers such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen is as buzzing as ever with fashionista's from all over the world.

We have seen some great collections so far. Vivienne Westwood presented a fun collection resembling naughty boarding school girls, Ossie Clark turned to the Seventies for inspiration and Eley Kishimoto presented big and bold prints and bright colours. Infact, the week was so successful that it's inspired a new initiative called Great British Fashion, which celebrates the talent that has come out of the city.

Left to right: Eley Kishimoto SS09, Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS09 (wwd.com)

New York Fashion Week was last week, of course. And we just wanted to briefly mention how much we LOVE Ralph Lauren. He never fails to impress. And impress is exactly what he did with his stunning new collection. Naturally, this sparks excitement on how Ralph will translate this to the children's collection.

Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2009 (wwd.com)

Sorcha and Zain in London for Fashion Week

See our Spring/Summer 2009 trend report

A Little Help

2009-02-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

We had an additional little helper at the warehouse today. Our talented little model skipped the studio in favour of some computer work. Multi-tasking already!

Miss Grant Spring/Summer 2009 Video

2009-02-18T02:16:00.000-08:00

Our talented in-house model has starred in this exciting short movie made by our creative team to showcase our new collection from Miss Grant for Spring/Summer 2009.

We get a little buzz every time we watch it, so we would love to hear what you think...

Why Childrensalon loves Karl Lagerfeld

2009-02-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

We've always been intrigued with everything about Karl Lagerfeld. His distinct style, behavior, his undeniable talent as a designer who has successfully kept Chanel running as the classy fashion house it started as, yet translated so well into the modern day.

Another trait that always delightfully entertains and captivates our interest is what he has to say... about anything and everything! He's so insightful. A wonderful and rare mixture of wise yet with-it, profound yet lighthearted, visionary and certainly sharp-witted.

Some facts on Karl:
Karl is 71, the designer for Chanel, his own Karl Lagerfeld lines and also has a longstanding collaboration with Fendi. He owns 300 iPods, photographs and creates all his own advertising, in the year 2000 he lost 200lbs so he could wear suits by Hedi Slimane and he never goes out in public without sunglasses on.

Some quotes we love:
"Vanity is the healthiest thing in life"

"The most important piece in the house is the garbage can."

“Personality begins where comparison ends.”

"Beauty is also submitted to the taste of time, so a beautiful woman from the Belle Epoch is not exactly the perfect beauty of today, so beauty is something that changes with time."

"My people are the cool ones... I get along with everyone except for men my age, who are bourgeois or retired or boring, and cannot follow the evolution of time and mood."

Whilst we are lucky enough to stock baby accessories by Fendi - where Karl is at the helm - we hope that he will venture out into designing clothing for children one day in the not-so-distant future!

Adorable Babies

2009-02-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

We found this little slide show of some adorable baby pictures whilst browsing the web and thought we would pass it on.. something about lovable little babies always makes us smile.

On that note, if anyone has any gorgeous baby pictures of your own littles ones, we always love to see them!

Drapers Etail Awards 2009

2009-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Childrensalon made it through as a finalist of - the most entered category - Best Specialist Etailer. Naturally, we feel rather chuffed at the achievement and recognition since we love what we do and work very hard at it :o)

The glittering event was held at Sketch in London. The converted 18th-century building played host to a gathering of more than 250 guests. The awards was hosted by the glamorous, fun-loving soul singer Mica Paris. Drinks flowed freely at the Moë Hennessy-supported champagne reception and mini hamburgers and tempura kept stomachs lined.

If you look carefully, you can see Childrensalon written on the wall!

Affie - our lovely shop manageress - having fun.

Sorcha and Zain.

Mica Paris and model, Caprice, presenting an award.

The Mulberry team.

The Childrensalon bunch!
Left to right: Bonnie, Affie, Zain, Gracie and Sorcha

Snow Days

2009-02-03T10:03:00.001-08:00

Today and yesterday we had snow days! We haven't had this much snow in the UK for 18 years. With the snow came lots of amusements: sledging, building snow men, snow ball fights and the breathtaking views.

