One of my favourite online kids' stores is Elephant Shoe based in Winnipeg. When my son was born in 2005, it seemed there was a major void in the market when it came to cute boys clothes. Most stores at the mall seemed hell-bent on making him look like a tiny frat boy. Look, I’m all over preppy but you can only buy so many tiny varsity jackets.
Enter Elephant Shoe. A Canadian online retailer based in Winnipeg, they offered fabulous brands like Tea Collection and Appaman. Never heard of them? Neither had I.
Straight from their Facebook wall, the company explains:
“The labels that we have chosen to sell you are not ones that you will see the girl or boy next door wearing (unless their parents have impeccable taste) but clothes that will make your child really stand out from the rest. They are high quality, wash and wear, and wear, and wear, and wear...you get the picture”.
Appaman Hat for Fall
Fans of Appaman include Kingston and Zuma Rossdale, Honor Warren, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Moses Martin and Ryder Robinson (major celeb gossip props if you know who all those kids are)! Tea Collection has been seen on Alyson Hannigan’s daughter, Satyana, and Jennifer Garner’s daughter, Seraphina.
Little Zuma Rockin' The Appaman Hat
I’ve given both Appaman and Tea Collection as gifts and I find them both to be excellent quality and know that they wash and wear so well. The clothes I bought for my son I loved so much I passed them down to my daughter. Hey, if it’s good enough for Shiloh...
Even more impressive is that after some struggles following the recession, Elephant Shoe closed up shop in 2010 only to reopen in July of this year! Congratulations, ladies!
It’s true, my son has now grown out of their size range and my daughter has one foot out the door but this is one of those companies that you just want to see succeed. You know that they care about their products and their customers and really deserve it. If you have a little one between 0 - 4 years of age, I hope you’ll check them out. Even more reason? This Labour Day weekend (today until Monday, September 5th), the shipping is free!
PS - and just to work a little Stella & Dot in here, flip on over to the corporate Facebook fan page where they have announced a little combo contest to win a $500 shopping spree from Stella & Dot *and* a $500 shopping spree from Tea Collection. You can have a cute kid and be a cute mom, too!
At YummyMummyClub.ca, we want to rediscover the woman that lives inside every mom. It’s a struggle that starts from the moment you find yourself pregnant for the first time.
I was joking around with the ladies at Thyme Maternity about watching a woman about to step into the store for the first time. The look on her face reveals her mix of pride and horror as her preconceived notions about who a pregnant woman is and realizing that it’s now her. This isn’t just a new fashion, it’s a new life!
For many, it’s a beautiful, life-changing experience - for some, it’s like playing host to a growing alien - but no matter how you look at it: it’s a fact of life. Your life. And it’s happening right now.
You can only hesitate so long at the threshold of the store. Sooner or later, you have to go inside! Your growing belly demands it.
Just because you need to shop at a maternity store for the core pieces that will take you through the season, it doesn’t mean you need to lose your own style. These items are made so that they are on-trend but also affordable and easy to fit in with what you may already own.
I feel like a bit of a broken record about this but we don’t have much available to us in specialty sizing in Canada and maternity is no different. Luckily, those few we do have are quite good!
Laurie is an Event Manager for SundayBell.com, a brand new website that lets you anonymously negotiate the rates and services of a real estate agent, for free. She needs to be able to run around all day, sit for long periods at a desk, interact with customers at events and look fabulous all at the same time.
Laurie is wearing a soft short sleeve sweater with great texture - two different knits, interlock knit pants, too. - all in the same colour. This particular cap sleeve sweater is ideal for all trimesters, the short sleeve is great in the early fall and you can throw on your jean jacket or a chunkier cardigan to layer up for outside. Because it’s a tunic length, it covers your hips and butt without adding bulk.
When shopping for maternity you should buy your regular pre-pregnancy size and resist the urge to size up. Ill fitting clothes make you look like you’re carrying more weight. The pants feature a 3 in 1 panel that you can roll once or twice to change where it sits on your belly and there’s no pinching or elastic, just a soft, stretchy knit.
This body hugging style looks fantastic with denim but these pants in a similar tone, also from Thyme, make it look more polished. Dress it up with some pumps and it’s a great office look but we’ve made our weekend version here.
A great ensemble - and this applies even if you aren’t pregnant - has elements of what is hot right now but worn in a way that is true to your own personal style. Use accessories strategically to make each outfit more “you”. Laurie is wearing jewellry from Stella & Dot and carrying the La Coco clutch from the newly launched Soho Handbag collection to complete her look.
Get even more wear out of this sweater with long, flowing maxi skirt or pull it over one of your floaty summer floral dresses as the seasons change.
Erika is a stay-at-home mom of an adorable toddler and when she goes out, she wants something that feels a little bit special. The casual dress is back in a big way - great in the office OR you can take the cardi off and you have a delightful (and comfy) all-occasion dress that you can classy up with a long strand of pearls or glam it up with super shiny heavy curbchain.
Take a cue from some of the most fashionable pregnant celebrities - January Jones of Mad Men has been wearing her summer dresses belted just under the bust line. This jersey cardigan in charcoal gray is belted with a belt from Erika’s own closet.
If you want to add some of the great bright pop colours that are hot this fall, a hit of lime or cobalt looks great with black or grey. If you normally wear a camel or warmer tone, think about trying rust, ochre or emerald green.
Erika is also wearing jewellry from Stella & Dot and carrying the Waverly Three Way Bag, also from the Soho Collection.
I seem to do this to myself on a near-regular basis! I see a celebrity wearing a pair of shoes in a paparazzi photo and I obsess over them. Last year, it was Sandra Bullock’s Fiorentini + Baker boots which, as an addendum, I ended up buying when Gravity Pope had a Black Friday sale last November.
For this fall, I’m all over Jennifer Aniston and a pair of chocolate suede covered platform wedges.
As you can expect, I’ve done my research: they are Jil Sander and are available for the low price of $745 on net-a-porter. Honestly? How do I have a knack for finding footwear so ridiculously out of my price range?
Since the first round of fall shipments have already hit the stores, I did a quick tour around Yorkdale on Tuesday to find something similar but have come up short. The fact that they were in last fall’s line by a premium designer *and* they were seen on Jennifer Aniston, I can almost guarantee that I’ll see a lower priced version this season. It’ll just take some time.
I’m looking for any shade of brown - chocolate to tan to stone - doesn’t really matter. I love the way they look with denim and even like how they contrast her black leather jacket. I’m not likely to wear a motorcycle style anytime soon because I find small leather jackets restricting, but I could definitely see myself pairing them with a black blazer and one of my beloved scarves**.
Perhaps even a reader might find a pair and alert me? I would be forever grateful! I’ve seen a few pairs online but nothing at Canadian retailers like Ron White or Town Shoes yet.
So, boot-loving ladies everywhere keep your eyes peeled! And tweet me the moment you spot them.
**When I was applying for the role of Fashion Mummy, Erica and Sharon asked me to do a fashion related video with about 12 hours notice. Here is the 3 minutes and 25 second live and embarrassing video from my bedroom all about my scarves.
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