Lou's Clues

Brogues by Lou's Shoes

As soon as I started the hunt for cute, cool kids clothing I also began to wish we still lived in Europe. In contrast to the cookie cutter clothes found in most kiwi kids stores, they have brilliant labels like Mini Rodini, Bobo Choses, H&M kids (where I managed to pick up this cool cat onesie for Jr) and Zara kids. Give me a little boy in suspenders and a henley over puppy-print any day of the week! 

That said, there are a handful of local labels doing awesome things for kids, starting with these little boy brogues by Lou's Shoes. If I hadn't already picked up these lambskin booties from Nature Baby (another favourite) I would have a pair on overnight stork delivery!

I'd love to know your suggestions for cool local labels, and as I find them I'll share them too.

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The yummy mummy's time machine

As a kid, my style icons consisted of the Wakefield twins (remember the one when Jessica went brunette and wore a black satin jumpsuit with rhinestones? and does anyone actually know what a lavaliere is?) and Claudia from the Babysitters Club. I even conned Mum into getting a new phone so I could turn our old one into a phone-cord bangle.


My 19month old daughter already chooses most of her clothes (I draw the line when she also tries to choose mine), but I'm loathe to succumb to all the syrupy-schmaltzy-princessy-froth that seems to dominate the shops. Give me sailor stripes and embroidered jeans over a fairy-winged tutu dress any day (although my hands-down favourite thing she wears is this romper by Albetta).  


I recently discovered Papier Mache, a Frankie-esque magazine for pre-schoolers (and their Mums) which is packed from page to page with cosy, comfy kids clothes. Beautifully designed and styled to quirky-cool perfection, it is true yummy-mummy porn, and the cover even inspired me to knot a length of string and make a few shapes. All I need now is a milo...


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Janod Wooden Toys

Janod wooden toys from Peppin Boutique

How sweet are these wooden toys? Sometimes the simplest things keep my daughter amused for hours (okay...minutes), and I can imagine her spending a long time trying to master the cheese threading toy, especially. 

Her Christmas list gets longer by the day...

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Every (big) kid's room needs a toadstool

Toadstool Lamp from Nature Baby

Overnight, very

Whitely, discreetly,

Very quietly

Our toes, our noses

Take hold on the loam,

Acquire the air.

We shall by morning

Inherit the earth.

Our foot's in the door.

Sylvia Plath

I have a confession to make. Until I started writing this post, I thought toadstools, like the fairies that sit on them, were a thing of fairytales. Who knew they actually exist and are a type of mushroom? I feel like someone just told me that smurfs are a species native to outer Mongolia. No? Darn.


Shiny, red and spotty in an almost comical way, toadstools lend an air of folklore to their surroundings. I have been looking for a toadstool cushion for my daughter's room, but this lamp from Nature Baby is infinitely cuter.  It emits a soft, cosy light that is perfect for when you need to be able to see what you're doing but don't want to wake your baby.


And let's be honest, even if I didn't have a child I would find a place for this sweet little lamp in my home. We could all use a little more fairytale.


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Put a Peppin your baby step

I have driven past Peppin Boutique on Jervois Road countless times and thought how cute it looked, but it wasn't until this week that I actually parked and went in (via Icing on the Cake for cupcakes of course - more on that next week). Quelle surprise! This tiny shop punches well about its weight in browsing pleasure.

Run by the lovely Kathleen, of the Skylark label, Peppin is a perfectly curated selection of locally made, organic clothes (in fact Kathleen makes them all herself on location), French label Petit Bateau, sweetly off-beat children's books and a few wooden Janod toys thrown in for good measure.

Best of all, a well stocked play corner kept my inquisitive toddler enthralled while I indulged my magpie-mother tendencies. 

On my Christmas shopping list...the wooden cheese lacing toy,  Petit Bateau's wild animals t-shirt and the black and white cuffed organic leggings. I'm no longer eating for two, but at least I can shop for two!

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