It didn't bring good news for everyone however. 6,000 schools closed, along with local shops and most transport methods. Michele, Bonnie and Affie were stranded in Birmingham after attending a trade show because the trains were cancelled, and a few staff members couldn't get out their homes!

Have you been affected?
We took some photos to share with you...

View of the Grove Park, behind the High Street.

View down onto the High Street where our shop is.

This is Calverly Park - a 2 minute walk from our Shop - where some of us went sledging.

Kailas and Sarah in Calverly Park.

Sorcha and Zain on the way to the studio.

Daniel having fun in the snow.

Happy Birthday Affie!

2009-01-31T08:58:00.001-08:00

It was Affie's birthday on Thursday, and she turned 24. For anyone who doesn't yet know, Affie is our wonderful shop manageress!

We spent the evening celebrating at the Drapers E-tail Awards, where we were runners up for best Specialist E-tailer!

(More about that evening and pictures will follow soon.)

Day 2 in Italy

2009-01-31T04:02:00.000-08:00

On the second day in Florence, we attended Pitti Bimbo fashion trade show to hunt down the best of the best that was offer...

It was extremely busy, but we had a great time! We ordered some truly fantastic stuff, and some VERY exciting new brands that will join our offer in July (more about that will come later...).

This was the queue to get in.

Bonnie having fun trying on some hats we ordered..

The brands always have great props, and there is always delicious ice cream and treats available, but NO English tea!

In the evening, we went back to the market to see the lovely sights again. We loved this traditional carousel, still run by a small family-owned business.

Bonnie and Michele arrive in Italy

2009-01-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

Day 1 in Florence.. The fun begins..

Today was the our first day in Italy. We are staying in Florence, which is a charming city! We have already fallen in-love with the architecture, historic boutiques, and fantastic ice cream parlours (which are everywhere!).

Tomorrow the sight-seeing ends, and we will embark on two days of serious buying at the fashion trade show, Pitti Bimbo. Here we will be buying for Autumn/Winter 2009.

Watch this space for more pictures...

Buying Trip to Burberry

2009-01-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we set off to London to buy the Burberry collection for Autumn Winter 2009.

We always have fun at Burberry! It was a fantastic collection, and as usual we all fell in love with so many pieces. Zain - our boyswear buyer - found himself at home with a tartan scarf. And the women of the buying team: Bonnie, Michele and Sorcha, found love in the form of a bag. The new Burberry tartan changing bag. Fabulous!

As always, there was plenty of other mouth-watering distractions: Sweets! Lots of sweets! Eventually Bonnie had to remove the colourful treats from the table to stop us from finishing the lot...

We spent all day there, and eventually left at 7pm.

The Autumn/Winter 2009 collection starts arriving in mid-June. We can't put pictures of the products online until closer to the season, but watch this space. Pre-orders will be available as well, as stock is limited.

See our current Burberry collection online here.

Winter at the Warehouse

2009-01-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

It suddenly become remarkably cold here at the warehouse. Every morning, everything in sight looks like Jack Frost has been very busy at work! Hollie and Rachel - two of our warehouse team - braved the cold to pose for a photo so we could show you.

Is it just because our warehouse is based in the country, or are you experiencing the same weather?

We would love to hear from you, wherever in the world you are, and how mother nature is treating you at the moment.

The Party Invitation

2008-12-31T03:42:00.000-08:00

We thought we would share the staff invitation to our Christmas party, as it certainly provided everyone with a good giggle!

Can you spot who is who? (Hint: there is only one non-staff Bond character!)

The Childrensalon Christmas Party

2008-12-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of a festive Christmas soiree for the whole team on December 20th.

The theme was James Bond, which gave an added excuse for getting dressed up! Most people opted for a slick or extravagant look... except for Kailas - our studio creative - who daringly came dressed in a kilt.

We all had great fun, and would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas from us at Childrensalon!