Book day today – Mario Testino Kids – his personal photographic record of friends and family

Posted on May 7, 2012 by smudgetikka

Kids came out in 2003 but you can still find copies of it and at reasonable prices too. It was a personal project for fashion photographer Mario Testino in association with the Clic Sargent Cancer Care for Children Society whose patron Lady Helen Windsor had introduced it to Mario.

He had personal experience of the situations many families find themselves in having lost his younger brother to liver cancer at 10 years old when Mario was 17.

The book is small but has has an interesting format as a cut off circle and it is a great view of how this world class portrait and fashion photographer has dealt with capturing the images of the not so still young models.

Mario Testino Kids from 2003 in association with Clic Sargent Cancer Care for children

South American lifestyle from Mario Testino's Kids book

Realism with scars and bedroom stickers, Mario Testino Kids

Sweet and soft focus, Mario Testino Kids

Sun and swimming, Mario Testino Kids

Quirky Kids by Mario Testino 2003, strange to think these kids are teenagers now!

Loving the moustache shot - Mario Testino Kids

More South American living, Kids by Mario Testino

Credits - Mario Testino Kids 2003

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

Natalia Vodianova throws a party at Caramel Baby and Child for her Naked Heart Foundation limited edition cashmere girls dress.

Posted on May 4, 2012 by smudgetikka

On the 16th May at the Caramel Baby and Child store in Ledbury Rd in Notting Hill the supermodel Natalia Vodianova will be having a little tea party to celebrate her latest project for the Naked Heart Foundation, the charity she launched to build inspiring play parks for children living in poverty.

Natalia asked Caramel to design a dress that revived her childhood memories and the result is a red 100% cashmere crochet dress and separate collar accessory that have a hand made and simple ethos in a luxury fabric.

Modeled by Neva Vodianova Portman, Natalia’s daughter who is now 6 years old and as you can see from the shots below has already appeared in Vogue many times herself. The dress will be available from the end of June in Caramel stores and selected Department stores worldwide, all proceeds will go to the Naked Heart Foundation.

Dress £225, collar £45 for ages 4-12 yrs.

Neva Vodianova Portman models a limited edition dress by Caramel for the Naked Heart Foundation

Natalia Vodianova and Neva as a baby in October 2006 on the cover of Paris Vogue

Natalia Vodianova & her daughter Neva in a Conde Nast promotion 2007

Natalia Vodianova and Neve for US Vogue - mother love, so sweet

Natalia Vodianova & her daughter Neva in Vogue shot by Mario Testino, November 2008

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

Joules gets horsey with their childrenswear, country style kidswear for winter 2012

Posted on May 3, 2012 by smudgetikka

With a selection of tweedy jackets, bright wellies and easy to care for printed dresses Joules has a country vibe for the winter for its childrens fashion and its a back to usual styling for the company after a cute nautical summer collection.

The horse print is a big deal in girlswear and across the baby and nursery accessory range while the boys get some great knitwear and emerald bright jeans.

These are clothes for the mummy who wants her kids to just be kids without high fashion styling and reflect the kinds of garments most will have worn in their youth but with a modern colour palette and an updated silhouette, even down to a mini me quilted country jacket. The press preview even featured a pen with 3 young lambs inside, just to emphasise the country vibe!

Joules winter 2012 Country dressing, love the jacket, maybe not with that dress!

Joules winter 2012 boys basics with denim tab collar details

Joules winter 2012 children's fashion, stripe and floral mixed prints

Joules winter 2012 Horse print top for country minded girls

Not all country at Joules for the kidswear, navy Nordic pattern handkit for boys.

Nordic pattern dresses for girls at Joules winter 2012 preview

A mini me version of owner Tom Joule's wardrobe essentials plus toddler babygro's for Joules winter 2012

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

A new talent from Estonia in kids designer fashion, cool looks for children for winter 2012

Posted on May 2, 2012 by smudgetikka

Already established in Estonia with her women’s label Xenia Joost has produced a great children’s collection for winter 2012 which one of my favourite kids photographer’s Katrina Tang has photographed.

Full of ethnic references in a modern take, some of it looks like a mini Dries Van Noten collection with rich traditional embroideries, floral printed silks and rich brick toned brocade.

Definitely one to watch, she is another interesting designer from the expanding Estonian fashion scene.

Xenia Joost for winter 2012 childrenswear, ethnic embroidery mixed with satin

Xenia Joost for winter 2012 retro girls dress with softness

Xenie Joost for winter 2012 beautiful floral prints rminiscent of Dries Van Noten for these girls fashion looks

Xenia Joost for winter 2012 belted coats and ruffled long skirts for fall kidswear

Xenia Joost, Estonian kids fashion for winter 2012, rich brick toned brocade for girls

Xenia Joost, Estonian kids fashion for winter 2012 richly embroidered jacket

Xenia Joost, Estonian kids fashion for winter 2012 ethnic style embroidery and a touch of Eastern European fur!

Xenia Joost, Estonian kids fashion for winter 2012 sweet tailored jackets and easy slouch trousers for little tomboys

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

Children are featuring in high fashion shoots more than ever, May issue of French Vogue is the most recent

Posted on May 1, 2012 by smudgetikka

Hot on the heels of the April USA edition of Vogue featuring a Summer of Love family grouping lensed by Bruce Weber is this editorial from French Vogue featuring Joan Smalls.

Kids it seems are popping up in mainstream adult editorials a lot now. Whether this is down to an increasing number of fashion editors having their own offspring or an increasing amount of designer labels for the children to wear I don’t know but its good to see. Bruce Weber has of course often used kids in his shoots and used to lens for Vogue Bambini on a regular basis but Terry Richardson!

Vogue have alway’s periodically featured kids in fashion pages but this seems to be increasing, last month I featured Christophe Kutner’s family story from Spanish and Brazilian Vogue too.