Dino e Lucia, gorgeous soft summer shades for chic French kids fashion

Posted on April 3, 2013 by smudgetikka

Beautiful colours today from French kidswear label Dino e Lucia, soft pastel shades and delicate beading or sequin embroidery are a signature of this collection and with the softly gathered silk fabric this collection has a Grecian princess feel to it.

Dino e Lucia also have a more practical side with Liberty style floral cotton sundresses and playsuits and cotton jersey gatherered skirts but the strength of the collection does lie with the party look decorated items, there is even a couple of Mondrion homage dresses in red/white combinations for those after a 60′s retro feel.

Dino e Lucia beautiful draped and embroidered dresses for girlswear summer 2013

Dino e Lucia summer 2013 delicate spidery embroidery for a 1920′s retro girls dress

Dino e Lucia summer 2013 girls dresses with beading and loose falls

Dino e Lucia summer 2013 flouro lime shades for a neon hot summer in girlswear

Dino e Lucia summer 2013 girlswear, pretty party dresses from this chic French label

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

Start-rite strong trend colours for kids footwear for summer 2013

Posted on March 26, 2013 by smudgetikka

Start-rite has brightened up some of their classic children’s shoe styles with strong vibrant colours for spring 2013.

This sweet shoot photographed by Katrina Tang showcases some of the new styles and colourways, not all the styles were bought by the individual shops in the UK but they are also available from overseas stockists including web stores.

I worked with Katrina on the production and art direction for the shoot with stylist Kate Van der Hage and we had a great day at the wonderful stately home location Wrest Park just outside Luton which the kids adored running round in.

Star-rite summer 2013 collection for kids fashion shoes.

Start-rite summer 2013. Boys casual shoe styles have updated colours for the spring

Start-rite summer 2013 Classic kids styles with strong punchy colours for the export market.

Start-rite summer 2013. Classic kids shoe styles with strong punchy colours for the export market.

Start-rite summer 2013 for toddlers the summer styling has vibrant patent and suede red leather shoes and boots

Start-rite summer 13 – pastel pink is always one of the strongest sellers for girls shoes in any range!

Start-rite summer 13 children’s shoes campaign photographed by Katrina Tang

Start-rite summer 2013. Classic kids shoes that suit the retro feeling in kids fashion that is a current trend.

Start-rite summer 2013 kids shoe campaign, the beautiful terrace at Wrest Park as the sun goes down.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

David Bowie Is – The V&A Museums blockbuster summer show, you won’t want to leave it!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by smudgetikka

I have to say straight out I am a David Bowie fan, I am one of those teenagers forever affected by the man, I went to St Martin’s School of Art, I spent my nights down the Blitz nightclub and many other New Romantic Soho haunts and in all fairness I am not going to be an impartial critic here of this incredible Bowie exhibition at the V&A Museum in London for the summer months.

What impressed me apart from the sheer amount of archive material on display was the insight into the planning and control of all his moves. While some of the lyrics were written on the day in the studio as it were, the tours, album covers and persona’s were so fully worked out beforehand that little was left to chance. It reminds you also how completely unafraid he was, in a fairly dangerous climate still at that time in the 70′s for the bi-sexuality he projected.

How on earth do you keep an invoice for a days recording at a studio for 40 years, I shred my accounts every year as they pass the 7yr deadline! Everything has been kept in Bowie’s career and it forms a fascinating tour through the show. The V&A’s biggest problem here will be how to keep the punters moving through the exhibits there is so much to see and linger over, its not just about the costumes, or the interactive music which plays the classic hits as you pass by exhibits but also the influences and techniques he used and there is a fair amount of film to watch too.

The end of the show is amazing, the huge projection screens held the hardened journo’s at the preview spellbound with many sitting for 20 minutes or more watching the archive footage from Top of The Pops and concerts. This is an exhibition to allow 2 hours to progress through as a minimum. The opening is the 23rd of March but It’s already sold out of advanced booking tickets till May, get your ticket quickly before it ends on the 11th August 2013.

Kansai Yamamoto costume from the Aladdin Sane tour of 1973 at the entrance to the V&A Museum David Bowie exhibition

The original lyrics as written by David Bowie for Starman at the V&A museum summer exhibition

Freddie Burretti costume for Starman performance on Top of The Pops 1972, inspired by Clockwork Orange and described by Bowie as ‘Ultra violence in Liberty fabrics’

Handwritten notes on the back of the Hunky Dory album cover show the obsessive control over each part of the process. Bowie’s look here was apparently inspired by Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphie story.

Coffin like display of a replica of the Ziggy Stardust cover jacket 1972 at the V&A Museum

Costume by opera specialist Peter Hall for the Cracked Actor song on the Serious Monlight tour 1983

The V&A Bowie exhibition even has the double head puppets from the new ‘Where are we now?’ video by Tony Oursler

Many of the costumes appear behind a gauze curtain which has videos projected on top at the V&A Museum David Bowie summer exhibition

Huge projections screens in a cavernous space towards the exhibitions end grip the attention, it feels as if you could spend forever in there watching endless re-runs through Bowie’s career.

In later years David Bowie collaborated with Alexander McQueen on many outfits, here a distressed frock coat from 1995 shortly after his graduation from St Martins School of Art.

Designed by Bowie himself for his 50th Birthday concert you’ve got to admire a 50 year old guy with the balls to wear that!

As you exit, back to an early portrait by Masayoshi Sukita from 1972 and Bowie is wearing a pattern mix that could have come from the latest womenswear collections today.

All materials from the David Bowie Archive, the exhibition is a partnership between the V&A Museum and Gucci.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

All white shoot to show off kids footwear, what a great idea!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by smudgetikka

Found this all white kids shoot by French photographer Karel Balas on his website and I just loved the idea, how smart to show off footwear on a child but with the all white clothing and wrapped paper directing the eyes completely at the feet.

Karel Balas, kids shoe shoot, great concept.

Karel Balas, kids shoe shoot, I like the conceptual white paper dresses too!

Karel Balas French Kids photographer and his conceptual shoe shoot.

Karel Balas, neat way to play peek a boo too, shoe shoot for children’s fashion.

Karel Balas kids shoe shoot, good shot of the contrast soles.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2012

Beautiful photoshoot for Kidscase cool children’s fashion knitwear for fall / winter 2013.

Posted on February 22, 2013 by smudgetikka

Kidscase produce cool modern knitwear for babies and children and have always used a colour palette that is unisex and modern.

They have an ecoethic approach that sees most of the collection produced using organic fibres and with humane working conditions. They have worked for quite a few seasons now with the photographer Annemarieke van Drimmelen and always produce a set of dreamy, beautifully lit emotive portraits of children in the Kidscase collection new styles.

They recently created a webshop online at their website Kidscase.com and have a Facebook page which doubles up as a blog. Here is a sneak peek at their new fall / winter 2013/14 season collection.